SF members criticised over crowded funeral of IRA man
SENIOR Sinn Féin politicians came under fire yesterday for ignoring socialdistancing protocols at a republican funeral.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and other senior party figures were pictured standing close together at the funeral of former IRA and Sinn Féin member Bobby Storey.
Mr Storey spent two decades in prison for IRA offences and led the breakout from the Maze Prison in September 1983. He was a prominent member of Sinn Féin for the past 20 years and was a central figure in the peace process.
Other senior figures pictured standing in a crowd of mourners at the Belfast funeral included former party leader Gerry Adams, current Finance spokesman Pearse Doherty, Sinn Féin’s Northern Ireland leader Michelle O’Neill, as well
‘Clearly a very popular figure’
as MLA Conor Murphy.
Speaking at the funeral, Mr Adams used the occasion to deliver a broadside against the new coalition government for ‘excluding’ Sinn Féin.
‘Denying Sinn Féin voters their right to be included in talks shows how far the Dublin establishment is prepared to go to minimise and to delay the ongoing process of change across this island, including the movement towards Irish unity,’ he said. ‘So, let me say loud and clear. They will fail. Just as unionists failed in their exclusion policies.’
Speaking on UTV News afterwards, MLA Conor Murphy described the funeral as ‘very dignified’ and insisted social distancing was observed.
‘Clearly there was going to be a huge crowd at that funeral, we took all reasonable steps to manage the cortege, to manage the ceremony in the chapel in line with guidance and put the events themselves online to try and discourage people from attending and there was an enormous number of stewards there to try and manage the crowd to keep social-distancing measures as best we could, and certainly, in terms of the family who attended in the cortege and in the chapel, all the social-distancing guidelines were followed as best as we could manage in the circumstances.
‘This clearly is a very popular figure within republicanism, it was clearly going to be a very significant funeral and all efforts were made to try and manage that in line with guidance…
‘The attendance at the funeral is a very traditional Irish thing as well. All of those things have been sacrificed and families have continued to suffer not only with the loss of a loved one but loss in these circumstances where socialrestriction guidelines are in place and every effort was made today to try and manage that.’
The PSNI said it was reviewing footage of the funeral to ‘consider any suspected breaches’ of the social-distancing regulations.
Stormont’s Health Minister expressed concern about a potential ‘breakdown’ in socialdistancing compliance following Mr Storey’s funeral.
Robin Swann was asked about the large crowds at the funeral, and the attendance of Sinn Féin members among them, during an appearance before the Assembly’s Health Committee yesterday.
‘I have concerns in regards to a breakdown or people failing to observe the guidance that the Executive has given collectively over the past 14 weeks,’ he said. ‘Because one of the things that has worked for
Northern Ireland is our Executive standing together and giving a consistent message that the people of Northern Ireland have followed.
‘Because some of the measures we asked them to undertake were draconian, we said that from the beginning. But the people of Northern Ireland followed the advice and the guidance, and that’s why we are where we are today.
‘My concern is that if there’s anything that undermines the general public’s confidence in the guidance that’s coming out from the Executive, from the members of this health committee... anything that undermines that advice and guidance does concern me.’
Mr Swann said his priority was ensuring the North could cope with a second wave of Covid-19. ‘There’s no person, there’s no point of privilege that puts anyone above the guidance,’ he said.
DUP deputy committee chairwoman Pam Cameron had asked Mr Swann about the issue. ‘Are you worried on the back of evidence seen today from large funerals being held in Belfast and members of this House attending those funerals?’ she asked. ‘I am looking at pictures and I am not seeing social distancing, I am not seeing masks, I am seeing large crowds spectating very close together and I am very concerned that we will lose any type of compliance from the public on the back of these types of incidents.’
The North’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride also made clear that the health emergency was not over.
‘I would just appeal to this committee not to send out a message that we are through the worst of this pandemic, we are up to the end of the beginning of this,’ he said.
‘I am seeing large crowds’