[ad_1]
Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne apologized for the social media posts that he said did not reflect his views.
One of the posts on Facebook was related to a conspiracy theory about the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
In a statement, he said: “I apologize for these posts and should not have posted them. These posts do not reflect my views.”
Earlier, Browne was forced to call for the postponement of the first meeting of the Joint Public Petitions Committee after members asked him to clarify comments he made on local radio.
In the interview on Tipp FM, he said that he felt Sinn Féin should stop apologizing for linking the activities of the Provisional IRA to the War of Independence.
Tipperary’s TD, who is the committee chair, said the issue was not on the agenda and he would not address it.
He later issued a statement, saying: “For the record, in the interview I made it very clear that I agree with Brian Stanley’s decision to apologize and fully support his making a statement to Dáil next week.
“I said it’s not about apologizing or justifying yourself, it’s about going beyond apologies to reconciliation.”
When today’s committee meeting began, Brendan Griffin, Jerry Buttimer and Eoghan Murphy of Fine Gael asked Mr. Browne for clarification of his comments.
Fianna Fáil Senator Eugene Murphy requested that I make a statement to the Dáil next week.
Mr. Browne told members: “This is not the forum for that. Listen to a recording of the interview.
“I can assure everyone here that I will be impartial and that I will play this role to the best of my ability.”
Senator Jerry Buttimer told the president: “I think this could be one of the most important committees in the House of the Oireachtas and I sincerely wish him the best in his role as president, but I think it needs direction.
The meeting turned to acrimony and Mr. Browne requested that the meeting be held in private session, which was rejected.
Later it was agreed to adjourn the meeting and a new date will be set.
More politics stories
Speaking later, Mr. Browne said: “Fine Gael’s behavior at today’s Petitions Committee meeting was very disappointing.
“They used a media interview I conducted on Tipp FM earlier this week to disrupt the meeting.
“For the record, in the interview I made it very clear that I agree with Brian Stanley’s decision to apologize and fully support him in making a statement to Dáil next week.
“During the interview I also spoke more broadly about the conflict and the past.
“I said that there are conflicting narratives about the past and that we shouldn’t paint one point of view as worse than the other.
I said it’s not about apologizing or justifying yourself, it’s about going beyond apologies towards reconciliation.
“I called for a process of truth and reconciliation to be established so that everyone can sit down at the table and discuss what happened and the way forward, because the reality is that each time the past is discussed there will be different visions.
“Our job is to build a better future and that is what I intend to be a part of.”
Additional reports Paul Cunningham
[ad_2]