Two Sinn Fein councillors, including one who was involved in the Belfast Agreement talks, have voted against a motion condemning the murder of a Spanish politician by ETA terrorists.
Councillors Sean Crowe and Mark Daly surprised colleagues on Dublin South County Council when they opposed the Labour Party motion on Tuesday.
Tabled by the former Dublin South West Labour TD, Mr Eamon Walsh, the declaration condemned the murder of Mr Indiano Azaustro, who was shot in Zumarraga, in the Basque region, last June. It was accepted by eight to two.
Criticising Sinn Fein, Mr Walsh said the murder of Mr Azaustro had been an attack on democracy. "Public representatives must be able to express the opinions of their electorate, without fear of murder serious injury. This is a basic right.
"It is nothing short of a disgrace that SF refused to support this fundamental principle and voted against this motion," he went on.
Defending Sinn Fein's position, Councillor Crowe said the motion had been one-sided: "We felt that we needed to give a clear signal to all parties in the Basque region to sit down and talk without pre-conditions."