McGuinness Opposes Thatcher Parties

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has taken to Twitter to encourage republicans not to celebrate the death of Margaret Thatcher.

News of the former UK Prime Minister's death sparked celebrations across the UK and Ireland, including in Bristol, Brixton, Glasgow, Belfast and L'Derry.

But Mr McGuinness tweeted: "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."

DUP Junior Minister Jonathon Bell described parties organised in L'Derry and west Belfast as "disappointing and disgusting".

In L'Derry, a petrol bomb is reported to have been thrown at a passing police patrol near the Free Derry Corner.

In west Belfast, car horns were sounded and street parties saw residents open bottles of Champagne in celebration.

Mr Bell said: "The response from Sinn Féin and republicans to the death of our former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, whom the IRA sought to murder, was both disappointing and disgusting.

"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 as deeply inappropriate. At a time of bereavement there should be human compassion for those in mourning."

Margaret Thatcher's legacy remains contentious on both sides of the political divide in Northern Ireland. Many unionists are critical for her signing of the Anglo-Irish agreement, which saw the Republic of Ireland given a stake in the future of Northern Ireland.

Throughout her reign as Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher was a symbol of hatred for republicans and the IRA's biggest target. Republicans hold her responsible for the deaths of ten men on hunger strike in the Maze prison, as a result of her refusal to grant prisoners political concessions.

(IT/CD)