A SINN FEIN councillor was forced by sectarian hatred from her job at a Belfast Protestant school, the party's annual convention heard at the weekend. Catherine Seeley, a councillor at Craigavon, taught at the Boys' Model School in a Loyalist enclave of North Belfast, until she was forced to resign because of an online campaign that the Deputy First Leader, Martin McGuinness (above), described as "motivated entirely by sectarian hatred and prejudice, and driven by a group of extreme Loyalists".

He criticised representatives of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for failing to act; and he praised the tributes that came from Ms Seeley's pupils. "They have shown courage and leadership. The local DUP MP, many years their senior, could learn a lot from them." Ms Seeley, who received a standing ovation at the meeting, said her experience showed that students could be wiser and more responsible than some "who speak on their behalf".