Colum Eastwood

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Colum Eastwood
MLA
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Foyle
Incumbent
Assumed office
2011
Preceded by Pól Callaghan
Personal details
Born (1983-04-30) 30 April 1983
Nationality Irish
Political party Social Democratic and Labour Party
Religion Catholic

Colum Eastwood(born 30 April 1983) is a Social Democratic and Labour Party politician (MLA, Cllr) in Northern Ireland who was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011.[1]

Eastwood was elected to Derry City Council in 2005, and elected for a one-year term as Mayor of Derry in June 2010. Aged 27, he was the youngest mayor of the city to date.[2]

In 2012 he drew criticism from Unionists including Jim Allister after carrying the coffin at the paramilitary funeral of a former INLA member in Derry.A masked Real IRA gunman fired a volley of shots over the coffin,although Eastwood stated he was not present at the time of the gunfire. He defended his attendance at the funeral saying the deceased was a personal friend of his and added "I wasn't concerned at the time about who was standing beside me, or about what flag or otherwise was draped over the coffin."[3][4] It later emerged that party colleague Mark H. Durkan also attended the funeral.[5]

When "a serving British soldier...'desecrated' the memory of those who died on Bloody Sunday by posting an “offensive” slogan on the internet," Colum Eastwood claimed the soldier should be removed from the army without delay[6]

References

  1. ↑ BBC News - Election 2011
  2. ↑ Derry City Council
  3. ↑ "MLA criticised for role at funeral where shots fired" Derry Journal 20 April 2012
  4. ↑ "Colum Eastwood defends decision to carry coffin of friend Seamus Coyle" BBC News 20 April 2012
  5. ↑ "Colum Eastwood moved in SDLP Stormont shuffle" BBC News 22 April 2012
  6. ↑ "Derry Journal - ‘Sunday’ insult soldier should be kicked out of Army: MLA". Derry Journal. Derry Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2012. 
Political offices
Preceded by
Paul Fleming		 Mayor of Derry
2010–present 		Incumbent
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by
Pól Callaghan		 MLA for Foyle
2011 - 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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