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The chairman of the Sinn Féin Public Petitions Committee was forced to suspend the first official meeting after members asked him to explain his comments on the IRA and the party’s discipline.
Martin Browne told TippFM this week that the party should stop apologizing for the past, while also admitting that he has gone to the homes of members with whom he disagrees.
The comments came after a former Sinn Féin member, Christine O’Mahony, left the party after a member knocked on her door asking her to remove critical tweets.
Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin asked him to explain the comments that he claimed had caused “pain” and “disgust”.
“As chair of the committee, you owe it to the Irish people to explain their comments, as this committee will consider requests from the public on matters of great sensitivity in some cases, I think it is vitally important that these people have confidence in the chair of the committee and, Frankly, your comments may have undermined that level of trust that people can have in you, ”Griffin said.
Browne said he wanted the members to “listen to the actual interview. Do not attribute comments that have appeared in print media ”. He said the issue had not been placed on the committee’s agenda.
Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy said he also shared concerns about the comments, but was happy to give him time to formulate a response. Mr. Browne then tried to bring the committee to a private session. Griffin objected to this, while Murphy said it “feels like censorship.”
Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer said it was not being personal, but that “the issue needs to be addressed.”
After a vote, it was decided that the committee would remain in public session, but it was later adjourned to give Browne time to reflect on the matter.
Fianna Fáil Senator Eugene Murphy asked Browne to potentially make a statement to the Dáil as a compromise, as he said valid questions were being asked.
Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley apologized last week for a controversial tweet in which he referred to incidents from the Revolutionary War and Troubles.
TD Laois-Offaly tweeted in reference to the Kilmichael Ambush in 1920 and the Narrow Water Massacre in Warrenpoint, Co Down in 1979, stating that they were “the 2 IRA operations that taught the elite of the British Army and the establishment of the cost of occupying Ireland. Pity for everyone, they were such slow learners. “
Mr Browne said on Tipp FM this week: “Sorry, in my personal opinion, you should stop. It is history and people need to learn its history ”.
“He has his beliefs and they would be the same as mine. We had a conflict in the North and things happened on both sides, let’s not try to paint one side worse than the other. There is no one side worse than the other. “
“We had an occupied country, a foreign force there. It does not matter if it was in the 20s, 50s, 70s or 80s, it was the same objective, to free our country from an occupying force ”.
When asked if he would call the homes of a party member if he didn’t like the content on social media, Browne said: “I would have done it and I would have done it over the years. I have been president of my own cumann in Cashel ”.
He said the controversy over the visit to Ms O’Mahony’s home had been “taken out of context”, although he accepted that she “maybe felt intimidated and was wrong.” He said he was a neighbor, “he was not like Leo Varadkar and they are trying to paint him, like this heavy stranger.”
“Things will be done differently, or should be done differently, from now on,” he said. He said that over the years “there was never a problem” about the trips he made to other party members “whether he agreed or disagreed. He would never consider it intimidating.”
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