Paisley denies paramilitary links
Ian Paisley Sr, now Lord Bannside, has denied ever being involved with paramilitaries during the Troubles and talked about the several attempts on his life.
Looking back at his colourful and controversial career in a conversation with Frank Mitchell on U105, the former First Minister said he “never advocated to kill anybody”.
“I never was tied up with Protestant paramilitaries. I always said that that was not the way to do it and in fact the home that I’m living in at the moment was blown up by Protestants, so it was, and I was attacked by Protestants and they attempted to kill me on a couple of occasions but I escaped,” he said.
Rev Paisley was sworn in as First Minister, alongside his deputy first minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, in May 2007 as the power-sharing institutions were restored at Stormont.
He stood down from the role and resigned as leader of the DUP in May 2008, at the age of 82.
In the 1970s, Rev Paisley had opposed the Sunningdale Agreement which provided for a power-sharing government involving nationalists and unionists. Sunningdale collapsed following the Ulster Workers’ Council Strike in which the DUP leader was heavily involved.
In the 1980s, he orchestrated unionist protests against the Anglo-Irish Agreement which gave a role for the Republic of Ireland in Northern Ireland’s affairs, addressing a rally of 200,000 protesters outside Belfast City Hall as part of the “Ulster Says No” campaign.
Talking to Frank Mitchell, the former DUP leader denied he ever caused the divisions that tore Northern Ireland apart during the Troubles.
“I think I helped to cure the divisions by standing up for the rights of all sections of the community, when it came to the daily things of politics,” he said.
In 1988, Ian Paisley was famously ejected from the European Parliament after he denounced the then-Pope, John Paul II, as the “anti-Christ”.
Earlier this year, the founder of the Free Presbyterian Church led protests against Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain.
“I was anti-Catholicism but I was never anti-sections of the people and I think that’s when I proved myself on the ground.”
The 84-year-old was given a peerage in May after ending his 40-year career as an MP at the general election.
His North Antrim seat was taken over by his son, Ian Paisley Jr, as he joined his wife, Baroness Paisley of St George’s, in the Lords.
“Bannside was my original constituency. That was the Bannside people that made me who I am politically and supported me all these days”.
