Dublin bombings survivor sends email to Martina Anderson

A man who survived the Dublin bombings of 1974, in which his father died, has sent an e-mail to Sinn Féin's Martina Anderson, copying in all MLAs

Ms Anderson had been criticised for a tweet she posted on Tuesday but later deleted.

On Wednesday she apologised "unreservedly" for hurt and offence caused.

Her post said a compensation scheme for Troubles victims would "discriminate, criminalise and exclude".

Eddie O'Neill's father, Edward, was among 33 people killed in a series of loyalist bombs in Dublin and Monaghan in May 1974.

Eddie O'Neill and his brother Billy were badly injured in the Dublin bombings, but survived.

In his email, Mr O'Neill accused the Sinn Féin MLA of causing untold misery to mankind and told her to to stop referring to IRA members as victims.

He told BBC NI's Good Morning Ulster on Friday:"This is just part of an overall agenda by Sinn Féin to try and legitimise the likes of gunmen, bombers, child killers and murderers.

"This is not just about me this is about every other person that suffered as a result of these people."

He said he had told Ms Anderson she has to stop referring to "IRA bombers, gunmen, murderers and child killers as victims, because they aren't".

"I went out on 17 May 1974 as a child myself and I watched my father die in front of me," he said.

"The constant chipping away and the reference from Sinn Féin is that people like (Shankill bomber) Sean Kelly have the same rights and entitlements as me," he said.

"They don't, they are not entitled to that pension, none of them are loyalist or republican.

"Anybody convicted, anybody injured through acts of terrorism should not be entitled to that pension - in no way shape or form."

Martina Anderson deleted the tweet on Tuesday evening

In a statement, Ms Anderson had said her comments had been "clumsy" but were not directed at victims.

"It was never my intention to cause them any hurt," she said on Wednesday.

"All victims of the conflict deserve acknowledgement of their pain and loss and I support them in their efforts to get their pension."

Mr O'Neill said Ms Anderson had also replied to his email: "She offered an abject apology and that she didn't mean to refer to victims, but in her definition of a victim, Sean Kelly is a victim that's her definition of a victim."

"She says she wants all victims to get the pension."

Mr O'Neill said Ms Anderson's apology changed "nothing".

Good Morning Ulster said they did invite Martina Anderson on to the programme, but had yet to receive a reply from Sinn Fein.

On Friday, Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said he had made a formal complaint to the Northern Ireland Assembly Commissioner for Standards and Privileges in relation to two of Ms Anderson's social media posts on the matter.

"I am fully aware that at present there is no commissioner in post, however this complaint will be looked at when a new commissioner is appointed," he added.

The aftermath of the Talbot Street bombing in Dublin

In the past, some of the relatives of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings have called on the British government to release classified security files on the attacks.

The Justice for the Forgotten lobby group has fought a long-running campaign for an open inquiry into allegations that British security agents colluded with the terrorists to plot the co-ordinated and sophisticated attacks.