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Preoccupazioni alla conferenza Tory per la presenza di Martin McGuinness

Security concerns as Martin McGuinness heads to Tory conference

Martin McGuinness | Sinn FeinMartin McGuinness is heading to the Conservative Party Conference for the first time — increasing the security headache for police who fear a dissident IRA attack.

Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister is scheduled to speak at a fringe event in Birmingham on Tuesday adding to the security nightmare for police and anti-terrorist units.

Ten days ago the Home Office announced that the security threat level from dissident republicans had been increased to “substantial” after a new risk assessment was received from MI5. The Prime Minister is understood to be “quite concerned” about the possible risk of a terrorist attack in Birmingham during the four day conference which begins today.

Some unionists and conservatives are angry that the Deputy First Minister has been invited to the breakfast fringe event on Tuesday morning and a possible protest against his presence in Birmingham hasn’t been ruled out. His visit will give an added incentive to dissident republicans to carry out a bomb attack during the conference.

Martin McGuinness held a senior rank in the Provisionals when the organisation bombed the 1984 Conservative Party conference in Brighton killing five people and injuring scores of delegates in the Grand Hotel, including former Cabinet Minister Norman Tebbit and his wife.

A spokesman for Mr McGuinness said: “This is Martin’s first visit to the Conservative Party conference. He received an invitation to speak at a fringe meeting and he is happy to fulfil that commitment.”

First Minister Peter Robinson, the SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie and former Unionist Party Leader Sir Reg Empey are also scheduled to speak at the fringe event.

Unionist Party Leader Tom Elliott will arrive in Birmingham on Tuesday night and says the three key topics he will raise with Tories are the reversing of the arrangements made at St Andrews to allow the leader of the largest party to become First Minister, retaining a link with the Conservatives and the Presbyterian Mutual Society.

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René Querin

Di professione grafico e web designer, sono appassionato di trekking e innamorato dell'Irlanda e della sua storia. Insieme ad Andrea Varacalli ho creato e gestisco Les Enfants Terribles.

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