Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“After Barry McElduff’s “joke” about Kingsmill and Gerry Kelly breaking the law in broad daylight one would be forgiven for thinking that Republicans would be careful not to cause offence at least for a little while. Yet last night, in response to a tweet from Colum Eastwood the Sinn Fein mask slipped again when Alex Maskey tweeted:
“Unfortunately it took more than the CRA [Civil Rights Association] to secure rights in the putrid little statelet NI”.
“The many victims of IRA terrorism will be in no doubt as to what Maskey was referring to.
“Those Unionists who today are engaged with talks with Sinn Fein/IRA would do well to reflect upon the fact that Republicans are openly boasting of how far the IRA campaign of bombing and shooting got them. They should recall that when Sinn Fein talk about “rights” they believe that it is legitimate to use violence to get them.
“30 years of terror. Hundreds dead. Thousands injured. No respect for the most fundamental of human rights, the right to life. But it is all alright. Because Alex Maskey got his “rights”
“There can be no more concessions to Republicans who openly glory in their campaign of terror.
“The Mask[ey] has well and truly slipped.”