The DUP's preoccupation with picking fights with republicans is undermining Northern Ireland's ability to attract foreign investment, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams claimed today.
Multi-national companies from the US and elsewhere will not bring business to the north if they see parties in the powersharing administration at Stormont constantly at odds with each other, the West Belfast MP claimed.
Mr Adams was referring to the recent furore caused by Sinn Fein's plan to commemorate the life of IRA woman Mairead Farrell at Parliament Buildings.
Last week unionist and SDLP members of the Assembly's governing body banned the event from a public gallery in the building claiming it was not appropriate to stage it in so-called shared space.
Today Mr Adams welcomed the fact his party activists went ahead with Friday's event in Sinn Fein's private offices.
"As you know the unionists and the SDLP voted to ban our use of the Long Gallery," he said at another event to mark the 20th anniversary of the deaths of Farrell and the two other IRA members who were killed by the SAS in Gibraltar.
"Presumably the unionists thought that would be the end of the matter. "But republicans have been banned, and censored and excluded before.
"Banned as a political party; banned from our city centre; banned from the airwaves; banned and demonised and vilified, and we came through it all.
"The unionists and the SDLP called it wrong and they failed. Our event went ahead, and it was a good event - an uplifting event and I want to commend all of those who participated. We said that it would be dignified and respectful - and it was.
"But the DUP need to learn an important lesson from this. That party needs to take a step back. It should reflect on the position we all find ourselves in as we try to build confidence into these institutions.