Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has faced questions over her decision to boycott St Patrick’s Day events at the White House while continuing trade engagement with China. The Sinn Féin leader confirmed she would not attend next month’s traditional events in Washington DC, reiterating a stance she took last year over the situation in Gaza.
During questions in the Stormont Assembly, TUV leader Jim Allister pressed Ms O’Neill on the apparent inconsistency. He noted that her party colleague and Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald visited China last year, describing the regime as one that “drips in blood” and “crushes dissent”. He asked why she was “happy to have a member of your party shake the bloody hand of Beijing, but give false reasons why you won’t attend the White House”.
Ms O’Neill defended the engagement with China, stating that her party always raises human rights concerns in meetings with Chinese officials. “We make it very clear about their human rights abuses, we always underline that in all of our visits,” she said. She argued that taking a stand on Gaza was different, describing it as “a genocide, something that is unique to our generation”. She urged the international community to do more and called for a two-state solution in the Middle East.
Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole welcomed Ms O’Neill’s stance on the White House boycott, confirming that SDLP leader Claire Hanna would also not attend. In contrast, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP confirmed she would attend this year’s White House events, describing it as “incredibly important” for leaders to show up and advocate for Northern Ireland. She added that she had disagreed with President Donald Trump on many occasions but recognised him as the democratically elected leader of the world’s biggest global power.
Ms Little-Pengelly also defended engagement with the US administration despite Mr Trump’s controversial comments about Nato troops in Afghanistan, stating that the DUP had made clear where they disagreed with the president.
