Statement by Jim Allister:
“Having written to the Chief Constable yesterday asking what action the police were taking following the Black Lives Matter protest, I am disappointed that it has been confirmed this morning that they will take no action.
“Yes, protest is a fundamental right in any democratic society but so is the right for children to see grandparents. So is the right for young people in love to get married. So is the right of Christians to attend their place of worship. So is the right of business owners to trade. So is the right to attend a funeral to say a final goodbye to a loved one. Yet all those fundamental rights have been suspended and to their credit the of people in Northern Ireland have made these painful sacrifices without complaint, accepting that they have to forgo those freedoms for the common good because of the pandemic.
“It was easy to issue an elderly gentleman with a fixed penalty ticket for coming to take his dog for a walk on the promenade in Portrush where social distancing was not an issue. The PSNI had no qualms about doing that. But organise a protest with 2,000 people packed together in central Belfast and the police take no action. Republican funerals and politically correct rallies are not and should not be seen to be exempt from these regulations. Such selectivity in the policing approach is bringing this law into disrepute.
“Today’s decision not to take action on the Belfast protest when set in such a context is outrageous.
“The organiser of the protest, Jolene Francis, is well known. She has done many media interviews in the past 24 hours. The question many people who have put their lives on hold are asking is – since public gathering of six or more people is illegal why won’t she be interviewed by the PSNI?
“I for one find that such a question difficult to answer.”