The publisher of Daily Ireland, the new pro-nationalist newspaper based in Belfast, has begun libel proceedings against the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell.
Mr Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said yesterday the action was being taken over the Minister's remarks about the paper which is part of the Andersonstown News Group. One of the Minister's accusations indicated the publication was a "Provo front".
Yesterday Mr Ó Muilleoir denied that it was a front for the Provos. He said the newspaper had instructed its solicitors that day to start libel proceedings against the Minister.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice when asked what the Minister's reaction was to being sued, said: "It was, 'See them in court'."
Speaking on RTÉ radio Mr Ó Muilleoir said he took the Minister's remarks about the newspaper very seriously. "They are scandalous, they are rubbish, they are defamatory," he said.
He said that previously, when the Minister said they were a fascist publication, he wrote personally to Mr McDowell and his solicitors wrote to him but no reply was received.
"So we instructed our solicitors today after his most recent outburst to start libel proceedings against the Minister about his claims," Mr Ó Muilleoir said.
He was asked about the Minister's remarks that one of the objectives of the paper was to take out the Irish News, the Belfast paper, because it was not seen as being sufficiently green.
"Daily Ireland which launched on February 1st is a newspaper which is anti-violence, which is pro-united Ireland. The question I would ask is, who's afraid of words? Why can we not have an alternative point of view to the Minister?" he said.
He was asked where the money for the paper came from. "The majority of the money is coming from the Andersonstown News Group, courtesy of a major loan from the Bank of Ireland," he said. Other funding came from a range of small investors in this country and in the US. Some were well-known business people in Belfast. Mr Peter Quinlan, former GAA president, had invested as well, he said.
"Our operation is totally bona fide," Mr Ó Muilleoir said. "This sort of allegation has never been made by unionist politicians in the North and this type of slur has never been made by any of our most ardent opponents commercially either, so the Minister is talking rubbish and it's an attempt to try and damage us and prevent us from publishing."