“The trap door should be open, First Minister should be out of post, no ifs, no buts.”
The Northern Ireland deputy First Minister is facing calls to bring down the Stormont institutions by resigning from her post following the ongoing dispute at Drumcree.
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said the DUP should withdraw Emma Little-Pengelly from her role over Sinn Féin’s presence on the Garvaghy Road over the weekend.
“The court has ruled, a number of times, that this parade should take place and there is an onus on the Chief Constable, the Secretary of State and the justice minister to ensure law and order applies,” Mr Gaston said. “No parade, no Stormont.
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“We cannot continue to have a First Minister (Michelle O’Neill), a new style First Minister for all, we also have a minister for no alternative, well we also have a new definition – we have a first minister for lawlessness. The First Minister can only hold the position if there is a deputy First Minister. The line has been crossed.
“The actions of Michelle O’Neill being present on the road and encouraging others to stay and stand on the road is enough to breach her pledge of office.
“The trap door should be open, First Minister should be out of post, no ifs, no buts. The DUP cannot sustain these institutions that allows a First Minister to brazenly ignore the law to continue to hold office in Northern Ireland.
“She has shown she is not First Minister for all. She is more interested in First Minister for the Garvaghy Road residents. The line is crossed. I believe at this stage the Executive is unsustainable.”
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said Sinn Féin’s response to the parade was “nothing short of a disgrace”.
Speaking at Stormont on Monday, he said: “It very much puts these institutions beyond repair.”
He also said that Portadown Orangemen have been “dignified, respectful” and claimed that they have “taken into account those residents on the Garvaghy Road”.
“The Sinn Féin hysteria that has followed shows that that they are still unfit for office,” Mr Gaston added.
“Put this into context: 35 law abiding men have a right to return home after 28 years, have been denied that right. The Parades Commission, in its determination, restricted the numbers. Portadown Orangemen were happy to comply with that. They done so.
“What they received following that was Sinn Féin upping the ante on the streets, saying there will be no parade, gaslighting the Garvaghy Road residents for one reason and one reason only – for election purposes.
“They are using this issue to deflect away from the crippling immigration problems that is engulfing their communities.”
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