Ex-nursing chief Pat Cullen fails to condemn IRA bombings that killed civilians
Sinn Fein candidate Pat Cullen failed to condemn the IRA's bombings at Enniskillen and Omagh, which saw nurses killed during the Troubles
PA
The former head of the Royal College of Nursing Pat Cullen failed to condemn the IRA's bombings at Enniskillen and Omagh, which saw nurses killed during the Troubles.
29 people were killed, including nine children, a woman pregnant with twins and three generations of one family in the Omagh bombing in 1998.
11 people were killed, including 10 Protestant civilians and 1 member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), in am IRA bomb attack in Enniskillen during a Remembrance Day Ceremony in 1987.
While the Sinn Fein candidate called for people to "move forward", dubbing them "very dark days", she failed to explicitly condemn the attacks.
Sinn Fein candidate Pat Cullen failed to condemn the IRA's bombings at Enniskillen and Omagh, which saw nurses killed during the Troubles.
PA
Asked if she condemns the bombings in Omagh and Enniskillen, she told the BBC: "I've said very clearly those were very dark days as a community nurse.
"I've held the hands of many people that have lived through those periods, I've felt, I've heard and I've seen their trauma.
"I've seen what it does to them. Let's not go back there, let's move forward and bring prosperity and hope to the people."
The former head of the Royal College of Nursing last month announced she is stepping down to try to become an MP for Sinn Fein in the General Election.
Sinn Fein refuses to take its seats at Westminster because of opposition to the London Parliament’s jurisdiction in Northern Ireland and the oath MPs must make to the King.
Pat Cullen, who led nurses across the country into unprecedented strike action, said in a statement: “I have been in contact with my employers at the Royal College of Nursing to inform them that I have allowed my name to go forward to a selection convention being held in the constituency this week.
"It has been the honour of my life to have served in the RCN and to provide leadership every day to hundreds of thousands of hardworking nurses and healthcare staff who always prioritise the delivery of high-quality care to patients.
"After much consideration, I have decided that now is the right time for me to step forward into the political arena to champion the issues and opportunities for the community I love, and that is what I am fully determined to do."
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The Fermanagh & South Tyrone seat is currently held by Sinn Fein’s Michelle Gildernew, but she is not seeking re-election and is instead running in the European elections in Ireland.
At the last general election in 2019, there were just 57 votes between Gildernew and defeated unionist candidate Tom Elliott.
In the 2015 poll, Elliott, a former Ulster Unionist Party leader, became the first unionist to hold the constituency since 2001, before Ms Gildernew won it back for Sinn Fein two years later.
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