Let-off for IRA-row MSP af ter Sturgeon’s apology
A NATIONALIST MSP who described IRA terrorists who killed three Scottish soldiers as ‘freedom fighters’ will escape disciplinary action.
SNP officials yesterday confirmed that John Mason will not be punished by the party – despite Nicola Sturgeon having to personally apologise to the families of the victims.
Mr Mason has been heavily rebuked and said sorry – and the SNP leader is said to want to ‘draw a line under the matter’ without taking disciplinary action.
In 1971, Dougald McCaughey and brothers John and Joseph McCaig were off-duty in a Belfast bar when they were lured away and shot.
Glasgow Shettleston MSP Mr Mason caused outrage last month on Twitter by telling a user discussing the case: ‘You say Irish murderers. Others say freedom fighters.’
A senior SNP source said: ‘John apologised and the First Minister has written to the families, who accepted his apology in good faith, drawing a line under the matter.’
But a Scottish Tory spokesman said: ‘John Mason’s comments on Twitter were a painful insult to the many families who lost loved ones at the hands of the IRA. Disciplinary action against Mason ought to be seriously considered.’
Miss Sturgeon’s letter was addressed to David McCaughey, a cousin of one of the victims who is campaigning for their unidentified killers to be brought to justice.
It reads: ‘Mr Mason has made clear that he regrets the offence and upset that has been caused. He is extremely sorry. I would like to offer my own personal apology to you for the upset caused to you.’
When initially contacted by the Scottish Daily Mail, Mr Mason refused to apologise – and cited William Wallace and Bonnie Prince Charlie to defend the comments. He said he was ‘trying to make more of a philosophical point that it is never clear-cut, or seldom clear-cut, who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter’.
However, it has emerged that the SNP chief whip Bill Kidd subsequently wrote to Mr Mason to reprimand him. His email states: ‘The news-papers’ continuing interest in your recent tweets is causing concern for fellow MSPs in the group, who have constituents contacting them directly asking their comments on the subjects of concern and that’s unacceptable.
‘The Government are also being approached and this could cause the First Minister embarrassment.’ After the email, Mr Mason said: ‘I deeply regret the offence and upset that has been caused to the relatives who lost loved ones and am extremely sorry. I condemn and deplore all acts of terrorism.’
Yesterday, Kris McGurk of the Three Scottish Soldiers campaign to bring the killers to justice condemned the ‘forcing of hands behind the apology’, adding: ‘It is difficult to accept its sincerity now that we know the SNP forced the apology from John Mason.
‘We take some comfort that Nicola Sturgeon reached out to us personally. The First Minister is now aware of our campaign and also the huge support it has. We hope she accepts our invitation to meet.’
Emma Cowing – Page 19