Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has been snubbed by the five sisters of Robert McCartney who refused to share a stage with her today because of her policies in Northern Ireland.
The sisters of Robert McCartney - who stabbed to death in January by a gang that included known IRA members - were due to collect a Women of the Yearaward in London but declined when they found out Lady Thatcher would be there.
"Our campaign is one of justice and as an Irish republican family we feel we cannot share the same platform with a former prime minister who inflicted injustices on our community," two of the sisters said in a statement.
In the aftermath of the murder the sisters accused local IRA men of intimidating witnesses to stop them going to the police.
While the sisters have criticised IRA violence, they said that was why they could not share a stage with Lady Thatcher.