DUP East Derry MP Gregory Campbell has paid tribute to Nelson Mandela, stating what happened in South Africa could not be compared to what occurred in Northern Ireland.
Gregory Campbell.
Mr Campbell, the DUP spokesperson on International Development and Culture, Media and Sport, said: ‘The people and nation of South Africa are in mourning at the loss of their first democratically elected President.”
Mr Campbell said he had “the privilege” of meeting Nelson Mandela on a number of occasions.
He added: “On a personal level he was exceptionally friendly, charismatic and helpful in his role as a facilitator in those meetings.
“There is a danger that we would try to compare what happened in South Africa with the situation in Northern Ireland but there can be no comparison whatsoever.
“Nelson Mandela was able to secure a mandate from a clear majority of the South African people after a time when the majority of the country were denied any access to the democratic process.
“We should pay tribute to an international statesman who rose above the divisions of his homeland.”
Mr concluded: “We should never eulogise the acts of terror carried out earlier in his life, but it is right that we recognise and acknowledge the move he made from violence to peace and the commitment he demonstrated to reconciliation within South Africa.”
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