And still the fawning goes on...
Families of the IRA’s victims denounce ‘sickening’ wave of tributes to McGuinness
FULSOME tributes to former IRA commander Martin McGuinness were branded ‘sickening’ by victims’ families yesterday.
Politicians continued to heap praise on the former paramilitary leader, who was hailed as ‘ an inspiration and a role model’ by his successor in Sinn Fein, Michelle O’Neill.
Prime Minister Theresa May led tributes in Westminster, saying he was ‘indispensable’ in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn referred to him in first-name terms, saying: ‘Martin played an immeasurable role in bringing about peace’.
But relatives of IRA victims spoke of their revulsion at such tributes, and accused politicians of ignoring their decades of suffering. Mr McGuinness’s funeral is due to be held today amid tight security in his home city of Londonderry, where he was second in command of the Provisional IRA in the 1970s. Former US President Bill Clinton confirmed he would attend the requiem Mass, alongside Irish political leaders.
Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire will attend as the Government’s official representative.
Former prime minister Tony Blair was not expected to be among the mourners, despite working with Mr McGuinness during the peace process and praising him as ‘a formidable peacemaker’.
The Sinn Fein negotiator died on Tuesday, aged 66, just two months after he announced his resignation as deputy first minister of the powersharing assembly at Stormont.
Mrs May led condolences at prime Minister’s Questions, saying: ‘We do not condone or justify the path he took in the earlier part of his life, and we should never forget that, nor the victims of terrorism.
‘However … he played an indispensable role in bringing the Republican movement away from violence to peaceful and democratic means and to building a better Northern Ireland.’
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the Commons: ‘ Martin played an immeasurable role in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland, and it’s that peace we all want to endure.’
His successor at Stormont, Mrs O’Neill, hailed him as a ‘political visionary’ and ‘gifted strategist and orator’, adding: ‘ He was our
‘An empty shell of a man’
leader, he was our inspiration, our role model.’
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mr McGuinness’s journey ‘started in violence, but ended up very much grounded in principles of peace and partnership’.
Ulster Unionist Mike Nesbitt said he could not ‘ignore the pain of the victims of the IRA’ but added: ‘History will also reflect on Martin McGuinness as more than an IRA commander. History will be very positive about his motivation as a politician.’
But families of IRA victims said the decades of bombings and violence had killed thousands, robbing many children of their parents. They accused politicians of focusing too strongly on Mr McGuinness’ later involvement in peace negotiations and the power-sharing executive.
Brian Hambleton, 62, whose sister Maxine, 18, was killed in the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, said: ‘Nobody knows just how many people he has murdered. It’s sickening. McGuinness has been placed on a pedestal. Tony Blair speaks of him fondly as a friend.
‘This man should not be lauded and applauded. People must remember his past.’
Mr Hambleton and his sister Julie, 54, have led a campaign for justice for the 21 people killed in the two Birmingham pub blasts and Miss Hambleton said she believed Mr McGuinness had known who carried out the bombings. She said: ‘There’s little doubt in my mind that he would have known who was responsible. It is unbelievable that he is now being spoken of in almost saintly tones.
‘He was an empty shell of a man as far as I’m concerned – somebody who never apologised for the bloodshed the IRA was responsible for.’
In a last interview, with Irish broadcaster RTE in January, Mr McGuinness said he was proud of his history, including his time in the IRA, before
adding: ‘But equally I’m as proud of the role I’ve played over nearly 25 years in developing a peace process that has changed all of that.’
A bomb attack on a police patrol in Strabane, County Tyrone, following the announcement of Mr McGuinness’ death on Tuesday was believed to have been carried out by dissident republicans opposed to the peace process. No one was injured in the explosion.