Traditional Unionist Voice party chairman Ivor McConnell has written to Andy Duncan, the Chief Executive of Channel Four, calling on him to cancel a documentary presented by Gerry Adams on the Bible’s teachings on “love, forgiveness, and repentance”.

Commenting Mr McConnell said:

“Channel Four has already caused great offence and hurt to many innocent victims of IRA terrorism by commissioning this programme. Some of that can, however, be mitigated if they do not broadcast the documentary.

“A spokesperson for Channel 4 has been quoted as saying that Adams “as a former supporter of political violence” would examine the “contradiction between Jesus’s teachings and the involvement of Christians, and followers of other faiths, in conflicts the world over.”

“If that is the premise for your programme it is just plain wrong. First and foremost, the IRA did not engage in what can purely be described as “political violence”. More often than not, it took the form of a sectarian murder campaign where innocent people were killed just because of their adherence to Protestantism.

“One particularly stark example of this was the IRA bombing of the La Mon Hotel on 17th February 1978. More than 400 people were in the La Mon that Friday night, at functions being run by the Collie Club and the Northern Ireland Junior Motorcycle Club. Twelve people – seven of them women and all of them Protestants – were killed when an IRA firebomb exploded. Gerry Adams was arrested after the bombing though never charged.

“Will Mr Adams address this issue in the documentary?

“It has been suggested that Adams was the commander of the Belfast IRA at the time of Bloody Friday in July 1972 when around twenty bombs exploded in just over an hour, killing nine and injuring 130 others.

“Will Adams address the allegations about his involvement in the bombings in this programme?

“Certainly Adams repeated denials about ever being a member of the IRA can be dismissed out of hand as he served time in an IRA compound in prison.

“It is incorrect to describe Adams as a “former supporter” of violence. At no time has the Sinn Fein/IRA leader or his party distanced itself from the IRA’s wicked murder campaign. Quite the reverse. Sinn Fein/IRA continue to hold events to commemorate and glory in the blood-soaked deeds of Republicans. Gerry Adams is a frequent speaker at theses events.

“The idea that “Pastor Adams” could, as Channel 4 suggests, offer some insight into “love, forgiveness, and repentance” is frankly preposterous and grossly offensive to the many victims of IRA violence.

“One of those victims, Conservative Peer Lord Tebbit, said this about the programme:
“I wish him well. And I hope he also comes across the doctrine of hell and the consuming of pernicious unrepentant murderers and sinners in general by the fires of hell for all eternity.”

“If that was the outcome of the documentary it would perhaps be worthwhile.

“Otherwise Channel 4 should pull back now and not broadcast the programme”.