EU: MEPs approve cash for civil action

MEPs have overwhelmingly backed the sisters of Robert McCartney in their fight for justice following the murder in Belfast of their brother.

A resolution passed in Strasbourg on Tuesday called for the unprecedented use of EU anti-terrorism funds to finance a civil legal action if Northern Ireland police fail to bring a criminal prosecution.

The two Sinn Fein MEPs, Bairbre de Brun and Mary Lou McDonald, refused to back the resolution, but they endorsed instead a separate motion less critical of the party and the IRA, but fully backing the McCartney family's determination to see the killers face trial.

The resolution condemning violence and criminality by the IRA in Northern Ireland, in particular the murder of McCartney, was debated by MEPs in the European parliament on Monday.

The resolution urges the Sinn Fein leadership "to insist that those responsible for the murder and witnesses to the murder co-operate directly with the police service of Northern Ireland and be free from the threat of reprisals from the IRA".

And it says McCartney was murdered by "members of the IRA, who attempted to cover up the crime and ordered all witnesses to be silent about the involvement of IRA members".

Accused named

During Monday's debate, a Democratic Unionist Party MEP named the individuals alleged to be involved in the murder of McCartney.

Jim Allister used his European parliamentary immunity to identify the men accused of attacking McCartney in a Belfast bar in January.

Allister said the named men should "tell what they know", and said afterwards: "Never in the history of this parliament has there been such a unanimous chorus of condemnation of Sinn Fein/IRA and, in particular, its failure to  give up the killers of Robert McCartney."

And while giving evidence, he told of how a hand signal had been given, indicating a knife should be used to attack McCartney.

"A member of the IRA's Northern Command gave the order to kill, and a key Sinn Fein member savagely wielded the knife and butchered this innocent man, before multiple witnesses," he said.

And Allister went on: "An IRA unit, led by the volunteer who had fetched and then disposed of the knife, then co-ordinated a clean-up operation to destroy forensic and real evidence, including CCTV footage.

"Then, in classic IRA style, the intimidation brigade swung into action to silence the witnesses."

Allister, and all the other speakers during the one-hour debate, praised the courage and determination of the McCartney sisters.

EU commissioner Stavros Dimas said the Commission condemned McCartney's murder and understood, admired and fully supported the "decisive" action of the McCartney family.

But he added: "The Commission cannot intervene in investigative procedures of member states.

The only thing we can do is express admiration for the very brave stance of the McCartney sisters in seeking justice, not revenge."

Justice

On Monday night Catherine McCartney said she hoped the case would never reach the point where a civil action would be necessary.

"I would imagine that tonight's debate will put pressure on the people that murdered Robert, and as long as we keep the issue in the public eye, eventually Sinn Fein and the IRA are going to have to take responsibility for [the fact that] that they know they have the power to bring these people to justice," she said.

Catherine McCartney and two sisters - Gemma and Paula - went to see MEPs in Brussels in the wake of Robert's murder, to ask for support from the European Parliament's fund to help victims of terrorism if the police service of Northern Ireland fail to bring a criminal prosecution.

Such money has never before been used to fund an individual legal case.