Speaking after the Policing Board released a report claiming that the actions of the PSNI at a June 6 Black Lives Matter protest in Belfast may have been unlawful and should be reviewed, People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said:
“This report proves what human rights groups and People Before Profit have said since anti-racist protesters were targeted by the PSNI – their treatment was disproportionate, and fines and prosecutions should not have been issued. We continue to call for fines and prosecutions to be dropped and support ongoing legal action against the PSNI for their actions.
“It is time for the Justice Minister and her Executive colleagues to publicly apologise to Black Lives Matter protesters for their treatment. It was wrong for Minister Long to call the PSNI response proportionate, and the wider response from the big parties has sent a message that they believe the PSNI behaved appropriately in targeting protesters.
“To put this situation in context: BLM protestors socially distanced and wore masks, yet DUP politicians publicly and overtly flouted the mask-wearing and are currently blocking health regulations which the CMO says could lead directly to deaths in our communities.
“No-one expects the DUP to face consequences yet none of the big parties could stand up and call for BLM fines to be dropped. This disparity tells us everything we need to know about the Stormont Executive.”
