Sinn Féin Hosts United European Left/Green Nordic Left Delegation

national | eu | news report Thursday March 25, 2004 12:27 by Cllr Eoin O'Broin - Sinn Féin eoinobroin at hotmail dot com

35 MEP's From Across European Left Visit Belfast

Sinn Féin hosted a 106 strong delegation from the European United Left/Green Nordic Left group of the European Parliament. 35 MEPs from 11 countries were among the delegation including the Danish Socialist Party, the Italian Refounded Communist Party & PC de I, the German SPD, Spanish Left Unity, from France the French Communist Party, LCR and Workers Struggle as well as groups from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Austria among others. The delegation met Gerry Adams, 6 County EU candidate Bairbre de Brún and North Belfast MLA Kathy Stanton. The delegation visited Belfast City Hall, the Culturlán Irish language cultural centre, the Ardoyne Fleadh Cheól centre and took a bus and walking tour of West and North Belfast.

Below is a story from the Press Association with details of trip and some negative DUP reaction.

DUP candidate under fire over 'Trotskyites' claim

A European Parliament candidate for the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party was tonight under fire for labelling a visiting delegation of MEPs in Belfast as Trotskyites.
By:Press Association

Jim Allister, who will replace Mr Paisley as his party`s candidate in June`s European Parliament election, criticised the visit by 33 MEPs belonging to the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group.

The delegation was hosted by Sinn Fein, whose European Parliament candidate Bairbre de Brun accompanied them on a tour of Belfast including the Falls Road and the nationalist Ardoyne area where the Holy Cross primary dispute with loyalists took place.

The group also met Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

Mr Allister claimed the visit and Sinn Fein`s involvement of it was an indication ``of republicans` Trotskyite tendencies.

``Today`s Sinn Fein hosted visit by the European United Left group from the European Parliament is a clear indication of the likely alliance which will be established by Bairbre de Brun if she is elected as an MEP.

``This group consists of communists and extreme socialists and it is an interesting insight into Sinn Fein intentions which demonstrates the Trotskyite tendency of Sinn Fein.

``Often for home consumption, Sinn Fein seeks to broaden its image but when you examine their friends abroad ranging from Eta to Farc you get a better insight into their true nature.``

The DUP candidate`s comments were criticised however by the president of the European United Left and Nordic Green Left group, Francis Wurtz who was disappointed that meetings with Mr Paisley`s party and the Ulster Unionists in Belfast City Hall did not go ahead.

``Not one Trotskyist member is here today,`` he said. ``In our delegation we have many people from different tendencies but they are all progressive forces.

``Our delegation includes socialists, Christians, ecologists, progressive men and women.

``It is not very fair to superfluously give our delegation negative names. We go to all continents all over the world to meet all forces who want peace and progress and normally the attitude of our interlocutors are not like that.``

Mr Wurtz, who has been a member of the European Parliament for 25 years, said it was disappointing that the two largest Unionist parties in Northern Ireland did not meet the delegation during the visit.

``They have refused dialogue not only with Sinn Fein but the representatives of 19 different European parties,`` he said.

``It is not a good sign.

``I saw the Reverend Paisley for the first time in 1979 and I said this morning I could imagine how difficult dialogue could be with such an unrealistic, unpragmatic and dangerous man.

``I hope the people in the other community, the unionist community, will understand that it is in the interests of both communities to find as quickly as possible a way to make this peace process succeed.``

The MEP, who visited Belfast in 1981 for the funeral of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, said there had been a lot of positive change in the city since then.

However he said there were still obstacles which needed to be overcome in the peace process.

``Our hope is that the unionists will be more realistic in the near future,`` he said during a visit to Ardoyne.

``I totally agree with one sentence of Gerry Adams` speech to the last party conference and he said it yesterday during the talks that if there is a peace process and the process is paralysed, then it is very dangerous.

``It has been paralysed for 18 months and so I think we need a new start. We are on the side of the republican people who want to bring this to a successful conclusion for the sake of the children in areas like this and in other areas.``

Former Sinn Fein Health Minister Bairbre de Brun described Mr Allister`s remarks as ``very disappointing``.

The West Belfast MLA said: ``The delegation comes from a wide range of parties and from a number of different countries.

``They were visiting Ireland because of the Irish presidency of the European Union and we said we would host it in the North.

``We hope to show some sense of a new beginning here. The fact that the parties at Belfast City Council agreed to have the delegation at City Hall and to meet with them there was a very positive sign.

``So it is very, very disappointing that the DUP have not followed through on that and it is also quite perplexing.``

The delegation also met Belfast`s Lord Mayor, Martin Morgan, who is also contesting the European Parliament election in June for the nationalists SDLP following its former leader John Hume`s decision to stand down from his seat in Brussels and Strasbourg.

They also visited a cultural centre on the Falls Road and met community workers in North Belfast.

Miss de Brun said the delegation was interested in the progress that had been made during the peace process and in the obstacles which still needed to be cleared.

The Sinn Fein candidate played down speculation that her party could join the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group in the parliament if it wins its first ever seat in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

``Sinn Fein has met with all the political parties from all the groupings in the European Parliament as part of the peace process and also our promotion of Sinn Fein`s peace strategy,`` she said.

``This is one of a series of meetings that we are having with different groupings.

``We are delighted to have been able to take the opportunity of their visit to Ireland to meet with them and they are a group that we certainly are interested in working with in the European Parliament. But there is no decision yet in terms of which particular group Sinn Fein would join.

``Clearly there are groups that we would also have good working relationships with, other left leaning groups within the European Parliament.``