Leaders of Irish republican party Sinn Fein faced accusations of hypocrisy on Thursday for attending the funeral of a former IRA paramilitary member despite coronavirus restrictions. Northern Ireland deputy first minister Michelle O'Neill, who regularly urged the public to comply with COVID-19 orders, was among mourners at Bobby Storey's funeral on Tuesday. Storey was the alleged intelligence chief of the Irish Republican Army, and served 20 years in prison at the height of three decades of unrest over British rule in the province. But a political row has ensued after photographs emerged that indicated social distancing measures were not observed at the funeral in Belfast. Some 1,800 people were said to have attended, breaking guidelines currently limiting group gatherings to 30 in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald and other senior figures in the all-island party were also present. Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster has written to O'Neill calling for her to step aside, a spokesman for her Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) told AFP. "We need to make sure that we give clear messages out as an executive," Foster said on Wednesday. "I think the credibility of that message has been severely damaged." With conflicting pro-British unionist and republican ideologies, the DUP and Sinn Fein are regularly at loggerheads in Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive. But the three more moderate parties making up the executive in Belfast -- delicately restored in January after a three-year feud between Sinn Fein and the DUP -- have also called for O'Neill to step aside. Criticisms were levelled at O'Neill that other bereaved citizens had not attended funerals during lockdown in order to adhere to government advice. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Tuesday it was inspecting footage of the event and "will consider any suspected breaches" of coronavirus regulations. "I am satisfied that my actions at Bobby Storey's funeral are in line with public health advice," O'Neill said Wednesday. She said accusations to the contrary were "petty attempts to political point-score". A Sinn Fein spokesperson said O'Neill will not be stepping aside as deputy First Minister under any circumstances. "The funeral of Bobby Storey was organised in accordance with his grieving family's wishes," the spokesperson said. "The organisers did everything they could to ensure regulations were met." jts/phz/pma