Castlereagh East councillor Andrew Girvin has challenged the awarding of “Bobby Sands Gaeltacht Scholarships” to children in a West Belfast school.
Commenting councillor Girvin said:
“Bobby Sands was a terrorist who was convicted of a number of serious offenses including possession of weapons and involvement in a gun battle with police officers after he and other IRA men left the scene of a bombing.
“He is not a role model which any young person should be aspiring to.
“I am not at all surprised that Sinn Fein would seek to lionize Sands. They have never made any secret of the fact that they are linked to terror and bloodshed. However, the fact that joint First Minister McGuinness (as he is described in the Republican News report) made the award and that he was accompanied by Junior Minister Jennifer McCann raises serious questions for OFMdFM – a department supposedly committed to “promoting equality”.
“The school also needs to explain why they believed it was acceptable for pupils to receive such an award.
“It is totally unacceptable that children should grow up in Northern Ireland believing that men of violence should be emulated.
“I will be raising this issue with the Children’s Commissioner, the Belfast Education and Library Board and OFMdFM”.