Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“The paramilitary display at Alec Murphy’s funeral today was predictable. He was a notorious terrorist convicted of one of the most vicious crimes of the PIRA’s bloody campaign. It was therefore entirely predictable that there would be a show of strength by the PIRA at his funeral. Where, therefore, were the PSNI when men wearing black berets paraded the streets of Belfast today?
“Unionists who saw the way a band from Larne was treated because of a two inch badge on their shirt aligning themselves with the legitimate armed forces will see today’s display and the lack of a police presence much less a response as further evidence of double standards on the part of the PSNI.
“It seems Republicans can flout the law while a different standard is applied to Unionists.”