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Michelle O’Neill, the first minister of Northern Ireland, is set to become the first senior Sinn Féin member to participate in an official Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Belfast. However, more than 100 relatives of victims from the Republican community in County Tyrone have criticised her decision in a letter to The Irish News. The letter stated that they felt “deeply hurt, frustrated and angry.” O’Neill said her attendance at the ceremony was controversial but she is “committed to be a first minister for all.”
Seana Quinn, who lost her brother in 1991, accused Sinn Féin of “acknowledging British crimes” and providing normality for their presence in the country. Angela, who lost both her uncle and brother in 1992, said she was “disappointed but not surprised” by O’Neill’s decision, especially given that Sinn Fein members have met with the commander-in-chief of the British police and military.
O’Neill is aware that some may find her attendance at the event hurtful, however, she insists that this is about leadership. During a visit to a primary school in Magherafelt, she said, “I want to live up to the pledge that I made to represent everybody here in society …for me this is about leadership in terms of my role as first minister for all the people that live here.”
The letter that opposed O’Neill was drafted at a meeting in which some victims’ families considered boycotting this year’s official ceremonies. It accuses Sinn Féin of political somersaults and O’Neill’s attendance of populism. However, other groups involved in the peace process have praised the move as a critical attempt to promote reconciliation
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