Anderson Apologises To Golf Club

Sinn Fein Junior Minister Martina Anderson has apologised for any confusion over a reference to golf clubs in a speech on sectarianism.

She had echoed the comments of the DUP’s Jonathan Bell, who made comments at a community relations conference which suggested golf clubs may harbour secret sectarian attitudes.

He later apologised, saying his remarks were clumsy and he regretted them.

Martina Anderson said she regretted how the remark was misunderstood.

Mr Bell told the conference on 14 May that “many communities may not paint their kerb stones or put out flags, but scratch the surface and you find the prejudice and the hate whispered behind closed doors or joked about in golf clubs or over dinner parties.”

His comments were echoed by Martina Anderson, who agreed that “there’s attitudes among middle class society here in the north, in the golf clubs that Jonathan referred to and elsewhere.

“Talked about behind closed doors the unspoken and hidden sectarian comments that we may not hear about, but that are doing absolute fundamental damage to our society.”