McCourt funeral: ‘It looks more and more like law doesn’t apply to republicans’

It takes the form of an open letter to chief constable Simon Byrne, signed by Mervyn Storey MLA, Joanne Bunting MLA, Trevor Clarke MLA, and Tom Buchanan MLA.

It begins by voicing “dismay” at the scenes witnessed at the funeral of Eamonn McCourt, a former IRA man whose cortege was taken from the family home on Monday through Londonderry’s streets.

An open invitation had been extended to all mourners to come to the cemetery.

The PSNI is investigating any potential breaches of lockdown law.

The DUP letter reads: “The scenes witnessed at the funeral of Eamonn McCourt were reckless and further undermined the public health message.

“However perhaps more importantly they reaffirmed public perception that the PSNI is unwilling to apply the rule of law toward republicans in a manner that is fair and equitable to other sections of our community.

“We recognise that every incident has its own nuances and should be treated on a case-by-case basis within an operational context.

“However, it is evident that police officers have never deviated from a policy of inaction when it comes to republican funerals...

“You have regularly highlighted the benefits of the PSNI’s four-E approach to potential breaches of the law. We remain deeply concerned, however, that the first three strands of this policy – engage, explain and encourage – have been relied upon heavily in the case of republican funerals despite the evidence suggesting the act of ‘negotiating’ with these organisers is generally fruitless.

“In this context we would be grateful first of all if you would clarify the nature of engagement by the local police with the organisers of the funeral of Eamonn McCourt since they became aware of arrangements...

“We would also like confirmation from the PSNI if, in the gathering of information in relation to the funeral, it was established whether any political representatives were present.

“We would also seek sight of the operational policies under which senior officers are permitted to engage with organisers of funerals and other large gatherings during the pandemic.”

The News Letter’s coverage so far of the story:

Click here: Images emerge of crowd of mourners at new republican funeral procession

Click here: ‘Painful sight for many bereaved relatives’: DUP hits out over republican funeral

Click here: IN FULL: PSNI opens investigation into IRA man’s funeral – ‘likely Covid breaches’

Click here: SF figure indicates republican funeral was toned-down event

Click here: Late IRA man Eamonn McCourt ‘killed one of his own comrades by mistake’

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor