No appetite for return to conflict or violence: Sinn Fein leaders

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal and Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - There is “no appetite for return to conflict or violence” across Irish society, nationalist party Sinn Fein leaders say, expressing hope towards a "unified Ireland."

Northern Ireland has been one of the talking points in UK politics once again this week as an extended deadline to form a power-sharing devolved government is passed without any sign of an Executive.

As the 25th anniversary of 1998 Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, which ended sectarian violence after 3,500 deaths, is fast approaching, political tension between Irish nationalists and unionists is still alive.

Sinn Fein's historic election win in Northern Ireland last May is still to be crowned with governing the country from the seat of the first minister for the first time in history – the Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP) resistance and a prerequisite of scrapping the Northern Ireland Protocol is delaying the process.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Sinn Fein leaders spoke on the latest developments regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol and their well-known ideal of a "unified Ireland."

Mary Lou McDonald, leader of the party, said there is "a real spirit of change" all across Ireland after 25 years peace with the Good Friday Agreement.

"We on the one hand reflect on everything that has been achieved, but we also ask ourselves the question what next, what is the next chapter for the Irish story," she said.

- 'Sinn Fein's victory evidence of change'

McDonald stressed that the last election result in Northern Ireland was one of the examples of change.

"In the May election in the north of Ireland, as you know, a historic election for the first time as Sinn Fein woman, Michelle O’Neill, is returned as first minister-designate, meaning that I can't overstate how significant that is, but you see the evidence of that change beyond that right across the country."

Since the latest election in May 2022, the Irish nationalist and the DUP failed to reach an agreement to form a new Executive.

After winning the most seats in a historic result, Sinn Fein nominated O’Neill, vice president and its leader in Northern Ireland, as first minister, but the DUP refused to nominate a deputy and vowed not to do so until the Northern Ireland Protocol is scrapped.

On the idea of "unification of Ireland," McDonald mentioned that there are various conversations about "Ireland" and "New Ireland," "United Ireland," in addition with those who, she said, have strong Unionist position to protect the status quo.

"There are others of us pushing for change and what we need now is a process of engagement that allows every view from every section of society to be engaged, respected, heard, and we need to prepare for the referendums which I believe will happen in the course of this decade," McDonald added.

- 'No appetite for return to violence'

In response to a question regarding various incidents in Northern Ireland last year, the Sinn Fein leader said those are "disgrace.” According to police reports, one security-related death and five bombings were recorded in 2022.

"There is no appetite across our society for return to conflict or violence ... have there been incidents, yes there have. Should those have happened, no should not. They are disgrace and they cannot be tolerated," she noted.

McDonald said a vast majority of people are insistent that progress is made peacefully, adding that in the meantime they will have an eye to monitor and watch for stability.

However, she added, successive Tory governments and prime ministers having "no regard for Ireland," is a bigger challenge for them, and "that needs to change."

"Because the only way that we can guard and protect what we have and then build on to the next phase is by working together and by everyone including the British government, respecting international law, respecting the Good Friday Agreement, and respecting the rights of Irish people north and south, ultimately, to make our decision collectively together on our future."

- 'Troubles bill is atrocious, disgrace, abominable'

Speaking to Anadolu, Michelle O’Neill, vice president of Sinn Fein, said the UK's governments proposed changes to the Northern Ireland Troubles bill that foresees "conditional immunity from investigation" is unacceptable.

The amendments are proposing immunization of former members of British security forces from prosecution over the past violence in Northern Ireland, which is referred to as The Troubles.

"The bill is atrocious. It is a disgrace. It is abominable. It should be scrapped. I mean, this bill does nothing to serve the heal the wounds of the past," said O’Neill who is also first minister-designate of Northern Ireland.

She claimed that by the changes proposed, the British government is protecting its own military forces by neither trying to heal the wounds of the past nor helping society move forward.

"The bill is not amendable, the bill should be scrapped," underlined O’Neil.

The Troubles, an era of conflict between the British government and pro-British paramilitaries on one side and Irish Republicans and nationalists on the other, ended in 1998.

The UK and the Republic of Ireland signed a deal, brokered by the US and eight political parties in Northern Ireland, on April 10, 1998.

The deal primarily saw the end of the Troubles-era violence, in which around 3,500 people lost their lives.

Meanwhile, Volker Turk, UN high commissioner for human rights, called on the British government to reconsider proposed changes, mentioning that the Troubles from the 1960s to the 1990s is a hugely complex and sensitive matter.

"I urge the UK to reconsider its approach and engage in further meaningful and inclusive consultations on how best to advance a human rights-centered way to address the legacy of the Troubles," he said on Thursday.

Reiterating that there's "absolutely no prospect of us going backwards to where we were before," O’Neil said they are only looking towards the future.

She said there are still small splinter groups in the region and “people who are still engaged in certain activity, and that needs to stop and the job of all of us and political leadership to say no to that, that's not going to happen.”