DUP East Derry MP Gregory Campbell has refused to withdraw remarks he made about a former Derry hunger striker after the comments were described as ‘vile and disgusting’.
Mr Campbell posted the comments on social media about Sinn Féin's Raymond McCartney on Saturday.
The remarks were in relation to Mr McCartney, a former republican prisoner who took part in the 1980 hunger strikes, being elected as an MLA in the Foyle constituency .
The DUP MP wrote on his Facebook page that he was sending ‘best wishes’ to Mr McCartney adding that he was ‘a bit more successful at electioneering than he was at hunger striking.’.
Sinn Fein’s West Belfast MLA Pat Sheehan demanded Mr Campbell withdraw the remarks immediately.
"These comments attributed to Gregory Campbell on social media in relation to my friend and comrade Raymond McCartney are vile and disgusting,” he said.
"Not only was it offensive towards a democratically elected public representative, it also insults the memory of all of those who died on hunger strike and who are held in such high esteem around the world.”
However, speaking to the Derry News, Mr Campbell said he would not be removing the post ‘as that would infer that I’ve done something wrong’.
“Let me out this into context, because controversies, and even engineered controversies, need some context,” he said.
“There is a video clip which I will be releasing with a press release, taken at the time when Bobby Sands was on hunger strike, where Raymond McCartney says that he was prepared to go through with this, and prepared to do what he said.
“Obviously he didn’t do that, because he’s still about, he didn’t die and after that I christened him as a failed hunger striker.
“And now, despite Sinn Fein’s loss 35 years later, when he won his seat, I issued a statement online where I said he was more successful at electioneering than hunger striking.
“And now we have members of Sinn Fein, such as Pat Sheehan and John O’Dowd, attacking me, and telling me to ‘retire’?
“So I will not be taking it down, and in fact I will be repeating the dose until they get the message, so I hope that’s clear enough.”
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