THE First Minister has stood by his statement that people must “move on” from the Troubles conflicts in Ireland in response to a protest at Holyrood sparked by the remarks.
A small group of army veterans and families of IRA victims had protested outside the Scottish parliament on Thursday claiming that Swinney’s comments had made them “beyond angry” and "disappointed”.
Alex Blair, whose brother Donald was killed by the IRA in 1979, said he felt let down that the First Minister could ask relatives of IRA victims to “move on” from their grief.
“I’m waiting for an apology for myself, my family and the 140 Scottish soldiers and their families that were murdered by the Sinn Féin IRA,” he told The National.
Asked about Blair’s protest by reporters inside Holyrood, Swinney said: “I would never seek to denigrate the experience of individuals who've lost loved ones in military service because I have significant experience of what that feels like in a family.”
He went on: “The point I was making is that if there is to be peace, there has to be some moving on. Inevitably, there has to be, because if we don't move on, we remain in conflict.
“That's the point I was making, and in that there's no disrespect to anybody. I'm simply making a point that unless we move on from conflict, we remain trapped by conflict.”
The small group of protesters who gathered outside the Scottish Parliament on Thursday also raised concerns that the First Minister would have dealings with Sinn Fein, which has been historically linked with the IRA.
Blair, who grew up in Elgin, said he used to be an SNP voter but now feels the party has become divisive because “the SNP won’t speak with victims” and “won’t engage with the tens of thousands of people who voted for Reform”.
Another protester, John Howard, a military veteran of the Royal Irish Regiment, said he was angered that the SNP were considering working alongside Sinn Féin towards the common goal of self-determination.
“The military community is disgusted by this government getting into bed with the political wing of a terrorist unit,” he said. “It's an organisation that has been responsible for a huge number of deaths, including 140 Scottish soldiers.
“Just because it politically suits John Swinney to unite an independence movement across the United Kingdom, it's quite frankly disgraceful and spitting on the graves [of the IRA victims].”
Swinney said on Monday that had “no intention” of apologising for his comments that “people have got to move on” from the Troubles. “Sinn Féin are an elected administration in Northern Ireland, and I deal with elected politicians,” he said.
In response to whether his language was sloppy, Swinney added: “I think the issues that are involved in the peace process have involved people moving on, people have had to move on, that’s exactly what they’ve done, and I’m simply reflecting what’s happened.”
Veteran Arthur Evans said he believed people were being told to forget the Scottish soldiers who had died, and that Swinney should “think again”.
“There’s parents here grieving for their sons who will never come back,” Evans said. “Think about your own family and your own children, fighting for their country, fighting for peace, tragically getting killed, and being told to forget about them.
“That is one of the worst things you could be told.”
