Allister meets Raymond McCord in Strasbourg
24 April 2007
Statement by Jim Allister MEP:
"In Strasbourg today I met with Raymond McCord (Sen), on the first occasion of him ever asking to see me, to discuss his visit to the European Parliament and the issues behind it.
I expressed my personal condolences on the savage killing of his son by the UVF and commended him on his relentless pursuit of that murderous organisation. However, I also told him I regretted the way in which he had allowed himself to be used by Sinn Fein as part of their international anti-police campaign, based on what has become the republican catchphrase, "collusion". This will not advance the most important goal of bringing to justice the callous UVF killers of his son, but merely aids the republican movement's concerted campaign to vilify the police, particularly the RUC, across the world. I frankly told Mr McCord that Sinn Fein was not hosting him in Strasbourg because they seriously cared about the murder of his son, but because they saw in him an invaluable opportunity to peddle their vindictive vendetta against the police.
We discussed O'Loan's report. I explained my view that it is unbalanced, deficient and lacking in credibility by reason of its sloppy investigative procedures, loose definition of "collusion" and lack of any evidence warranting either criminal proceedings or even disciplinary proceedings against police officers. Yet, it smeared such officers on the basis of little more than tittle-tattle. I made it clear that I unreservedly condemned collusion, which properly defined means, "any wilful act or omission done with knowledge and intention that it will assist or facilitate the commission of a crime". If there is evidence that police officers, or anyone else, have done so, then a court of law, not in a media frenzy, is where they should be tried."
