Statement by TUV East Londonderry candidate Jordan Armstrong:
“Anyone who has followed Sinn Fein/IRA pronouncements down through the years will not be surprised that Gerry Adams’s racism has come to the surface yet again.
“This is a leader who built a political career on a “Brits Out” policy.
“At the hight of the Troubles Sinn Fein proposed that:
“Anyone unwilling to accept a united Ireland and wishing to leave should be offered resettlement grants to permit them to move to Britain, or assist them to move to a country of their choice”.
“It’s hard to think of a more transparently racist policy.
“As for his desperate attempt to justify his actions by saying “Nationalists in North were treated like African Americans” he has a seriously distorted view of history.
“For all its faults that’s the first time I’ve ever heard the policies of the old Stormont Government linked to slavey in the Southern States during the 1850s! It’s insulting to dismiss the suffering of the slaves in such a flippant manner.
“In many counties Adams’s tweet would spell the end of a political career. However, given that many seem prepared to gloss over his justification of murder this is unlikely to happen.
“Unionists need to ask themselves if they really believe a party led by such an individual is fit to share power with.”