Republican News · Thursday 25 April 2002

SDLP in Derry part of policing problem

The row between Sinn Féin and the SDLP over the RUC/PSNI attending meetings of Derry City council seems set to continue after this month's monthly meeting, on Tuesday 23 April, was suspended for over 20 minutes.

argument erupted after the SDLP, blaming republicans for placing hoax bomb alerts at homes of SDLP members, put forward a motion condemning these attacks and all human right abuses.

Sinn Féin countered by tabling an amendment seeking the motion to include the raids on the offices of the ex-prisoner group Tar Abhaile and Cúnamh as well as the houses of a number of republicans in relation to the raid on Castlereagh. The SDLP rejected the amendment and said they could not support it as they didn't see these raids as human rights abuses. It was at this point that the meeting was suspended for 20 minutes.

The row over the inclusion of the RUC/PSNI at council meetings has been ongoing since February. To date, the SDLP has sent nine invitations to the RUC/PSNI inviting them to attend subcommittee meetings of the council.

In the past two weeks, hoax bombs were found at the homes of SDLP councillors Helen Quigley and Pat Ramsey. A third incident at the home of the SDLP's John Kerr turned out to be a false alarm. The postman left a parcel on Kerr's doorstep when he found no one was at home.

In the aftermath of the alert at Ramsey's Bogside home on Friday 19 April, the SDLP pulled out of a mediation process promoted by a group of local business people.

Speaking at the scene, Ramsey pointed the finger at Sinn Féin for the hoax because of the party's objection to the SDLP's attempt to bring the RUC/PSNI into Derry council. Ramsey complained that Sinn Féin had been "calling us collaborators and gulpins. They have been attacking me for having a drink with a police officer. Republicans are behind these attacks". Ramsey continued: "Everyone is entitled to earn a living at whatever job they want."

Responding, the Sinn Féin leader on the council, Gerry Ó hEára, said "republicans were not involved in a series of hoax bomb alerts at the homes of SDLP members in Derry". Such an allegation was "completely scurrilous", he said.

Ó hEára went on to condemn those responsible for the suspect devices. "People need to ask themselves who these incidents benefit, certainly not Sinn Féin," he said. "Whoever planted these hoaxes needs to catch themselves on and to stop these stupid antics."

He accused the SDLP of trying to create a smokescreen to hide their public support for the RUC/PSNI. "As to the question of the SDLP's promotion of the RUC/PSNI throughout the council, I am stating now that Sinn Féin will not be deflected from demonstrating our opposition to that policy," he said.

Sinn Féin national chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin said: "Once more we have attempts to blame supporters of Sinn Féin for hoaxes at or near the homes of SDLP members. As with previous allegations, any evidence to corroborate the accusations does not accompany them.

"In its decision to support the present structures, the SDLP has become part of the policing problem rather than the solution. Having made a conscientious decision to join the police board, it then decided to use Derry City Council to impose the RUC/PSNI on the working of the council"