SDLP councillor resigns after party stance on Bobby Sands statue

By Claudia Savage, Press Association

An SDLP councillor has resigned from the party over their handling of the Bobby Sands statue row.

Paul Doherty, who served as deputy lord mayor of Belfast, and is a councillor for west Belfast, said he knows the statue of the IRA hunger striker “holds real significance”.

SDLP leader Claire Hanna said their councillors had faced “an unacceptable level of intimidation”, after abstaining on a DUP motion in relation to the memorial.

The statue to Sands, who was 27 when he died on hunger strike in 1981, was unveiled last year at the Republican Memorial Garden in Twinbrook, west Belfast, marking the 44th anniversary of the former MP’s death.

It later emerged that it had been erected without planning permission, though the council has not previously taken any action.

At the meeting on Thursday, a DUP motion which called for the matter to be “reconsidered”, was passed.

A Sinn Fein amendment seeking a review of the “current enforcement status of all such structures” across the council area was unsuccessful.

Mr Doherty posted on social media outlining that he has “left the SDLP with immediate effect”.

“My focus will remain on the ground in my community, representing the people of west Belfast,” he said.

“For clarity, I was not at the hastily arranged Belfast City Council meeting this week – contrary to some posts directed at me.

“I was dealing with an emerging issue in the community and therefore did not have the opportunity to vote against the DUP motion – which I would have done.

“Anyone suggesting otherwise is simply trying to score cheap political points.

“As someone from west Belfast, I know the Bobby Sands statue in Twinbrook holds real significance for people in our community and beyond.

“People should be fully entitled to remember him in this way, and I fully support that. Shame on the DUP and others for turning this into a political stunt.

“My focus remains, as always, on the people of my community.”

Ms Hanna said Mr Doherty “has been a valued representative of the SDLP over many years”.

“The SDLP representatives on Belfast City Council collectively developed their position on the Bobby Sands statue. Following the motion, our councillors were subjected to an unacceptable level of intimidation,” she said.

“While the party has sought to support Paul throughout this period, he has taken the decision to step down, and we respect his decision to put his family first.

“The SDLP is proud to be committed and consistent on equality, fairness and respectful debate. There is no place for intimidation in our politics or our society.

“We thank Paul for his service and wish him and his family every best wish for the future.”