McGuinness pays tribute to families of Loughinisland

McGuinness pays tribute to families of Loughinisland

12 October 2016

DEPUTY First Minister Martin McGuinness was in Loughinisland this week to meet with the families of those killed in the 1994 massacre.

Mr McGuinness said afterwards that he had been inspired by their continued fight for justice.

“Meeting families and justice campaigners is always a very humbling experience, and so it was again this evening,” he said. “I want to pay credit to them for their courage and steadfastness in the face of so many obstacles. They truly are an inspiration.”

Speaking of the recent Police Ombudsman’s report into the the loyalist atrocity at the Heights Bar, Mr McGuinness said there had been a “scathing assessment of police failings and a chilling illustration of the lethal impact of collusion”.

“This report not only exposed the scale of the British state’s collusion with loyalist death squads, but laid bare the extensive failings of the subsequent police investigations,” he said.

Local Sinn Féin MLA Chris Hazzard was among those welcoming the Deputy First Minister to Loughinisland.

“The families have endured a long and arduous journey to the truth; we must pay tribute to them, their legal team, and Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire in uncovering the unvarnished truth,” he said. “It is vital now that we continue to work together in delivering accountability for what happened back in 1994 and the subsequent coverup.”

Also this week South Down MP Margaret Ritchie met with senior Northern Ireland Office officials and urged them to pursue prosecutions for the Loughinisland Massacre.

She also repeated her demand for an apology and compensation for the victims from the British Government.

“In what was a very frank discussion with the Under Secretary of State, Kris Hopkins, I made clear and in no uncertain terms, that the obligation now rests with the British Government to ensure that prosecutions are pursued over the Loughinisland Massacre,” she said.

“I am pleased that Mr Hopkins has now committed to meeting with the Chief Constable on this issue but they must now go further.

“The Police Ombudsman found that the British Government failed utterly to pursue those importing the arms that made this heinous act possible. It also found that RUC collusion was a significant feature of the attack.

“In the face of such a damning report, it is imperative that the British Government also commits to compensating the victims and 

issuing an unreserved apology for their failure to protect the six men murdered that day.

“The SDLP will not limit our support for the Loughinisland victims to strong words in front of TV cameras or to photo opportunities outside the courts. We are actively pursuing those in power and ensuring that this injustice is not swept under the rug where it has been kept for far too long.”