A portrait of a Sinn Fein former Belfast lord mayor has been branded "disgraceful" by unionists for including an image of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.
Framed portraits of Sinn Fein MLA Daniel Baker and party MP John Finucane were unveiled at Belfast City Hall on Tuesday evening to mark their terms as lord mayor.
Mr Baker's portrait by artist Tony Bell, which cost ratepayers £14,950, includes an image of Bobby Sands in the background. Mr Finucane's portrait by Leah Davis cost around £12,000.
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Both portraits will now be on display at city hall for the visiting public.
Mr Finucane served as lord mayor in 2019 until his election in December that year as North Belfast MP. He was replaced for the remainder of his term by Mr Baker, who has since become a West Belfast MLA.
Sands, the IRA's leader in the Maze prison near Lisburn, was the first of 10 hunger strikers to die during a republican protest in the facility in 1981.
Former lord mayor and Ulster Unionist councillor Jim Rodgers said the inclusion of Sands in Mr Baker's portrait was "totally unacceptable", describing it as "glorifying terrorists".
He said: "We can't glorify terrorists and regardless of whether they are republican or loyalist, my voice is loud and clear today and always has been - I have no time for paramilitary organisations, it's time they were no longer with us, to let us move forward regardless of one's religion, colour, class or creed and make this city and country much better than it is presently."
Mr Rodgers said rules may need to be devised on what former lord mayors can include in their portraits.
"We need to do something about it. We allowed outgoing lord mayors to make the decision on what sort of a portrait we are going to have, but now I think we need to look at this very carefully and maybe set out a protocol for it in the future," he told the BBC's Nolan Show.
TUV North Belfast spokesman Ron McDowell described the inclusion of Sands as a "gross insult to the many victims of republican terrorism".
He said: "The portrait is unfit for display in city hall where the job of the lord mayor is to represent all. It should be removed from display and the bill for painting it should be paid by Sinn Fein."
In a post online sharing an image of his portrait, Mr Baker said that being lord mayor was "one of the privileges of my lifetime".
He added: "My mum passed away just before I became mayor and never got to experience this with me but thanks to local Colin artist, Tony Bell, my mum will be with me as a part of city hall history forever."
The current lord mayor, Sinn Fein councillor Tina Black, said commissioning portraits to mark a lord mayor's term in office is a "long-standing tradition which further enhances the visitor experience at city hall".
She added: "They are also considered important historical artefacts and contribute greatly to the fabric of the building's rich history."
In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph, Sinn Fein said: "There is a long-standing tradition to commission a portrait of each Lord Mayor of Belfast to mark their term in office.
"The portraits are historical artefacts on public display in Belfast City Hall and are viewed by thousands of visitors each year, during public tours."
Belfast City Council is the only local authority in Northern Ireland which routinely commissions painted portraits of its civic leaders, spending almost £200,000 of ratepayers' cash on them since 2005.
Public spending campaigners have previously branded such displays an "expensive vanity project", but the council has defended it as a tradition "popular with citizens and tourists alike".
A portrait of Sinn Fein MLA Deirdre Hargey, who was lord mayor in 2018-19, was also scheduled to be unveiled on Tuesday but the reveal has been postponed.
The council said the Stormont Communities Minister was "unable to attend the reception" and her portrait "will be unveiled at a later date".
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