Education Minister Paul Givan has accused political parties, which criticised his meeting with a group linked to loyalist paramilitaries, of hypocrisy.
During heated exchanges at the Assembly, Mr Givan referred to members of his own family who had worked in the H Blocks at the Maze prison, as he said he would make no apology for seeking to “move every part of our society forward”.
Mr Givan attacked the SDLP, Alliance Party and Sinn Féin as he was again asked to justify his meeting with the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) last month.
The LCC is an umbrella group which represents the Ulster Volunteer Force, Ulster Defence Association and Red Hand Commando.
Following their meeting with the Education Minister, the LCC said that it had advised him that a proposal to build an Irish language school in east Belfast should be stopped.
Mr Givan and DUP ministerial colleague, Gordon Lyons, have both faced criticism for holding separate meetings with the LCC.
The issue was raised during ministerial questions by opposition leader Matthew O’Toole, who asked Mr Givan how many organisations he had declined to meet with since taking office.
The minister said: “I have received invitations to meet with schools, individuals and many organisations.
“I have accepted 324 of them and have fulfilled hundreds of these, including visits to many schools and community facilities that represent every part of our society.
“Given the significant demands on my diary, it would not be possible to accommodate every request.”
SDLP MLA Mr O’Toole said a “large number of organisations” had been declined meetings.
He said: “What would you say to them who are startled to see you decline meeting with them, but accept meetings with an umbrella group linked to paramilitary organisations?”
Mr Givan said: “I will not make any apology for making sure that we seek to move every part of our society forward.
“Unlike his previous leader, the late John Hume, I do have concerns and share some of the concerns people have expressed.
“When John Hume embraced Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin when the IRA were up to their neck in murdering people of our country. John’s Hume’s response was, ‘I don’t give two balls of roasted snow’ what you think.
“I, however, do have concern and I share those concerns, but I will continue to work in every community to bring them forward.”
Alliance MLA Nick Mathison asked the minister to provide an assessment of the extent to which he considers that the LCC represents the views of paramilitary organisations.
Mr Givan said “because you have had a past, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a future”.
He added: “Some of the people you are being critical I met with, my family locked up day after day in the Maze prison.
“Served in the H blocks, shot at going to work. My uncle took 13 bullets as he drove down the motorway.
“My father served in both loyalist and republican wings.
“The Alliance Party and others here campaigned vociferously to get them all released.
“I campaigned against the Belfast Agreement.
“But now, having had the Alliance Party and others champion the early release of mass murderers into our society, they criticise and have the cheek to criticise me for wanting to move our society forward.
“I will not be lectured by those who are acting in a very hypocritical fashion on this issue.”
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said there are “members in this chamber who believe just because they are now elected representatives, that their heinous terrorist acts and convictions are in some way justified”.
He added: “History would record that the Nazis had a similar ideology.”
Mr Givan referred to criticism of his actions by Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan at Stormont’s education committee.
He said: “I was shocked when I heard Pat Sheehan justify the heinous acts of the IRA on the basis that he now has an electoral mandate.
“The electoral mandate does not change the fact that Pat Sheehan was a convicted terrorist for a proscribed organisation and they will not be viewed – and those who participated will not be viewed in any other way – just because they managed to get votes to get elected into this house, compared to other loyalists they now criticise me for meeting.”
Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald answered questions following Mr Givan.
Mr Sheehan asked her if it was it “appropriate” for ministers to meet the LCC to discuss public policy.
She said: “I don’t think it’s appropriate to meet the LCC to discuss issues of public policy.
“We are 26 years on from the Good Friday Agreement so there is no place in this society for paramilitary groups.
“There is no role for paramilitary groups.”
She added: “The tolerance of these groups is indefensible, and it must be called out.”
Mr Sheehan further asked if she agreed that the only reason anyone should meet these groups is to tell them to leave the stage.
She said: “I fully agree that the only issue that needs to be discussed with the LCC is the ending of paramilitarism and the ending of anti-community criminality which criminal gangs engage in.
“The recent meetings between DUP ministers and the LCC provides political cover and implicit justification to these groups, and I think that’s unacceptable.”
