"This uproar was to be expected from the likes of the DUP. They would never see us, being Catholics, as equals. Even in death we are not deemed equal by people like William Hay and Gregory Campbell. We were however saddened by the comments of SDLP councillor Mary Bradley who comes from the nationalist community.

"The argument goes that the statue depicts a "masked terrorist". We have to point out that the SAS soldier who killed Neil wore a mask. Even at Neil's inquest this soldier was referred to by a letter of the alphabet. Hardly open justice in operation. The people who are making the most noise now, church leaders and politicians, were very silent when Neil's murder took place.

"As for the people taking offence at the statue in the cemetery, we have had to walk past the monument in the Diamond every day since Neil's death. We have never complained about this.

People can be offended, but at the end of the day they have to go out of their way to be offended by the statue on the INLA plot because of where it is situated at the top of the cemetery.

"We would like to express our thanks to the people of Derry for their support since this became a controversy. The results of the telephone poll published in this week's Derry journal proved to us that Neil McMonagle and his comrades will never be forgotten by the people of this city.

"We have waited since Neil's death in 1983 for a fitting memorial to be erected on his grave. We see this memorial as both fitting and appropriate. We would urge the IRSP not to back down on this."