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A commemoration for an IRA volunteer, who died when the bomb he was carrying exploded prematurely, was canceled, following an online backlash.
Edward O’Brien, of Gorey, Co Wexford, was 21 when the explosive device he was carrying detonated early, killing him instantly on February 18, 1996.
O’Brien was traveling on a bus in Aldwych, London, when the explosives exploded.
Sinn Féin Councilor Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin announced the cancellation of the online event, which was to mark the 25th anniversary of O’Brien’s death.
“The Edward O’Brien online memorial, which was organized by Ed’s father Miley and with the support of Sinn Féin, has been canceled at the request of the family, due to significant online abuse against the family.” He said.
The event was supposed to take place on Facebook on Thursday.
When asked if the event was supported by the party and if they supported canceling the commemoration online, a Sinn Féin spokesperson echoed what Councilor Ó Súilleabháin had said on Facebook.
However, they claimed that the event was supported by “Wexford Sinn Féin”.
It was understood that the event had been promoted by councilor Ó Súilleabháin and other members of the local party.
In the Dáil, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar condemned Sinn Fein for supporting the commemoration, calling it “deeply offensive”, and called on Sinn Féin to disassociate itself from the incident and condemn the bomb incident.
“This is a deeply offensive commemoration,” he said.
After his death, O’Brien’s family issued a statement through his lawyer condemning all paramilitary organizations.
It was understood that they were unaware of his involvement with the IRA, believing he was working on a construction site in the UK until Gardaí called his home to notify them of his death.
The blast, which was reportedly heard from five miles away, came just nine days after the IRA ended its ceasefire with a bombing of Canary Wharf in London’s Docklands area, which killed two persons.
A BBC report on the day of the blast, in which O’Brien died, said 10 ambulances, five fire trucks and four paramedic units were called to the scene.
Another Irishman, Brendan Woolhead, of Swords, Co Dublin, was injured in the blast. Mr. Woolhead was not related to Mr. O’Brien, and his name had been cleared after initially being a suspect. The bus driver was left permanently deaf, according to reports at the time.
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