First Minister accused of being ‘offended by everything and ashamed of nothing’

First Minister Michelle O’Neill has been accused of being “offended by everything and ashamed of nothing”, after a row over the Armed Forces presence at a Londonderry jobs fair.

In a meeting of the Assembly on Tuesday, DUP MLA Gary Middleton criticised Ms O’Neill after the Army withdrew from the event following opposition by some Sinn Fein, SDLP and independent councillors.

During members’ statements, Mr Middleton said that he decided to raise the topic after multiple people of all political persuasions across his community reached out to him, “sharing their frustration and disappointment at the position taken”.

He said: “This was blatant discrimination and bigotry, a shameful act towards those who wanted to apply for jobs, who wanted to engage with representatives within those sectors.

“This is now what we have come to expect from this First Minister for all, offended by everything, ashamed of nothing, happy to attend the commemoration and glorification of Republican terrorists, but unwilling to allow their Unionist neighbours to seek job opportunities in the Armed Forces sector.

“Happy to go after our Armed Forces and those who sought to protect our communities, but tells us there was no alternative to violence. A First Minister who seeks to make the rules but is happy to not apply them to herself. Happy to meet with those who share her political outlook.”

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said it was “a failure of leadership” in nationalism and republicanism.

Following Mr Robinson’s comments, Ms O’Neill said that Derry City and Strabane District Council should be respected, and the right decision had been made and, in an interview with the BBC, told him to “butt out”.

Mr Middleton added: “Sadly, that will be a surprise for some, but it’s not a surprise for people on these benches when we hear the words ‘butt out’. Many know that it also means ‘Brits out’.

“This is because of the actions of Sinn Fein and their SDLP colleagues across our local government. No respect, no understanding, and indeed, no thought for their Unionist neighbours. We are not only seeing the re-writing of history. We are seeing the re-writing of the present.

“It is time to show leadership. Accept that the idea of a new Ireland is in absolute tatters. Unionism is not butting out. Unionism is not going away.”

Following the public disagreement, Sinn Fein Foyle MLA Ciara Ferguson said: “Derry and Strabane Council are democratically entitled to make decisions that relates to council property and to reflect, in doing so, the deep hurt that the British Army inflicted on the people of Derry.

“The DUP leader might want to believe that we have somehow reverted to the dark days of unionist domination but those days are gone and they are never coming back.

“Michelle O’Neill has consistently shown she is and will continue to be a First Minister for all.”