The DUP’s Gregory Campbell has claimed Michelle O’Neill’s leadership has caused a new generation to grow up to “romanticise the campaign of shooting and bombing”.
The MP made the comments after a LucidTalk poll showed that nearly seven in 10 nationalist voters agreed with comments by Sinn Fein vice president Ms O’Neill that there was “no alterative” to IRA violence during Northern Ireland’s troubled past.
The opinion poll found that 69% of respondents from the nationalist and republican community believe “violent resistance to British rule during the Troubles ” was the only option.
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Ms O’Neill has been strongly criticised by unionists and some victims’ groups for her comments on the past.
The poll, published by the Belfast Telegraph, found that almost 75% of people who were surveyed aged between 18 and 44 agreed with Ms O’Neill.
“It is deeply worrying that because of Michelle O’Neill’s leadership where she frequently celebrates a range of PIRA terrorists, a new generation have grown to romanticise the campaign of shooting and bombing,” Mr Campbell said.
He said the younger generation needs to know there is “no justification” for paramilitary murders.
“There was and always is an alternative to violence,” Mr Campbell added.
“There was and always is an alternative to killing your neighbours with bombs and bullets. The alternative was and is not to kill but rather use purely peaceful and democratic means.
“I grew up in the same city as Martin McGuinness at the same time. My house was no better than his.
“I had similar employment struggles as my Protestant and Catholic neighbours. I did not resort to guns and bombs. Neither did many of my Catholic and Protestant neighbours.
“The killing of innocent men, women and children, whatever the cause, can never be justified.
“I don’t believe that 70% of nationalists would defend the PIRA.
“How could anyone in their right mind defend the so-called disappeared such as Jean McConville, or the Claudy bomb in my constituency, or the Teebane massacre, the La Mon firebomb, the Enniskillen bomb or the attempt to murder Nigel and Diane Dodds in the RVH children’s hospital.
“Republican terrorists were responsible for more than half of all deaths in the Troubles. I refuse to accept there were any ‘legitimate targets’ for paramilitaries in the Troubles.”
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