Commenting TUV deputy leader and Strangford candidate Ron McDowell said:
“O’Neill, who infamously said there was no alternative to La Mon, Kingsmill, Enniskillen and the bombing of Newtownards which caused massive damage in 1993 never convinced anyone outside the media bubble that she could represent everyone in Northern Ireland.
“She will never be my First Minister and there are tens of thousands of Unionists across our Province who feel the same way.
“It is no surprise to me that a party lead by Mary Lou McDonald should snub the anniversary of an event universally recognised as critical in preserving freedom and democracy in Europe. After all, the leader of Sinn Fein unveiled a statue of Nazi collaborator and IRA leader Seán Russell in 2003.
“Rather than remember the sacrifice for freedom it is telling that Republicans are more comfortable to honour a terrorist who died on a Nazi U-Boat.”