SF MP’s apology to IRA victims for gaffe
A SINN Féin MP was forced to apologise for posting a video of himself with a Kingsmill loaf on his head – on the anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre, in which 10 Protestant workmen were lined up and shot dead by the IRA.
Barry McElduff deleted the video that he had posted on Friday, apologised and insisted that he hadn’t noticed the connection.
Kingsmill, a well-known brand of bread, shares its name with the south Armagh village where the mass sectarian slaughter occurred.
On January 5, 1976, a van carrying textile workers home was stopped by IRA gunmen. Eleven Protestant workers were shot. One survived, despite being shot 18 times.
In the eight-second video, McElduff – the Sinn Féin MP for West Tyrone – who is known for his bizarre social media postings, walks around a shop with the Kingsmill loaf on his head asking where the bread was kept.
McElduff posted yesterday: ‘Have deleted video post. Had not realised or imagined for a second any possible link between product brand name and Kingsmill anniversary. I apologise for any hurt or offence caused.’
He also said he was willing to meet with the Kingsmill victims’ families if they were willing.
However, the DUP said the timing was ‘calculated and deliberate’. Assembly member William Irwin asked whether it was ‘tomfoolery or a blatant insult to innocent victims?’