Sinn Féin MP McElduff 'suspended for 3 months' over Kingsmill post
Sinn Féin have suspended West Tyrone MP Barry McElduff for three months following a video in a tweet involving a loaf of Kingsmill bread.
Last updated 8th Jan 2018
Mr McElduff had been under increasing pressure, as people linked the video to the 42nd anniversary of the Kingsmill tragedy in 1976, where 10 Protestant workmen were shot dead by the IRA.
In a statment, Mr McElduff confirmed his suspension on Monday, following talks with party leadership at their West Belfast office.
"Although I genuinely meant no offence, I accept that my actions were ill-judged and, while unintended, caused deep and unnecessary hurt and pain to the Kingsmill families," he said.
"I apologise unreservedly for this.
"In recognising the serious consequences of my actions, I fully accept the party’s decision to suspend me from all party activity for a period of three months."
Sinn Féin leader here Michelle O'Neill said they had called a meeting with their MP to understand what had happened.
"Today I met with Barry McElduff to ask for an explanation in relation to his recent tweet," she said.
"I made it clear to Barry that his tweet was ill-judged, indefensible and caused hurt and pain to the victims of Kingsmill.
"That it falls far short of the standard expected of Sinn Féin representatives and our members.
"Barry has again apologised for the unintended hurt which his tweet caused. He deeply regrets making such a post, and he accepts he has made an error of judgement.
"I don’t believe that Barry’s actions were calculated or deliberately intended to be malicious.
"However, given the seriousness of the issue, I have suspended Barry with immediate effect for a period of three months.
"Barry accepts this suspension as an appropriate response to his social media activity.
"To the Kingsmill families I recognise the hurt this has caused and I wholeheartedly apologise for any distress."
However, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the aplogy and punishment was effectively meaningless.
"As of now Barry McElduff remains an abstentionist MP, who remains on full pay," he said.
"The only sanction the Sinn Féin leadership has seen fit to hand down to Barry McElduff is that he is now suspended from attending Sinn Féin meetings for the next 3 months.
"I’d also like to repeat what I said this morning. The events of the last number of days have raised a deeper issue on how all of us in political life deal with our past.
"The provisional republican movement has never expressed full remorse for the specific murders it was involved in, including those at Kingsmill. That is a reality Sinn Féin has never faced up to.
"It is why their public pronouncements about reconciliation have always fallen short and have never gained trust amongst very decent people in the unionist community.
"After a week where the task of reconciliation has once more been undermined, I would again call on the Sinn Féin leadership to ease the hurt caused to these victims by finally apologising for the Kingsmill Massacre."
And the UUP leader Robin Swann said the sanction was a slap in the face for victims:
“The decision by Sinn Fein to suspend Barry McElduff for three months displays staggering and breath-taking contempt for the IRA`s Kingsmills victims and their families," he said.
"It is absolutely clear that Sinn Fein will put the party before the people and that they are more interested in preserving the kudos and standing of Barry McElduff being an MP than doing the right thing and seeing him resign. He is clearly unfit to hold public office.
“This is a disgusting decision that demonstrates their so called rights, equality and respect agenda is nothing more than hollow rhetoric."