Sinn Fein under fire on prison staff snub after Michelle O'Neill declined to sign letter backing recruitment

By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jun 2023, 07:06 BST
Updated 27th Jun 2023, 12:30 BST
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​Sinn Fein has come under pressure to state if the party will support a NI Prison Service recruitment campaign, after dissident republicans removed advertising posters in Londonderry.

​The DUP has called on Sinn Fein to be “clear and unambiguous” in encouraging people to join the service, with the UUP and Alliance also questioning why Michelle O’Neill declined to back a letter of support signed by the other main party leaders.

Although Sinn Fein has described its support for the prison service as “unequivocal,” Ms O’Neill did not sign a letter condemning the removal of the posters and calling on people to consider joining both the prison service and the PSNI.

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The letter of support for both the police and prison service had been drafted in response to the Lasair Dhearg group tearing down prison service recruitment posters in Londonderry and replacing them with anti-PSNI material.

The leaders of the DUP, UUP, Alliance and SDLP signed a letter after prison service recruitment posters were removed in LondonderryThe leaders of the DUP, UUP, Alliance and SDLP signed a letter after prison service recruitment posters were removed in Londonderry
The leaders of the DUP, UUP, Alliance and SDLP signed a letter after prison service recruitment posters were removed in Londonderry

DUP MLA Joanne Bunting said Sinn Fein has not yet offered “a clear reason” why Michelle O’Neill had not signed the letter, and said the lack of clarity leaves a “significant question” around whether Sinn Fein has a problem in offering such encouragement.

“In 2020 Michelle O’Neill had her picture taken at the launch of a PSNI recruitment event. Has she now reneged from that position whilst at the same time claiming to be a first minister for everyone,” Ms Bunting said.

“Sinn Fein needs to … spell out exactly which part of the joint statement they could not sign up to.”

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In a statement, Sinn Fein said its “support for the Prison Service and the PSNI is unequivocal,” and added: “The joint statement people want to hear is that the DUP have returned to the executive so we can deliver for the prison service, for the police service, for health and education and for all the public services on the verge of collapse because of the DUP blockade.”

Lasair Dhearg later issued a statement calling on Sinn Fein to back its campaign against the posters being placed in nationalist areas.