The British House of Commons yesterday united in condemnation of the Ballymoney murders. The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and President Clinton have condemned the murders, which have prompted widespread demands for the Orange Order to call off its protest at Drumcree.
Mr David Winnick of the Labour Party asked the Home Office Minister of State, Mr Alun Michael: "Would you join with me in condemning the horrifying murders of three young children in Northern Ireland, who were put to death for no other reason than sectarianism?
"Would you take this opportunity of extending - and I'm sure the wish of the whole House - sympathy to the parents and closest relatives of those who were murdered over the weekend?"
Mr Michael replied: "I think there is nothing that is more effective than the death of children in concentrating people's minds on the horror of violence, wherever it arises."
Shadow Home Secretary Sir Norman Fowler said the Conservative Party wished to be associated with Mr Winnick's remarks.