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O'Neill says Robinson should 'butt out' of Army jobs row3 days agoShareSaveShareSave0:27Michelle O'Neill said it was "inappropriate" that the Army would be friday bingoinvited to the jobs fair in DerryJayne McCormackBBC News NI political correspondentFirst Minister Michelle O'Neill has called for DUP leader Gavin Robinson to "butt out" of a row over a jobs fair in Londonderry.Her comments came after she was accused of not being a "first minister for all" because her party, Sinn Féin, said the armed forces would not be welcome at the event.The Army was due to attend the fair on Tuesday, but pulled out after opposition from nationalist councillors over their presence at the event, which is being held at the council-owned Foyle Arena.Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said he was taking legal advice over the decision.Speaking on the Nolan Show earlier on Tuesday, Robinson said he did not believe O'Neill was a "first minister for all".He added it was "unsustainable" for O'Neill to "pretend she is a first minister for all if she cannot act in a way that demonstrates that there are more than just people that think like and vote for Sinn Féin".However, speaking to BBC News NI on Tuesday, O'Neill said it was the right decision and that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader should respect the "democratic process" of Derry City and Strabane District Council.The first minister said it was "inappropriate" that the Army would be invited, and that she would not "take lectures" from Robinson about how the people of Derry felt about the issue.Asked what her response said to unionists, O'Neill said: "It may not have went the way the DUP would have liked, but they have to respect the outcome."The jobs fair took place at the council-owned Foyle Arena leisure centre on TuesdayThe row emerged after the Department for Communities (DfC) asked the council for its views on the event, for which the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had registered as an employer.Sinn Féin, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and a number of independent councillors said the armed forces would not be welcome at the event.Speaking to BBC News NI, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said all government bodies operate under "equality duties" and the council "doesn't get to opt out of those".He said the decision taken by the council was "wrong".He added that "due to the intolerance of others, people interested in a good career in the air force, navy or Army will not get the chance to hear about those opportunities at the job fair".The MoD said while it was disappointed the Army would not be allowed to join other organisations at the Foyle Arena, it accepted the decision.PA MediaGavin Robinson said he did not believe Michelle O'Neill was a "first minister for all"Derry and Strabane Council said the "steer" from elected members of the governance and strategic planning committee last week had been communicated to the DfC and it would be making no further comment.SDLP MP for Foyle Colum Eastwood defended the councillors who objected to the military attending the jobs fair.He cited the events of Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972 when the Army shot dead 13 civil rights marchers and wounded many more."In less than a week Soldier F will stand trial charged with the murder of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murder of five others [on Bloody Sunday]," the MP said."It was completely right in those circumstances, setting aside the clear security concerns and the risk that the event would be disrupted, that councillors raise their very serious objections."He said Robinson should be showing "more empathy with these families and with our city rather than focusing on a stall at a jobs fair".What else did Michelle O'Neill say?In a wide-ranging interview, the first minister also defended her decision not to attend a state banquet for US President Donald Trump next week when he visits the UK.DUP Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will take part in the event.Asked why she did not want to attend Windsor Castle, O'Neill said it was a "principled stand" due to the US role in the war in Gaza.O'Neill, who is Sinn Féin's vice president, again refused to spell out whether the party will run a candidate in the upcoming Irish presidential election."We've got our internal processes to go through too and on 20 September then you'll know the position of our party and if we're fielding a candidate or if we're going to get behind another candidate," she said.On Monday, the party's president Mary Lou McDonald ruled herself out of the race. More on this story Army pulls out of jobs fair after political rowCouncil split over armed forces attending jobs fairOpposition to Army at jobs fair a 'failure of leadership' - DUP leaderSinn FéinMichelle O'NeillNorthern IrelandDUP (Democratic Unionist Party)Londonderry-DerryGavin Robinson
