Gerry Adams is denied entry to the White House for St Patrick’s Day celebrations because of ‘security issues’
Sinn Fein leader received annual invitation for the Washington D.C. event
He arrived on Tuesday but was turned away at gate by Secret Service
The politician later received an apology as there had been an ‘error’
Adams said after 20 years of travelling back and forth to the U.S., this was an ‘unacceptable development’
By WILLS ROBINSON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 21:18 EST, 16 March 2016 | UPDATED: 22:38 EST, 16 March 2016
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has been denied entrance to the White House because of a ‘security’ issue.
The politician, who has links to the IRA, was due to attend the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on Tuesday, but was turned away at the door.
The Secret Service later apologized, saying there had been an ‘administrative input error’, but Adams was still furious at what happened.
He even posted the official invite on Twitter to show he should have been welcomed in.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was denied entrance to the White House for the St Patrick’s Day Celebrations on Tuesday because of a ‘security’ issue
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was denied entrance to the White House for the St Patrick’s Day Celebrations on Tuesday because of a ‘security’ issue
In a statement posted on Sinn Fein’s website, he said: ‘I had received my usual invitation to attend the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the White House and was pleased to accept.
‘When I arrived the staff at the White House informed me that there was an issue of “security”.
‘After two decades of travelling back and forth to the USA and countless meetings in the White House with successive US Presidents, this is an unacceptable development.
‘It is obvious that there remain some within the US administration who seek to treat Sinn Fein differently.
‘Some of our political representatives have been denied access to the USA while others, including myself, have to regularly go through additional searches and scrutiny when we travel to and from the USA.
‘Last year the State Department initially refused to meet me as part of a transparent effort to pressurise Sinn Féin during negotiations at Stormont.
‘That meeting did take place after protests from US political leaders. Efforts to pressurise us in the negotiations failed.
‘This morning Martin McGuinness, Mary Lou McDonald and I met with the Congressional Friends of Ireland.
‘They too shared our grave disappointment at the White House situation and expressed their determination to have this issue resolved.
The Secret Service later apologized, saying there had been an ‘administrative input error’, but Adams was still furious at what happened. He even posted the official invite on Twitter to show he should have been welcomed
The Secret Service later apologized, saying there had been an ‘administrative input error’, but Adams was still furious at what happened. He even posted the official invite on Twitter to show he should have been welcomed
‘Sinn Fein will not sit at the back of the bus for anyone. We are elected to represent citizens and we will do this. I am hopeful that the controversy around my White House invitation will help lead to a resolution of all these matters.’
In 2009, Obama held talks with Northern Ireland’s first and deputy first ministers Peter Robinson and former IRA man Martin McGuinness at the White House on St Patrick’s Day.
He backed the Northern Ireland peace process and called America’s bond with Ireland ‘one of the strongest in the world’.
His words came after Gerry Adams renewed his attack on the use of British Special Forces in Northern Ireland following the three brutal murders in the province the week before.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3496260/Gerry-Adams-denied-entrance-White-House-St-Patrick-s-Day-celebrations-security-issues.html#ixzz43AKLu1Q2
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