DUP Cheers As SF Taunts

What Sinn Féin has today described as "playground antics" after an allegation against SF President Gerry Adams has led to the suspension of a leading DUP Assemblyman.

As colleagues gave North Belfast DUP representative Nelson McCausland (pictured) a standing ovation and shook his hand as he left, complaints from republicans echoed in his ears.

Mr McCausland was expelled from the Assembly for the second time in months today for claiming Gerry Adams had been a leading IRA member, despite the party President's denial of the allegation.

Mr McCausland refused to withdraw the claim after it was ruled unparliamentary by Stormont Speaker Willie Hay.

He was then told to leave the Parliament Buildings for the day - the second time in the last four months he has been expelled for making allegations against the Sinn Fein leader.

"I have to say to the whole house that this is an issue that I didn't think I'd have to return to, certainly as soon as we have," said Mr Hay.

"While they may be covered legally in some circumstances against action, they are not covered from parliamentary procedure.

"When members make direct allegations of criminal behaviour against other members, when there have been no convictions, I will rule such allegations as unparliamentary."

The MLA had been expelled from the Assembly in November for making similar allegations against Mr Adams, having said he would again refuse to withdraw the claims.

"I do not intend to withdraw the comments because they were true and I was quoting from a book published by the IRA, which I now intend to place in the Assembly library," said Mr McCausland on the previous occasion.

Sinn Féin North Belfast MLA and Chief Whip for the Party Carál Ní Chuilín immediately criticised the DUP's behaviour in the Assembly chamber: "This was the second time that Nelson chose to engage in this childish and unparliamentarily behaviour, much like the last time he childishly refused to retract his remarks and was subsequently ejected from the House.

"Following his ejection the DUP members chose to engage in almost juvenile behaviour," she said.

"They are more interested in playground antics than serious government," a Sinn Féin statement said this afternoon.

(BMcC/JM)