Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has been warned about a ‘viable’ death threat against him from Dissident Republicans in his native Derry.
The Sinn Fein deputy leader was contacted by a senior officer from the Police Service of Northern Ireland on Wednesday night and warned of the danger.
He said he will take it seriously but has vowed not to be silenced by breakaway Republicans. The threat was made in the wake of his remarks supporting the PSNI after they thwarted a Real IRA mortar attack in Derry.
McGuinness revealed: “I was visited at home by the PSNI who informed me of a real and active threat against me from a dissident group in Derry. They linked the threat to my condemnation of the recent attempted mortar attack in the city and other remarks made in support of the PSNI.”
The Irish Times reports that McGuinness said he is taking the threat seriously but added he would ‘not be silenced by threats like this.’
He continued: “I will defend the peace process from attack from whatever quarter, be it these groups or the loyalist flag protesters over recent months.
“It says much about the mentality of those running groups like the one behind the threat that in their warped logic threatening Irish Republicans and their families somehow advances the cause of Irish reunification.
“I am very sure of the ground I stand on. I am also very sure that it is the path shared by Republicans across this island genuinely interested in building a new agreed Ireland, Republicans who put Ireland before ego, criminality and self gain.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seamus60 | Mar 12, 2013, 06:22 PM EDT
Merefalow. Truth would be a great way forward but with so many shying away from their own, not much hope.
merefalow | Mar 08, 2013, 06:06 PM EST
must be hard being a revolutionary when you become government and then ther,es a whole bunch of new revolutionarys come along doing just what you were doing(i,m talking generally here not making accusations,ZAPATA SAID WHEN HE HAD WON,HE BECAME THE VERY THING HE HAD STARTED THE REVOLUTION TO DESTROY.its just how long does it go on,revolution,counter revolution,ad fin,and in the meantime the country gets destroyed,like SYRIA,LIBYA,IRAQ,AFGANISTAN,(WITH A BIT OF OUTSIDE HELP OF COURSE,AND THOUSANDS OF INNOCENTS DIE,collateral damage the yanks casually call it,there aught to be a better way of settling differences in the 21 st century.
RobinForester | Mar 08, 2013, 02:35 PM EST
My wifes friend age 69 went to Glasgow when it was made that years 'City of Culture'. She visited the art galleries and who knows where else, she spent 3 days there. The point is if a real-old-misery-guts-like-her can go to Glasgow by train, 230 miles for 3 day, then surely this should tell people in Londonderry that there going to be on show to the world - so do your best, Many of these old dears have worked all their lives, there retired and it would be great if they could return and say "Londonderry was a really wonderful place".
IrelandNorth | Mar 08, 2013, 02:27 PM EST
Seems like a clash between idealism and pragmatism. Between young turks and wise old foxes. Between different socio-economic class withing same nationalist grouping, even. Belfast loyalists are claiming republicans are getting preferential treatment. The opposite seems to hold for west of the Bann. Partition inspired political schizophrenia.
anglo-norman | Mar 08, 2013, 12:30 PM EST
How childish all this is...
seamus60 | Mar 08, 2013, 11:24 AM EST
Forget all about the election yesterday in Mid Ulster. Its a usual stunt from SF pre-election to get the sympathy vote. Didn`t work though with the SF vote down by over ten thousand. Sign of the times to come perhaps.
seamus60 | Mar 08, 2013, 07:44 AM EST
Pilib04. The provo`s were ordered by the dual leadership of itself and SF to return all arms over a period of time whilst deceiving the rank and file as to what was really on offer. Had total surrender been sniffed at an earlier stage, things might be very different. When were all the people of Ireland given the opportunity to change the Proclamation ?
seamus60 | Mar 08, 2013, 07:28 AM EST
Seano. Most Republicans now accept as FACT there was an agreement between loyalist and Republican leaders as to certain elements of each leadership being out of bounds in relation to asassination. Did`nt Micheal Stone watch Mc Guinness take his daughter to school one morning as he done for years on a daily basis whilst ordinary Republicans had to watch their back and stay on the move.
seanomelb | Mar 08, 2013, 12:14 AM EST
pilib04 "the guns must never be allowed to return"providing everybody abides by the GFA.
pilib04 | Mar 07, 2013, 09:28 PM EST
Oglaigh na h'Eireann accepted a call from Sinn Fein to stand down and put their weapons beyond use following the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. This agreement was placed before the electorates of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which passed the Agreement overwhelmingly. Those who are now suggesting that it is ok to threaten the life of the leader of Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland and the representative the majority of Republicans in Northern Ireland have crossed over to insanity. The gun has been taken out of Irish politics and must never be allowed to return.
curtisjohnson | Mar 07, 2013, 08:23 PM EST
seanomelb - "I wonder how many death threats McGuinness received over the years by British terrorists and were not passed on by the police." The police were probably behind a lot of them.
maryosullivan | Mar 07, 2013, 08:22 PM EST
Martin, you are now going through the fate of all sellouts, You have to worry about those you sold out and those for you did the selling. Any chance you see the justice of that, I bet not
aloistmartin | Mar 07, 2013, 08:13 PM EST
"Samson, the Philistines are upon you! Martin and Gerry will not go the way of " Democracy" and Labor ! Not with " Our Revolution " anyway ~
seanomelb | Mar 07, 2013, 06:38 PM EST
I wonder how many death threats McGuinness received over the years by British terrorists and were not passed on by the police.
seamus60 | Mar 07, 2013, 01:03 PM EST
CharlieM. Who threatened to ATTACK civilians with mortar bombs ? I can`t find that anywhere in all the local reporting. I have however heard many residents of the area complain why the van was not intercepted at a junction 200 yards before this one. Where no residents would have had to be moved from their homes for days in an operation that always took hours in the past.Why did the police wait until the van had entered a built up area before making their move ?
seamus60 | Mar 07, 2013, 12:54 PM EST
What another load of ballderdash in an attempt to get milage from the recent interception in Derry. How many threats to date have MI5/Mc Guinness come up with. Its the only thing getting him in the news recently apart from his silence on PSNI violence against Nationalists in his home City last week. Exadurate the police having to call to his home to inform him of some shady threat when he`s in an office with a secure line all day in Stormont, lol. Although he doesn`t walk freely around the Bogside anymore its because of members of the public calling him traitor etc, not because of some threat concocted to make him look brave. I stood behind him a few weeks back in his local grocers shop (about 30 yards from his home)where he is a regular, even though all these bad Republicans are out to get him. At least he called them Republicans this time and not his usual term of criminals. 6 county why would anyone from the loyalist background want harm to come to the man who has copperfastened the union ?
CharlieM | Mar 07, 2013, 09:44 AM EST
6countrybrit: How are you any different from the nuts threatening to attack innocent civilians with mortar bombs? Of course, you are not different in any way at all. There is a certain irony in the certainty that you and those you bitterly hate will spend eternity in the same Hell together if you don't repent in time.
6countybrit | Mar 07, 2013, 09:17 AM EST
Good. Any way I can help, let me know.