Gary Donnelly (Irish republican)
Gary Donnelly | |
|---|---|
| Member ofDerry City and Strabane District Council | |
| Assumed office 22 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Council established |
| Constituency | The Moor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1971 Derry,Northern Ireland |
| Political party | Independent Republican |
Gary Donnellyis anIrish republicanpoliticianand an independent member of theDerry and Strabane District Councilsince2014.[1]
Republican activity[edit]
Donnelly is a member of the32 County Sovereignty Movement(32CSM)[2]
Arrests and convictions[edit]
In March 2010, Donnelly was convicted of assaulting aPolice Service of Northern Ireland(PSNI) officer and sentenced to seven months imprisonment. While serving his sentence Donnelly briefly went onhunger strikefollowing his removal from the republican wing ofHM Prison Maghaberry.Prison officials explained the decision claiming Donnelly had received a death threat from theReal IRA,a charge Donnelly denied.[3][4]
In August 2010 Donnelly was charged under the auspices of "terrorism legislation" in connection with three pipe bomb attacks in September 2009. Authorities accused Donnelly of being in possession of a mobile phone linked to the attacks.[5]On 22 December of the same year the charges were dropped.[6]
In addition to Donnelly's March 2010 conviction, he has been charged with assaulting police officers on two other occasions. In both cases the charges were eventually dropped.[7][8]
In November 2014, Donnelly, along with two co-defendants, was sentenced to six-months in prison for "causing criminal damage" by writing an anti-internment slogan on the historic walls of Derry. Donnelly's solicitor asserted that "writing political slogans had been a long-standing tradition and there were no objections from local residents to the graffiti."[9]In January 2015, Donnelly was successful in his appeal of the sentence and was granted a 12-month conditional discharge.[10]He was supported by Irish politiciansClare Daly,Éamon Ó Cuív,Thomas Pringle,andMaureen O'Sullivan.They claimed the charges were unfair.[11]
In July 2015, following athree-volley saluteat the funeral ofPatsy O'Hara's mother, Donnelly's house was searched by the PSNI. No arrests were made.[12]
On 7 January 2018, Donnelly was arrested and questioned in connection with the 2006 murder ofDenis Donaldson,an ex-Sinn Fein member turned British agent. Donnelly was released without charge a day later.[13]
Political career[edit]
On 24 May 2014, Donnelly was elected to theDerry and Strabane District Council.Although a purported member of the 32CSM at the time, Donnelly ran as an independent and received 1,154 votes.[14]
He supportedindependentcandidateThomas Pringlein theDonegalconstituency in the2016 general election.[15]
Donnelly was re-elected to his council seat on 4 May 2019 with 1,374 first-preference votes.[16][17]
On 20 May 2023, Donnelly waselectedto a third term on the council, topping the poll with 1,868 first-preference votes.[18]
References[edit]
- ^"Gary Donnelly elected in Derry & Strabane".BBC. 24 May 2014.
- ^"Martin McGuinness criticised by republican dissidents for toast to Queen".The Guardian.21 April 2014.
- ^"Gary Donnelly on hunger strike".Derry Journal. 16 March 2010.
- ^"Donnelly ends Maghaberry hunger strike".Irish Republican News.Retrieved19 August2014.
- ^"32 CSM man charged under terrorism legislation".BBC. 20 August 2010.
- ^"Timeline of dissident republican activity".BBC.Retrieved19 August2014.
- ^"Gary Donnelly charges dropped 'without prejudice'".BBC. 25 July 2011.
- ^"Gary Donnelly has assault charge dropped".BBC. 23 September 2013.
- ^"Londonderry councillor Gary Donnelly receives six-month prison sentence - BBC News".BBC News.5 November 2014.Retrieved15 December2015.
- ^"Gary Donnelly: Londonderry councillor wins jail sentence appeal - BBC News".BBC News.6 January 2015.Retrieved15 December2015.
- ^Jackson, George (7 January 2015)."TDs support dissident Republican in court case".Independent.ie.Retrieved2 March2020.
- ^"Gary Donnelly: Londonderry councillor's home searched by police".BBC. 22 July 2015.
- ^Kearney, Vincent (2018)."Councillor released over Donaldson murder".BBC News.Retrieved26 September2018.
- ^"Republican dissident elected to Derry and Strabane Council as SDLP loses dominance".Belfast Telegraph. 26 May 2014.
- ^"Donegal count: Independent Thomas Pringle takes final seat".The Irish Times.Retrieved5 October2016.
- ^"Dissident Republican wins election in Derry ward where journalist Lyra McKee was killed".The Independent.4 May 2019.Retrieved5 May2019.
- ^McClements, Freya."Ex-speaker for dissident republican group Gary Donnelly tops Derry poll".The Irish Times.Retrieved5 May2019.
- ^cassoscoop (20 May 2023)."Moor DEA: Donnelly and Hutton elected at first stage".Derry Daily.Retrieved22 May2023.