The Sinn Féin leader has responded to claims that he was refused entry to the White House.
Gerry Adams has posted a picture of the invitation he received to attend a St. Patrick’s Day event at the White House on Tuesday, following the organisers’ refusal to let him in on the day itself.
Adams was denied entry and forced to hang around for 90 minutes, before eventually giving up when it became clear that there would be no immediate resolution.
He said: “I had received my usual invitation to attend the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the White House and was pleased to accept.
My invite 2
The White House. Just saying. pic.twitter.com/0fGax1LMhB— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) March 16, 2016
“When I arrived the staff at the White House informed me that there was an issue of ‘security’. After two decades of travelling back and forth to the USA and countless meetings in the White House with successive US Presidents, this is an unacceptable development.
“It is obvious that there remain some within the US administration who seek to treat Sinn Fein differently.
“Some of our political representatives have been denied access to the USA while others, including myself, have to regularly go through additional searches and scrutiny when we travel to and from the USA.
“Last year the State Department initially refused to meet me as part of a transparent effort to pressurise Sinn Féin during negotiations at Stormont.
“That meeting did take place after protests from US political leaders. Efforts to pressurise us in the negotiations failed.
“This morning Martin McGuinness, Mary Lou McDonald and I met with the Congressional Friends of Ireland. They too shared our grave disappointment at the White House situation and expressed their determination to have this issue resolved.
“Sinn Féin will not sit at the back of the bus for anyone. We are elected to represent citizens and we will do this. I am hopeful that the controversy around my White House invitation will help lead to a resolution of all these matters.”
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