Irwin Armstrong, chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives, has branded a T Shirt depicting revellers dancing on Margaret Thatcher’s grave, “shocking, sickening and offensive”. The garment had been offered for sale through Sinn Féin’s online bookshop, but has since been withdrawn from the site, a decision which Irwin welcomed.
“This T Shirt was frankly the product of a sick mind. Politics is all about strong opinions and strong feelings and we recognise that not everyone in Northern Ireland celebrates the legacy of Margaret Thatcher’s career. This, however, crosses a line of taste and decency by miles. To publicly hope for a person’s death - however much you oppose their politics - most right-minded people would agree that it’s simply unacceptable”.
“I have no idea about the process which sees these products end up in the Sinn Féin shop, but thank goodness someone has seen sense and withdrawn this particular item. I am told, though, that the site offers at least one other T Shirt bearing the legend, ‘I still hate Thatcher’, which is also completely inappropriate for a political party that claims it wants ‘an Ireland of equals’”.
“I welcome Sinn Féin’s decision to remove one irresponsible item, but I’d call upon them to review any merchandise which could be offensive to others and think hard before they peddle hate through their bookshop in the future. The party says it supports a shared future, but these T Shirts beg the question, has it really embraced sharing and respect, or, if you scratch the surface, do the politics of hate still lurk underneath?”.