Sinn Féin accuses DUP of ‘deflection’ tactics over joint statement on posters

Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy said the DUP should be answering questions about when it will return to government at Stormont. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA

The DUP has been accused by a Sinn Féin MLA of engaging in “deflection issues” after criticism of the republican party’s refusal to sign a joint party leaders’ statement opposing the removal of prison service recruitment posters.

Conor Murphy said the unionist party kept throwing “dead cats on the table” to remove attention from their failure to restore the powersharing institutions at Stormont.

But DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said the issue raised questions over whether Sinn Féin is “pressing hard and doing enough to encourage people to join the prison service and the PSNI”.

Last week a video emerged on social media showing Northern Ireland Prison Service recruitment posters being removed from a bus stop in Londonderry by members of a republican group.

The video also shows anti-PSNI posters being erected.

They continue throwing dead cats on the table on these issues

A joint statement condemning the footage was released by DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie and Colum Eastwood, leader of the SDLP.

The DUP criticised Sinn Féin Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill’s decision not to add her name to the statement.

Speaking at Stormont Castle on Thursday, Mr Murphy said: “The DUP have engaged in a series of deflection issues over the last while.

“The obvious question for them is what are they doing in terms of getting back into the executive, but they continue throwing dead cats on the table on these issues.

“They want to involve us in selective areas they have identified of interest to them.

“They have no interest in talking about threats to Alliance councillors, issues around bonfires, Nazi symbols and I don’t doubt over the next number of weeks we will have a number of issues in terms of material on bonfires, which the DUP will be very reluctant to look for joint statements on.

“There are posters in loyalist areas which attack the PSNI, I have yet to hear the DUP comment on those.”

Mr Murphy added: “They have involved themselves in these selective approaches and then try to create attention around that in a way that deflects from the real question – when do we get back into an executive?”

Leader of the DUP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he had hoped all five party leaders would have signed the joint statement (Liam McBurney/PA)

But Mr Donaldson said the hope had been that the leaders of all of the five main Stormont parties would add their names to the joint statement.

He said: “Sinn Féin declined on this occasion to add their name to that statement.

“They made the point that one of their senior members had already issued a statement on the matter and they didn’t think that it was appropriate for them to become involved in the joint statement.

“I do think it gives rise to issues around whether Sinn Féin are pressing hard and doing enough to encourage people to join the prison service and the PSNI.”

He continued: “We have our chief constable talking at the moment about the problems there are in recruitment, particularly from the Catholic community.

“I think it is incumbent upon all of us to put our shoulder to the wheel and encourage people from whatever their community background to consider a career in either the police or the prison service.

“I hope in the future that we can see a more collective approach on these kind of matters.”