People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said,
“The Policing Board report vindicates what People Before Profit, the BAME Community and human rights organisations have said regarding the PSNI’s handling of the Black Lives Matter protests in Derry and Belfast on June 6th.
The Justice Minister Naomi Long described the police crackdown on the day as a ‘proportionate’ response. All the parties in the Stormont Executive were complicit in preparing the ground for the criminalisation of the protests and need to be held accountable.
Long should now consider her position. The Justice Minister overseen what was a blatant example of institutional racism. The Executive parties made a mockery of claims to support civil rights, human rights and racial equality. By retrospectively voting through legislation that was introduced on June 5 the Executive parties gave their stamp of approval for the PSNI crackdown.
We might be in the middle of a pandemic but the PSNI once again demonstrated they cannot act in a neutral and fair way.
There should be no further delay now by Long and the Executive in issuing a public apology to the BAME Community and dropping all fines and threats of prosecution.”
Cllr Shaun Harkin was fined for participating at the Derry Black Lives Matter Rally at which he spoke and helped to organise.
