McGuinness: ‘Arrest of Gerry Adams inextricably linked with local and EU elections’
NORTHERN Ireland's deputy first minister Martin McGuinness today accused the PSNI of settling old scores in the arrest of party leader Gerry Adams in connection with the murder of Jean McConville.
He also said the arrest was ‘inextricably linked” with the local and EU elections.
Mr McGuinness was speaking at the opening of a mural of Gerry Adams in Belfast depicting him as a peacemaker.
He was standing alongside party members – one of which held a picture of Gerry Adams and Nelson Mandela with the caption “Defend the peace process.” Mr Adams remains in police custody today in Belfast.
Mr McGuinness said his Sinn Fein had worked harder than any other party to bring about policing reform in Northern Ireland.
“Our negotiating strategy succeeded in achieving new political arrangement but we always knew that there remained within the PSNI an embittered rump of the old RUC,” he added.
“These people want to settle old score and they want to do it whatever the political cost.
No police force in the world is immune from criticism if it is acting in a politically biased and partisan fashion.”
Mr McGuinness said the arrest of his party’s leader was “evidence” that there was an element in the PSNI who are against the peace process.
Mr McGuinness said there was an attempt to charge Mr Adams with membership of the IRA in 1978 and his current detention was a “replay” of those events.
“That case was based on hearsay, gossip and newspaper articles and it failed then and it will fail now,” he said to applause from onlookers.
ENDS
Online Editors
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