Approval granted for Stormont to light up red on Saturday to mark European Victims’ Day

Sinn Fein had previously blocked requests for the building’s illumination for terror victims, but it’s understood the application was given the go ahead as the republican party no longer has a representative on the Assembly Commission.

Other civic buildings will also light up red for Troubles’ victims and survivors. South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) made the request of all 11 NI councils as well as Dail Eireann, Dublin, and the Palace of Westminster, London.

Speaking after to day’s event at Stormont, host Jim Allister said: “This event was a welcome corrective to the attempt to airbrush victims from the record and a reminder of what innocent people suffered. At a time when an aspiring First Minister claims that there was “no alterative” to such actions the need to mark victims’ day has never been greater.”

He thanked Tanya Williams-Powell, Mary Hornsey and Paul Wilson for their contributions and Kenny Donaldson and SEFF for their help in making the event a success.

Mr Donaldson said: "It is important particularly at this time that victims/survivors are acknowledged, almost 25 years on since the signing of the Belfast Agreement, victims/survivors remain a constituency whose needs have not been delivered upon.”

He said the event was about ‘the unity of values’: “It's about the opposition of violence wherever that violence comes from. We're very clear that whether it was carried out by republicans or loyalists or members of the forces that committed a criminal act, it was all wrong.”