DUP criticises Michelle O’Neill for ‘not answering question’ in portrait row

The DUP has criticised First Minister Michelle O’Neill over her response to questions around the alleged involvement of a former Sinn Fein employee in the damage of a portrait of a former Belfast lord mayor.

A political row erupted last week after the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said there would be no prosecution over the incident last October when the portrait of the DUP’s Lord Wallace Browne was damaged.

It was discovered after an event hosted by an external Irish language organisation in Belfast City Hall.

Last week, the Stormont Executive committee heard a claim that Sinn Fein MLA Caral Ni Chuilin’s son Naoise was allegedly involved in damaging the portrait.

Ms Ni Chuilin told the committee she had “nothing to declare”.

A  solicitor for Naoise O Cuilin dismissed the claim as “entirely false”

Ms O’Neill told the Assembly last year that a Sinn Fein employee had made the party chief whip aware of their involvement in an incident regarding a portrait and that they had been suspended and then resigned.

The incident was investigated by police as a hate crime.

However, the PPS said last week there is “no reasonable prospect of conviction for any criminal offence on the evidence available”.

DUP MLA Philip Brett brought Ms O’Neill to the Assembly chamber on Monday for an urgent oral question about the matter.

He put to Ms O’Neill that she had stated on October 21 2024 that a Sinn Fein employee who worked in the assembly made the party chief whip aware of their involvement in an incident at Belfast City Hall.

“You were then contradicted by your chief whip in her public statement to the PPS where she stated that the individual responsible made no admission of being at the event or knowing about the damage,” he said.

“Either you misled the Assembly or your chief whip misled the police. Both are very serious, which one is it?”

Ms O’Neill responded saying there has been a “number of inaccurate comments and claims” made in relation to those events at City Hall.

“On October 22 (2024) I did make a statement to this Assembly as Sinn Fein vice president, so you’re incorrect in your statement,” she told MLAs.

“The events were fully investigated by the PSNI and PPS, and I said that in this chamber last week.

“The PPS have made their decision and that is the appropriate course of action. So given that there was a criminal investigation I am confident the action Sinn Fein took was entirely appropriate.”

Ms O’Neill claimed there were attempts to use the matter for “political opportunism”.

The DUP hit back claiming Ms O’Neill had “failed to answer a simple question”.