Sinn Fein pushes for EU to back united Ireland
Sinn Fein has called on the European Union to help create a united Ireland and break up the United Kingdom.
Unionists reacted with fury after the Republicans called on EU institutions to 'become directly involved' at an event in the European Parliament in Brussels.
It comes as Leo Varadkar, Ireland's former taoiseach, told an audience in the US that Irish-Americans would be crucial in the 'great cause' of Irish unity.
'Colonial rule, partition and separate states in Ireland have all failed. Unity, through self determination, is the way forward,' said Declan Kearney, the Sinn Fein national chairperson, in Brussels.
'The EU can play a role in supporting the peaceful, democratic pathway to securing that objective.'
'We are on the cusp of a new and exciting era. Our appeal to Europe is to become part of the conversation, to share in the ambition,' Mr Kearney, the Northern Ireland Assembly member for South Antrim, said. 'The EU should help us open up the next phase of the peace process, and the achievement of reconciliation, reunification and a new Ireland for all.'
Sinn Fein is the largest party in Northern Ireland but underperformed in Irish elections last year and is in opposition in the Republic.
Its leadership has called for twin referendums on Irish unity by 2030. The Belfast or Good Friday Agreement states that the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, currently, must call a referendum if it 'appears likely' a majority wants a united Ireland.
A border poll must also be held in the Republic. While polls show large support for reunification, they consistently show a majority in favour of remaining part of the UK in Northern Ireland.
Lord Dodds, the Democratic Unionist Party peer, told The Telegraph: 'The recent general election in the Irish Republic showed there was little appetite for Irish unity, with Sinn Fein failing spectacularly, falling from red-hot favourites for government to also-rans.
'Sinn Fein alone is talking it up. This latest stunt will get nowhere with the people who matter here in Northern Ireland.'
Jim Allister, the leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice party and MP for North Antrim, said Sinn Fein's demands were not a surprise.
He said the Northern Ireland Protocol on post-Brexit trading arrangements was designed to 'further the plan of separatists to break up the UK'.
Now known as the Windsor Framework, the treaty keeps Northern Ireland subject to hundreds of EU rules to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.
British goods entering Northern Ireland are subject to border checks as part of the agreement, which gives the region access to both the UK and EU markets.
'The protocol achieved what the IRA wasn't able to do in 30 years of terrorism – move the border to the Irish Sea,' Mr Allister said.
'We now have a situation where, in 300 areas of law, Northern Ireland is ruled by colonial masters in Brussels who subject us to rules we do not make and cannot change. Very significantly, these are the very same laws which pertain in the Irish Republic.'
Before Brexit took effect, Ireland secured a commitment from other EU governments that Northern Ireland would automatically rejoin the EU if Ireland was united.
Most people in Northern Ireland voted Remain in 2016, and Brexit reinvigorated the debate over unity in the region, which has handed Sinn Fein a hat-trick of recent electoral victories over their unionist rivals.
And despite Brexit, the EU remains involved in funding peace initiatives in Northern Ireland.
Unionist anxieties over their place in the UK are exacerbated by the region's changing demographics.
The 2021 census showed that traditionally nationalist Catholics outnumbered traditionally unionist protestants for the first time.
Bobby McDonagh is a former Irish ambassador to the UK, to Italy and to the EU. He warned that Irish unity was still a way off.
'As Diana Ross sang, you can't hurry love. These things have to evolve,' he said.
Mr McDonagh predicted that the EU would take its lead from Dublin when a border poll was called.
'I don't think that the European Union or the commission would take sides on the principle of Irish unity, but I do think that they would almost be obliged to explain what the implications of the change of the constitutional situation would be,' he said
'In doing that, they would probably try to be as positive as possible, which might be seen by unionists as favouring one side ahead of the other.'
Micheál Martin, the taoiseach, this week announced one billion euros in funding for his Shared Island Initiative, which has funded projects, including a regular train from Belfast to Dublin.
Prominent unionists were present at the Dublin Castle event where the funding was announced.
The current Irish government, a coalition of the centre-Right Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties, sees Irish unity as a long-term ambition and not a priority.
Mr Varadkar, who was the Irish leader during Brexit, has become a vocal campaigner for unity since stepping down as taoiseach and Fine Gael leader last year.
'Every generation has its great cause. I believe ours is the cause of uniting our island, working to embrace differences instead of trying to erase them,' he told an audience in Philadelphia at an event for pro-unity group Ireland's Future.
In a plea for Irish-American support, he added: 'London does not always pay attention to what's happening in Ireland, north or south. But they always pay attention to the White House.'
The European Commission did not respond to requests for comment. Ireland's foreign ministry was also approached for comment.
Last year, the government said a border poll was 'not a priority' for Labour. After his election, Sir Keir Starmer said he was totally committed to the Good Friday Agreement, which sets out the conditions for the referendum.
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