That this House condemns remarks made by Mary Lou McDonald, President of Sinn Féin, describing Brendan “Bik” McFarlane as having lived a “life well lived”; recalls that McFarlane was convicted for his role in the sectarian Bayardo Bar attack in 1975 in which five innocent civilians were murdered; believes that such comments amount to the glorification of terrorism and are profoundly offensive to victims and survivors; further believes that any political party seeking public office must unequivocally reject the sanitisation of terrorist violence; and calls on the Government to amend Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006 to prohibit the glorification of convicted terrorists, ensuring that victims are prioritised and that the rule of law and respect for innocent life are upheld in Northern Ireland.
