Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness urges people to stop celebrating Margaret Thatcher's death

“Do not allow her death to poison our minds”

IrishCentral Staff Writers - Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Member of the public among the crowds burns the front page of the Evening Standard newspaper announcing Margaret Thatcher's death.

Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness called for an end to republicans organizing parties to celebrate Margaret Thatcher’s death.

The former British prime minister died on Monday aged 87 after she suffered a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in London.

The Sinn Féin deputy leader said on Tuesday that people should not celebrate Lady Thatcher's death. Via Twitter McGuiness denounced any celebrations to mark the former British leader’s death.

“Resist celebrating the death of Margaret Thatcher,she was NOT a Peacemaker but it is a mistake to allow her death to poison our minds ” he tweeted.

On Monday celebrations were held by dissident republicans in Derry city close to the site of the Bloody Sunday massacre. In West Belfast people gathered near a mural dedicated to the memory of former IRA hunger striker to celebrate her death.

However, McGuinness, a former member of the Provisional IRA, asked republicans to resist rejoicing over her death.

Meanwhile Unionist politicians have denounced the celebrations.

Jonathan Bell, a Democratic Unionist Assembly member for Strangford said, “While many will differ on policy, such is the nature of the democratic process, all right-thinking people will regard the carnival celebrations following Baroness Thatcher's death deeply inappropriate. At a time of bereavement there should be human compassion for those in mourning.”

DUP First Minister Peter Robinson praised Thatcher’s commitment to the Union whereas Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said her policies did a “great hurt to the Irish people.”

Thatcher became a republican hate figure after her uncompromising stance over the IRA hunger strikes in the Maze/Long Kesh prison in 1981. A total of 10 prisoners starved themselves to death in attempt to gain prisoner of war privileges, after Thatcher refused to back down.

Comment:

It appears as though the Deputy First Minister of the Stormont Government has chosen to align himself with those spineless politicians (with very short memories) who have hopelessly been attempting to “defend the indefensible”. During her term as British P.M., Maggie Thatcher compiled an abysmal record regarding the conflict in Ireland, the Malvinas Islands conflict in Argentina, the coal miners strikes in her own homeland, to mention only a few of the better known issues These policies along with her trademark hubris toward anybody who disagreed with them were the cause of her being reviled throughout the world. Not surprisingly, there has actually been “dancing in the streets” in Belfast, Derry, and even in cities in Britain following the news of her death.

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians in America