A SINN FEIN councillor has claimed the Sinn newspaper and RTE branded him as "the Devil" in references to his handshake with the leader of the DUP at a protest in Dublin more than two years ago. Mr Christy Burke is suing the newspaper and RTE for £30,000 damages for libel.
Mr Peter Charleton SC, for Mr Burke, told the Circuit Civil Court yesterday that the newspaper had headlined a picture of the two politicians with the words: Paisley in Handshake "with Devil", and had repeated the words in a news story by Paddy Clancy.
Mr Charleton said the Rev Ian Paisley had visited Dublin Castle on December 3rd, 1993, to protest, against a visit of the British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, to Dublin and about the President, Mrs Robinson, having earlier shaken hands with the leader of Sinn Fein.
He said Mr Burke, who had come from the City Hall, saw Dr Paisley addressing a crowd at a barrier and reached out his hand, in a friendly greeting. His greeting was returned.
When Mr Burke introduced himself as a Sinn Fein councillor, Dr Paisley said if he had known who he was, he would not have shaken hands with him. The newspapers the following day had reported the meeting in a way which, apart from the Sun, was both accurate and respectful.
The Sun, Mr Charleton submitted, set out to defame Mr Burke by attributing to him an association with the son of ultimate evil.
In a picture caption, it had stated that Mr Burke, "shaking with rage", which was inaccurate, had reached out to greet Dr Paisley. In a headline it stated: Paisley in Handshake "with Devil".
That morning, RTE's programme What It Says in the Papers had referred to the Sun report. RTE had said some newspapers had pictures of Dr Paisley unwittingly "shaking hands with the Devil" and had added "at least that's how some of his supporters might regard Dublin Sinn Fein councillor, Christy Burke."
Mr Charleton said both defendants denied they had defamed Mr Burke and had pleaded defences of fair comment on a matter of public interest.
RTE particularly had denied that its reference to what had been said in the newspaper could mean Mr Burke was a supporter of evil and that members of Sinn Fein were allied with the Devil.
Before adjourning yesterday's hearing until Monday, the President of the Circuit Court, Mr Justice Spain, refused an application by Mr Esmonde Keane, for RTE, to have the action against his client dismissed for avant of evidence of defamation.
Mr Charleton said Mr Burke did not regard the use of the term "the Devil" in relation to him as being jocose, a comment or in any way appropriate to him. He was a religious man and ordinary right thinking members of the Dublin community were shocked that such unfair criticism should be levelled against him.
Mr Burke said that while he had not expected Dr Paisley to invite him to Burdocks for fish and chips, the DUP leader had given him a "warm" handshake. "I put my hand out in good faith and I got a hand back," he told Mr Eoin McCullough, counsel for News Group Newspapers Ltd, publisher of the Sun. He said this was before Dr Paisley knew who he was.
"He smiled and I smiled and I said I would like to talk to him at a later time about the issues of peace in Ireland. I said `I'm Councillor Christy Burke of Sinn Fein, and I welcome you to the constituency'.
"Our hands were joined to get, her. He withdrew his hand and, said: `Sir, had I known you were a member of Sinn Fein, I would not have shaken hands with you.' But he was very polite about it. The conversation lasted about 30 seconds," Mr Burke said.
He added that when he heard about the RTE broadcast and read what was in the Sun he was shocked and angry to have been "labelled as the Devil. His children were very hurt. "I'm a Catholic, a Christian and a political person. I attend Mass frequently. It created a lot of hurt within me and within my family and for two years after wards I actually used to go to a spiritual friend to discuss it with him," he said.
He said he had never heard the Devil used in any context other than to describe Beelzebub. He had not heard the term "to sup, with the Devil" and had not been aware of a James Cagney film Shake Hands with the Devil until last week when a friend presented him with the video. He had heard small children referred to as a right devil".
When Mr McCullough referred to bombings in 1993, Mr Burke said that while it was fair to say times were "extremely difficult" then, he held no strong bitterness against members of the DUP and he felt they would not have considered him as the Devil.
Mr Burke agreed with Mr Keane, for RTE, that the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, had carried the coffin of the Shankill Road bomber and that he, Mr Burke, had carried the coffin of an IRA man, Martin Doherty, in Dublin.