MICHELLE O'Neill came in for renewed criticism last night from both nationalist and unionists who described her statement in response to her attendance at the funeral of senior republican Bobby Storey as a "half apology".
Stormont's deputy first minister said she was "sorry for grieving families experiencing more hurt" but she said she would never apologise for attending the funeral of a friend.
Ms O'Neill is facing calls from the other four parties in the five-party Executive at Stormont to stand down from her role as joint head of government pending police and Assembly standards investigations into the scenes in west Belfast when hundreds lined the streets on Tuesday.
She and party colleagues have been accused of flouting the Covid-19 regulations and guidance they helped to set.
Yesterday Ms O'Neill again insisted she acted within the rules in respect of all the things that were within her control, such as the size of the cortege and the numbers attending inside St Agnes' Church in west Belfast.
"I will never apologise for attending the funeral of my friend," she added.
But the Sinn Féin deputy leader acknowledged some families had been left upset.
"I am also concerned that those grieving families are experiencing more hurt over recent days," she said.
"I am sorry for that."
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood last night described Ms O'Neill's statement as a "half apology".
He said if she was "incapable of showing contrition for her actions or accepting wrongdoing then she should stand aside".
Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken also said Ms O`Neill had "recognised the hurt that her actions have caused to families, but singularly failed to recognise that she broke her own Executive’s guidelines and regulations - and has further failed to even recognise the fact that Sinn Féin members are not exempt from those same rules and regulations".
There have also been calls for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Storey's cremation at Roselawn Crematorium.
It emerged yesterday that instead of being buried at Milltown's republican plot, where crowds had gathered earlier for a ceremony and former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams addressed mourners, Mr Storey's remains were instead taken to Roselawn in east Belfast.
There were calls for Belfast City Council to be investigated after claims cemetery staff were sent home early ahead of the cremation.
It is reported that while some council staff remained at Roselawn for the cremation - including park wardens, managers and crematorium staff - a number of stewards nominated by the Storey family took responsibility for identifying those people who had been invited to the private event.
UUP MLA Doug Beattie said: "The news that Bobby Storey was cremated in Roselawn on Tuesday raises a number of questions for Sinn Féin.
"Firstly, why - in the midst of a global pandemic - did they feel the need to call hundreds of people onto the streets of west Belfast if the plan all along was to hold a cremation ceremony several miles away in the east of the city?
"And secondly - what was the point in taking a coffin to a graveyard only to then transport it to a crematorium? Were people’s lives really put at risk from Covid-19 just so Gerry Adams could perform a speaking engagement in Milltown cemetery?
"If people were angry at Sinn Féin due to the lack of social distancing on display at the funeral, they will be furious to learn that the procession to Milltown was nothing more than a needless piece of republican street theatre, and that the real destination was Roselawn all along."
But Belfast City Council insisted that decisions on how the cremation was handled were taken impartially and in line with coronavirus rules.
A spokesman said it "complied with the guidance from the Northern Ireland Executive guidance which permits 30 people to gather outside."
Addressing the issue of stewards the statement added: "These people, playing a stewarding role for family would work with Belfast City Council staff to ensure that those allowed on the site were only those permitted by the family.
"This is no different to what would normally be the case in a high profile cremation or one that would potentially attract high numbers of people or media."
As the controversy surrounding the funeral continued, Ms O'Neill also repeated a claim from her party president Mary Lou McDonald that the organisation of the Storey funeral was done in conjunction with the PSNI.
But PSNI assistant chief constable Alan Todd denied the claims.
He said police "had in line with long established good practice and in common with many other circumstances, engaged with the organisers on the basis of no promises and no surprises, in order that they understood their obligations and to seek assurances in respect of public safety.
"To be clear, PSNI were not involved in the planning of this funeral and did not approve any plan for the funeral."
