Martina Anderson: 'Mistakes' made organising event featuring SF MEP
- Published
Representatives from all parties were invited to an exhibition in east Belfast, entitled Psychedelic, Hitchcock Belfast'
An arts organisation has said that "mistakes" were made in organising an event in east Belfast attended by a Sinn Féin MEP.
Eastside Arts has released a statement following a visit by Martina Anderson MEP to an exhibition in Tullycarnet library on Saturday 10 August.
Sinn Féin said Ms Anderson was invited to the event "and was happy to attend and take part".
Some local residents expressed concerns about Ms Anderson's visit.
These were raised at a public meeting addressed by the chief executive of Eastside Arts Maurice Kinkead.
The organisation said full responsibility for the event, staged by the artist Lise McGreevy, lay with them.
Eastside Arts said that Ms McGreevy had invited representatives from all political parties to the exhibition, entitled 'Psychedelic, Hitchcock Belfast'.
"All who attended came as event attendees, not participants, to see the exhibition and experience some live music and poetry," they said.
Sinn Féin posted a video of Ms Anderson's visit to the event on social media, while Ms Anderson also posted pictures on her Twitter feed where she thanked the library for its hospitality.
A Sinn Féin spokesperson said: "Martina Anderson was democratically elected to the European Parliament to represent everyone in the north and regularly engages with people from all communities and backgrounds."
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However, some unionist politicians criticised her attendance.
Eastside Arts said that while it did not issue invites to the event, full responsibility for it lay with them and it should have been better managed.
"Eastside Arts should have discussed and provided appropriate advice on the proposed invite list with the artist," they said.
'Deeply regrets'
They also said it should have "ensured that the local community were aware of the event, including potential invitees".
"Eastside Arts unreservedly apologises for our failure to do this," the arts organisation said.
"The artist Lise McGreevy staged this event as a peace and reconciliation event and is horrified and deeply regrets the negative impact it has caused, and especially the hurt it has caused the local community."
"We have no doubt that this was never the artist's intention."
The organisation said it acknowledges the hurt and understood the anger felt by the community in Tullycarnet.
They also said they were "committed to ensuring the mistakes made in organising this event are not repeated".
- Published24 January 2018
- Published28 May 2019
