Responding to publication of photographs showing yet more flagrant breaches of health regulations at another republican funeral, Ulster Unionist Councillor, Darren Guy, who represents the Waterside area of Londonderry, said:

“Those attending the latest republican funeral have once again stuck two fingers up at the 74 COVID patients currently in ICU across Northern Ireland, our NHS staff who continue to provide premier care and those grieving families who have lost family members yet were unable to have more than 25 attend their family funeral.

“Eamonn ‘Peggy’ McCourt who passed away on Saturday morning was buried from his family home in Creggan, a right accredited to us all.  However, it was evident that social distancing measures and permitted mourner numbers were completely ignored by those in attendance.

“Again, the majority of people in Northern Ireland who have followed lockdown measures since March 2020 are asking themselves why can republicans do whatever they like?

“Residents of this council area have strictly adhered to lockdown measures in an attempt to reduce the number of deaths and rates of transmission. To then witness once again the hypocrisy displayed by republicans, whose leadership preach how we must follow the COVID regulations whilst they arrogantly and repeatedly flout those same regulations, is another kick in the teeth to every law-abiding member of the public. People are sick of the double standards. It`s long past time that these people were prosecuted.

“If Sinn Fein were serious about public health regulations, they would come and out and condemn these actions, but I think we all know that we`ll be waiting a long time for that to happen.

“I would call on the PSNI Chief Superintendent in charge of the area to explain why such a large funeral procession was permitted to take place and what actions will follow.  Although, as with past experiences of republican funerals in Londonderry, whether in paramilitary garb or not, I don’t expect too many significant actions to follow.”