DUP MLA joins Lockhart's call for O'Neill's removal as first minister
A DUP assembly member has joined calls for the removal of Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill following her involvement in a contentious parade protest. The political tension highlights ongoing divisions within the power-sharing government.
Why it matters
This dispute threatens the stability of the Northern Ireland Assembly and reflects deep-seated sectarian political tensions.
Image source, PA Media Image caption, Diane Forsythe said there was "immense" anger among unionists over Michelle O'Neill's actions
A Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member has joined MP colleague Carla Lockhart's calls for Stormont's First Minister Michelle O'Neill to be "removed from office".
Diane Forsythe said "profound consequences" pledged over the Sinn Féin vice-president's handling of the Drumcree parading dispute "must be honoured".
Lockhart last week stepped down from the DUP's officer board in response to party leader Gavin Robinson not removing their deputy first minister to force O'Neill from the joint office.
It follows unionist anger over the first minister's involvement in protests on the Garvaghy Road , which blocked a contentious Orange Order parade from passing along the mainly nationalist street in Portadown, County Armagh.
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