Leading loyalist Jim Wilson angry at PSNI double standards on policing Covid regulations

Mr Wilson posed for photographs which appeared on social media of him taking part in widespread celebrations on the Shankill Road last Sunday night after Rangers won the Scottish Premiership.

His actions added to intense scrutiny of PSNI consistency in applying Covid regulations to events perceived as loyalist and republican throughout the pandemic.

Mr Wilson told the News Letter that two “very polite” police officers called to his door on Friday.

“I don’t think I responded in a gentlemanly manner to be quite honest,” he said.

“When they came to the door they said, ‘Mr Wilson I assume you know what this is about?’.”

He assumed it was about the Rangers celebrations, and replied: “That is not too bad – it took you five days to come to me and how long did it take you to come to Sinn Fein and republicans when they did something similar?”

Mr Wilson said the PSNI officers responded that they were not speaking to him about that event, but to try and interview him. However, he said he would not talk without his solicitor.

“But what happened last Sunday [on the Shankill] people have to understand, there is a thing called emotion that we all have within us,” he said.

“What people don’t understand is that myself and my grandchildren have watched every single ball kicked by Rangers during the pandemic.”

The loyalist activist said he had worked tirelessly with other Rangers supporters to raise tens of thousands of pounds for the club after it went into liquidation in 2012.

Prior to that he was involved in the ‘Rangers Till I Die’ support group when the club was on its knees.

“We ran events that the prime minister of our country went to. We helped to arrange the Linfield match with Rangers that raised money. We organised rosettes to be sold at Ibrox. So our love for Rangers is not trivial.

“Now when I look back, maybe fundamentally it was wrong, but when you have those emotions in you and you have been waiting for this for 10 years.”

He maintained that during the celebrations he did observe social distancing and left his two grandchildren in the car.

On the occasion he was photographed with his arm around a fellow supporter. He said they both felt relatively safe at the time as they had taken the vaccination jab.

“I understand there are people who have lost loved ones and have suffered but I have suffered too – my younger sister took her own life in May. I was not putting my two fingers up to everyone.”

He added: “But what annoys me as a unionist, it took police five days to come to the door of a unionist. But how long did it take the PSNI to go to republicans’ doors when they did exactly the same at the Bobby Storey funeral?

“Celtic were awarded the nine in a row in May and if you look back at footage on YouTube you will see Celtic supporters up the Falls Road in a cavalcade and doing everything the Rangers fans did.”

The PSNI responded that they interviewed one person about the Celtic celebrations but that the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) directed no prosecution in November.

Mr Wilson said his community group supports members of both sides of the community. ‘Reach’ on the Newtownards Road was formed by former Red Hand Commando members and supports nationalists from the Short Strand with welfare advice, he said.

“But now I have people say on Facebook that the IRA should shoot me over this.

“But the difference with the Bobby Storey funeral and what happened up the Shankill was that we did not lay the law down for Covid. Sinn Fein were part of the administration setting down the laws for all of us to abide by and yet they didn’t abide by it themselves.”

Leading west Belfast republican Mr Storey was buried on June 30 last year and hundreds of people took part in a highly organised funeral procession. Sinn Fein has been criticised for its role in the funeral.

The PSNI brought in the deputy chief constable of Cumbria to oversee inquiries. In mid December – more than five months after the funeral – he said 24 individuals had been questioned and a file was being sent to the PPS.

The PSNI confirmed it questioned 24 people but declined to say when. “This issue remains a live investigation, and we will not be making any further comment,” a spokeswoman said.