Bobby Storey funeral controversy: ‘Inconsistent’ police should quash our fines, says Black Lives Matter supporter

A prominent supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement in NI has contrasted the fines handed out to fellow protestors with the inaction of the police at Bobby Storey’s funeral.
By Adam Kula
Published 1st Jul 2020, 17:09 BST
Lilian Seenoi-Barr, a Kenyan former asylum seeker who has been in NI for 10 years (and who is also a leading SDLP official), speaking at the rallyLilian Seenoi-Barr, a Kenyan former asylum seeker who has been in NI for 10 years (and who is also a leading SDLP official), speaking at the rally
Lilian Seenoi-Barr, a Kenyan former asylum seeker who has been in NI for 10 years (and who is also a leading SDLP official), speaking at the rally

Lilian Seenoi-Barr, a Kenyan former asylum seeker who runs the North West Migrants Forum, was an organiser of a large-scale demonstration in Londonderry city on June 6.

Police, politicians and officials had issued repeated warning not to assemble, but the rally went ahead anyway, with PSNI handing out penalty notices accordingly.

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Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster on Wednesday, she pointed to the Storey funeral and said “it just confirmed again the double standards that we were talking about”.

She said: “What happened on June 6 caused deep offence and hurt to my community.

“But I think we need to ask serious questions and raise real concerns on the police inconsistencies in applying the coronavirus health protection legislation.”

She met the chief constable this week and issued him with “our demands”.

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She said: “Our engagement with the PSNI will be based on them showing us they’re going to act in good faith and in the interests of fairness and justice in NI.

“They have to drop the fines, they have to drop the charges and have to issue an apology to our community because it is blatant discrimination and the police are normalising institutional racism if they don’t take those actions.”

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Related topics:Black Lives MatterPSNINorth West Migrants ForumSDLP