Irish Independent again leads political opponents’ ‘dirty tricks campaign’, Gerry Adams says in New York

THE leaders of Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil have been accused by Gerry Adams of being part of a “campaign of slander”, “dirty tricks” and “bogus” accusations against Sinn Féin led by the Irish Independent group of newspapers.

“The Irish Independent group opposed our peace efforts 20 years ago and it continues to attack us today,” the Louth TD told the annual Friends of Sinn Féin fundraising dinner in New York.

The allegations and smears, he said, are about trying to stop the rising support for Sinn Fein.

Even a Millward Brown poll for the Sunday Independent last weekend must have shocked its own editorial staff when it showed Sinn Féin is the most popular party in the state. At 26%, Sinn Féin was four points ahead of Fine Gael and six in front of Fianna Fáil, with Labour back down on 7%.

The current issue of Phoenix magazine notes that the broadsheet Sunday Independent one weekend used no fewer than 12 articles and an editorial to attack Sinn Féin and Gerry Adams; the following weekend it almost doubled to a staggering 23 articles.

In New York, Gerry Adams told friends of the Peace Process and Sinn Féin:

“Sinn Féin is proud of what we have achieved in Government in the North under Martin McGuinness’s leadership. And Sinn Féin is the lead opposition party in the South. We are determined to keep building; to keep making advances.

“Not surprisingly our political opponents remain equally determined to attack and undermine and devalue our efforts. Many of those who scandalously slandered and criticised John Hume and myself for our peace efforts in the 1990s are still active today.

“We have seen that most recently in the scurrilous allegations levelled against myself and Sinn Féin by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Fianna Fáil leader. These allegations are not true.

 “In their efforts to stem the rising tide of public support for Sinn Féin it would appear that our political opponents are prepared to employ any dirty trick; use any lie; level any insulting allegation or bogus accusation.

“And that is what this tactic is really about.  It’s about trying to blunt the growth of Sinn Féin and our potential for electoral gains at the next general election in the South in 2016. They will not succeed.”

Gerry Adams said voters had endorsed Sinn Féin’s message for the need to reinvigorate the Peace Process and for an agreed, united Ireland.

“That’s what Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and Labour and the DUP are afraid of – a strong Irish republican party focused on uniting Ireland and committed to achieving real change in Ireland.”