Allister responds to Sinn Fein's vow to deny justice to victims
21 April 2009
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister MEP:
Commenting on the predictable announcement that Sinn Fein would block any attempt at legislative change in the Assembly of the statutory definition of "victim", Traditional Unionist Voice Leader Jim Allister MEP said:-
"True to form, IRA/Sinn Fein is intent on defending the obscenity of statutory equivalence between terrorist perpetrators and their victims. The abiding tragedy is that the form of devolution agreed in the Belfast and St Andrews Agreements, gifts nationalism this veto.
If democracy ruled in Stormont then the will of the majority would prevail, but in this perverted Stormont it's minority rule.
Sinn Fein is right about one thing, though, it is the approaching election which has sparked a pretence of action by the DUP on changing the definition. But, as I warned last week, it is playing a cruel game with innocent victim's feelings to pretend change is coming when they know they gifted a veto on this vital issue to republicanism. I repeat devolution which cannot deliver a just definition of "victim", is devolution in hock to the forces of terrorism."
