Taking Northern Ireland out of the EU will "destroy" the Good Friday Agreement peace deal, Gerry Adams said.
He claimed fundamental human rights enshrined in the 1998 accord to end violence could be undermined. The top legal adviser to Stormont ministers has said not one word in the Agreement would be affected.
The Sinn Fein president said Northern Ireland should enjoy special status within the union of 27 states after Brexit and claimed that would not affect the constitutional settlement which secures its status as part of the UK.
READ MORE: Ministers unite in demand for Brexit details
He said: "Taking the North out of the EU will.
"It will destroy the Good Friday Agreement."
The Dail TD (member of the Irish parliament) addressed a conference on achieving a united Ireland in Dublin.
Mr Adams added: "The British government's intention to take the North out of the EU, despite the wish of the people there to remain, is a hostile action.
"Not just because of the implications of a hard border on this island but also because of its negative impact on the Good Friday Agreement.
"The British Prime Minister repeated her intention to bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court.
"Along with her commitment to remove Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights this stand threatens to undermine the fundamental human rights elements of the Good Friday Agreement."
He claimed ending partition between Northern Ireland and the Republic had taken on a new importance.
"As the dire economic implications of Brexit take shape there is an opportunity to promote a new agreed Ireland."
Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU referendum by a majority of 56% to 44%.
Mr Adams added: "The speech by Theresa May will have reinforced this.
"The dangers of a hard Brexit are now more obvious than before.
"The North needs a special designated status within the EU.
"The Irish government needs to adopt this as a strategic objective in its negotiations within the EU 27 as they negotiate with the British Prime Minister."
He claimed there was, alarmingly, no strategic plan from Dublin ministers.
The Irish Government has already convened an all-Ireland forum on Brexit and agreed with the Prime Minister that there should be no return to the borders of the past for Northern Ireland.
READ MORE: Ministers unite in demand for Brexit details
Its priorities remain its economic and trading arrangements, the peace process and border issues as well as the common travel area.
Mr Adams added: "The British position also fails to take account of the fact that citizens in the North, under the Agreement, have a right to Irish citizenship and therefore EU citizenship."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel