‘We are very angry’ – Finucane family over UK decision

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The Finucane family has described the British government’s decision not to carry out a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane as “shocking, arrogant and cruel”.

The family has promised to continue campaigning until their questions are answered.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis announced in Westminister this afternoon that an investigation would not take place at this time.

In a statement, the family said: “There is only one reason to ask the local police to investigate a case involving the British army, the security services and former members of the government: it means they will be untouchable.”

“It is this internalization of the issue in Northern Ireland that has allowed those responsible for the murder of Pat Finucane to do so with impunity.

“By not setting up a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane, the British government has opposed not only my family, but also the Irish government, local, national and international political parties, political institutions, legal and law groups. human rights nationally and internationally. “

Pat Finucane’s son John said his family is very angry and described the decision as an insult.

John Finucane said Brandon Lewis’s response was an embarrassment, adding that they had waited 31 years for an effective investigation into his father’s murder.

“We are very angry. What the British government proposed to us today was nothing less than an insult.”

“The British government, at every opportunity, will continue to make the wrong decision and will do their best to ensure that the truth of what happened to my father does not come out and they are determined to suppress that.”

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His brother Michael said his family was “disappointed” but “not surprised” by the British government’s decision.

Speaking after a virtual call with Lewis, Michael said: “I think we were quite angry and exasperated by the Secretary of State’s conclusion on the matter because he has proposed that the case will be resolved through an investigation by Northern Ireland police.

“I don’t think anyone, looking at the evidence in this case and the agencies involved, would propose with any degree of credibility that this could be handled by local law enforcement.”

He said the proposal is “inappropriate.”

“There was a frank exchange of views and he [Brandon Lewis] There is no doubt of the deep discontent, ”he added.

“They seem to be based on analysis of previous research that they have been sitting on for five years.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was disappointed that the British government did not commit to a public inquiry, as agreed between the British and Irish governments in 2001.

He said the decision will deal a further blow to Pat Finucane’s widow, Geraldine, and her family, “who have been pursuing truth and justice for three decades with great dignity.”

Mr Martin said that he noted that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland did not rule out a public inquiry taking place in the future, and said the Irish government remained firmly convinced that a public inquiry was needed.

The Taoiseach noted “that addressing issues inherited from the past more broadly was a shared challenge. In this context, meeting past commitments, difficult as it was, was important in terms of building public trust and confidence.”

Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said: “The strong and consistent position of the Irish government has been that only a full and independent public inquiry, as provided for in the Weston Park agreement in 2001, would provide a satisfactory outcome for this case. .

“In a case like this, where Prime Minister Cameron recognized that there were ‘shocking levels of collusion’, there is an undeniable responsibility of the state to do everything possible to restore public trust through a process that fully complies with the relevant international standards and obligations of effectiveness, independence and transparency “.

Sinn Féin Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill said the decision was “shameful” and added that the choice was that of a “rogue state.”

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald tweeted that “only a full public inquiry can get to the truth. That is why successive British governments have refused to establish one.”

DUP Representative Jeffrey Donaldson called for a “holistic approach” to the legacy that allows all innocent victims to have access to truth and justice.

He said: “We welcome the Secretary of State’s decision. Likewise, we also condemn the murder of Pat Finucane … What we really need is not special attention to a particular case, but a holistic approach to the legacy that enables all innocent victims have access to truth and justice. “

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described the decision as an embarrassment.

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said the gruesome events of the Pat Finucane case should not overshadow the work of most of those who served in the police and military.

She said: “As (Brandon Lewis) said, the murder of Pat Finucane was a shocking and gruesome crime, and the involvement of the State as documented by De Silva’s review was totally unacceptable as well.

Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Louise Haigh said: “I note that you are not going to rule out a full public inquiry in the future, why not take this opportunity to present it now?”

“That this crime can happen in our country is shocking, that it has never been investigated with a legal standard is unjustifiable and we have to ask ourselves, as we do with all the inherited problems with The Troubles, do we accept a lower standard of justice for citizens. of Northern Ireland than we would do if this terrible crime had happened in our constituencies? Secretary of State refers to Manchester inquiry, don’t victims in Northern Ireland deserve the same transparency and justice?

The Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the United States House of Representatives, Richard Neal, has expressed his disappointment at the decision of the British government.

Mr. Neal co-signed a letter that was sent by members of the US Congress to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week urging him to launch an investigation.

“I am disappointed. I think there was an optimistic belief and anticipation that there would be a full investigation,” Neal told RTÉ News.

“All the evidence at the time pointed to collusion, so I believe Geraldine Finucane and her family are entitled to a full review that is not only authentic but stands firm under the weight of history,” he added.

Neal said he was hopeful that an investigation could be conducted in the future.

“I think that more inspection and more scrutiny can only help the process and bring some peace and comfort to the members of the Finucane family,” he said.

Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle has described the decision as “a gruesome perversion of justice.”

Boyle tweeted that a full public investigation was long overdue.



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