FF leader reignites Adams’s IRA links debate
FIANNA Fail leader Micheal Martin has reignited the debate surrounding Gerry Adams’s links to the IRA after Sinn Fein inadvertently published a photo showing its president standing alongside the slogan: “The IRA will never be beaten.”
The black and white image was accompanied by a caption imposed by the Sinn Fein press office which covered up the IRA slogan.
“I was calling for a United Ireland before it was cool,” the caption read. It was accompanied by the bizarre hashtag ‘Hipster Gerry’.
However, Fine Gael backbencher Noel Rock sourced the original image and released it on social media.
The gaffe will prove deeply embarrassing for Mr Adams, who still denies IRA membership and claims the terror group has “left the stage”.
But last night, Mr Martin said the “cover-up” of the slogan is part of the “long-standing mantra” of Sinn Fein.
And the Fianna Fail leader, who was boosted by another opinion poll this week, accused Sinn Fein of treating the campaign for a United Ireland as a means to satisfy its own electoral base.
“The greatest single barrier to Irish unity has been, and will always be, Sinn Fein/IRA,” Mr Martin told the Sunday Independent. “The Provisional IRA did enormous damage to the campaign of unity, to Protestants and Catholics.
“Look at Kingsmill, the Shankill bombing and other atrocities, PIRA killed Protestants because they were Protestants. As a result they have posed a great barrier to unity.
“The logo being covered up this week is part of the constant mantra of Sinn Fein and the Sinn Fein leadership — particularly Gerry Adams himself who has steadfastly made clear he does not disassociate himself from the IRA and those atrocities.”
Mr Martin said that since Brexit, it has become clear that Sinn Fein’s campaign towards unity is disingenuous and will prove divisive.
“It has always been my view — and the view of Fianna Fail — that a United Ireland is about people, about uniting people from different backgrounds and different communities.
“The narrow border polls advocated by Sinn Fein recently will do nothing to achieve the unity of people of this island,” the Cork South Central TD said.
“In fact, their knee-jerk reaction to the Brexit poll was one that was divisive and could inflame and harden opinions in unionist and loyalist communities. It was simply to satisfy their own electoral base,” Mr Martin added.