Veterans’ lack faith in the wider legal and justice system is reinforced by IRA funeral decision

Following yesterday’s announcement from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) that no person who attended the funeral of IRA terrorist leader Bobby Storey during the height of the pandemic on June 30 2020 will be prosecuted reinforces the widely held belief by veterans that the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland is not fit for purpose.

The veterans believe that the soft handling of Sinn Fein/IRA by the authorities now includes the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Yesterday’s announcement reveals that the police were consulted at every step of the planning arrangements.

They facilitated SF/IRA whether by not taking actions or turning a blind eye to the funeral preparations.

The chief constable of the PSNI should now resign his position and be replaced with a new chief constable who is strong enough to uphold the rule of law without fear or favour for all its citizens.

Thousands of Sinn Fein/IRA supporters and IRA and Sinn Fein politicians including the deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill disobeyed publicly and in full light of the local and world population the very clear rules regarding funeral and public gatherings.

It seemed even at the time of planning and conducting the funeral that Sinn Fein/IRA were confident they would not face repercussions.

Note that the wider policing, legal and criminal system in Northern Ireland is hounding and seeing that elderly sick pensioners who served in the security forces be dragged before the NI courts, even though they had been cleared of wrongdoing in previous investigations.

We as veterans have long lacked faith in the wider criminal justice and legal system and believe that it and is not fit to examine legacy matters.

We veterans call on the secretary of state Brandon Lewis to intervene and move all current legacy trials to the mainland for hearing.

Veterans now also call on the secretary of state to establish an inquiry into the wider policing and legal and criminal justice system in Northern Ireland.

Paul Del Young, Senior Advisor, Justice for NI Veterans Original group

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