Pressure grows on SF to sack senator over ‘sadist’ tweet
PRESSURE is growing on Sinn Féin to sack Senator Máire Devine after she shared a post on Twitter that called IRA murder victim Brian Stack a ‘sadist’.
Ms Devine had been suspended by the party for three months, sparking criticism of Sinn Féin and its disciplinary measures.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday took a swipe at new party leader Mary Lou McDonald by saying that ‘despite the change of leadership’ there had not been a change in attitudes, adding: ‘They still glorify violence and I find that very difficult.’
Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin added to the pressure on Ms Devine to resign as he said the request from Austin Stack, the son of the murdered man, for her to step down was reasonable.
‘I think, understanding the hurt she has caused, it would be an appropriate thing for her to do,’ Mr Howlin said.
‘It is entirely, completely unacceptable and improper for that insulting and hurtful phrase to be used about a servant of our state who was murdered in the line of duty.
‘I can’t envisage a member of any other political party or even any independent elected to these Houses who would even contemplate using that phrase.’
Mr Stack, who had worked as a senior prison officer in Portlaoise Prison, was shot in 1983 by the IRA.
He died from his injuries some time later.
Earlier this year, Barry McElduff – who was a Sinn Féin MP – resigned after he posted online a picture of himself with a Kingsmill loaf of bread on his head on the anniversary of the IRA Kingsmill massacre in which ten Protestants died.
He apologised and subsequently resigned. Ms Devine also apologised for her actions in recent days and deleted the tweet, stating it was never her intention ‘to cause any distress or hurt, particularly to the victims of the conflict’.
She is now suspended for three months but on full pay.
When asked about it in Berlin yesterday, the Taoiseach drew comparisons between it and the McElduff incident and said it was ‘as bad if not even worse’.
Mr Varadkar also criticised Sinn Féin for the way in which it handled the incident, saying he saw ‘enormous inconsistbeen ency’, and added to the growing pressure on her to resign.
‘I’ve always taken the view that disciplinary matters are a matter for each individual party, but I have to say I see an enormous inconsistency in the way that former MP McElduff in the North was disciplined compared to Senator Devine in the Republic of Ireland,’ he said.
‘It seems that what Senator Devine did was as bad if not even worse. Not only did she disrespect the memory of someone who was a victim of paramilitary violence, she also didn’t take it back and continued to engage in it.
‘So I see a real inconsistency in that, somebody in the North has to resign their seat and another person only gets a three-month suspension on full pay. So I would call on Sinn Féin to reconsider that decision, to consider whether they should apply the exact same sanction. And also it does appear to be a real concern that despite the change of leadership at the top of Sinn Féin, there hasn’t really a change in attitudes.’
When asked again if she should resign, he added: ‘I think whatever sanction was imposed in a similar situation in the North should be imposed in this situation.’
Yesterday, Ms McDonald said Ms Devine’s actions had been entirely unacceptable.
‘We acted swiftly, this matter came to my notice late on Sunday night, it was dealt with as a matter of urgency on Monday and she has been disciplined and left in absolutely no doubt as to the gravity and the seriousness of her actions. And a three-month suspension for anybody in political life is a serious sanction.
‘The whip has been removed and her party membership has been suspended,’ she said on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
However, last night Sinn Féin said firing Ms Devine as a senator rests with the Oireachtas, not the party
A spokesman said: ‘Senator Máire Devine’s salary is paid by the Oireachtas, not Sinn Féin. The party has no input on her pay. The party has taken disciplinary action as decided by our ard comhairle.
‘This matter is closed as far as we are concerned.’
Comment – Page 12 emmajane.hade@dailymail.ie
‘They still glorify violence’
‘This matter is closed’