The Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice Spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, has condemned the paramilitary display at yesterday’s IRA funeral in west Belfast at which weapons were discharged.   

Doug Beattie MC MLA said:

“Three months ago I voiced my concerns about the brazen nature in which guns are being brought onto our streets in order to intimidate, assert control and fire shots in support of dead terrorists following the deaths of INLA leader and child killer Martin McElkerney and IRA terrorist Peter Rooney.

“Yesterday shots were fired at the funeral of Alex Murphy, one of the IRA men convicted of the brutal murders of Corporal David Howes and Corporal Derek Wood in March 1988.    

“Several points need to be addressed.

“Firstly, these type of sights belong to a past that we were supposed to have left behind.

“Secondly, these are not spontaneous events. Such funerals and firing parties require a degree of organisation, not least in terms of the weaponry on display and how it is maintained and transported.

“Thirdly this was an IRA funeral attended by well-known and senior republicans, and involved a group that was supposed to have decommissioned and disbanded. Given this is the second IRA funeral in west Belfast in a matter of months, it is quite clear the IRA still has structures and access to high quality weapons and ammunition. This in itself is a major problem for the political process and Sinn Fein’s role.

“Fourthly, I understand the Police have a very difficult job to do and do not envy them. The is also an onus on the Public Prosecution Service to explain the bar it sets for prosecuting cases involving paramilitary displays. As far as a reasonable bystander is concerned, anyone involved in yesterday’s event wearing berets, matching clothing and ‘D Company’ armbands, was involved in an illegal paramilitary display and should be prosecuted accordingly.

“Finally, I understand that the police may be reluctant to deploy large numbers of officers on the streets at such events as they wish to avoid becoming involved in widespread disorder and provide a propaganda boost to republicans, or be lured into a trap. However, they also need to realise that it is not just republicans who see this as impotence, and the PSNI needs to show that it controls the streets, not criminal gangs.”