A FORMER Fleet Street editor who revealed further details of his support for the IRA's violent campaign has resigned from an honorary role at a London university.
Roy Greenslade, a former Daily Mirror editor and ex-columnist with the Guardian, recently outed himself as a past contributor to An Phoblacht, writing under the pen name George King.
The former Sunday Times and Sun journalist, who is now a member of Sinn Féin, has previously aired his republican sympathies. However, he recently wrote an article for the British Review of Journalism revealing a new level of detail, including how he stood surety for John Downey when he was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing.
Mr Greenslade described Downey, who was among scores of IRA suspects to receive a so-called on-the-run letter from the British authorities, as a "Donegal neighbour".
He wrote that he was in "complete agreement about the right of the Irish people to engage in armed struggle", adding: "I supported the use of physical force."
In the wake of the article, an abridged version of which appeared in the Sunday Times, there was criticism of the 74-year-old former Fleet Street editor, who for decades kept his political opinion to himself for the sake of his livelihood.
A spokesman for Boris Johnson said the British prime minister "outright condemns" Mr Greenslade's comments.
"All I can say is the simple fact that the PM outright condemns his comments, as I have said specifically those about the killing of civilians," the No 10 spokesman said.
The former Guardian columnist retired from a full-time post at London's City University, where he lectured in ethics, in 2018, though he has returned on a number of occasions as a guest speaker.
Mr Greenslade today resigned from his position as honorary visiting professor of journalism at City, telling MailPlus the decision was: "Purely mine. No pressure. Just the reverse."
"Although understanding my wish to resign, they (City University) wanted to make me aware that I did not need to resign, because they would always support," he told the website.
