12 April 2000

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Award to RUC grossly offensive

Sinn Fein Assembly member for West Belfast and spokesperson on Policing and Justice Bairbre de Brún has branded the awarding today of the George Cross to the RUC as ``grossly offensive to the many people who have suffered at the hands of this discredited force.''

Ms de Brun said:

``This latest attempt to give credibility to this discredited force flies in the face of the promise in the Good Friday Agreement for a `new beginning to policing'.

``It is grossly offensive for the British state to honour those involved in a catalogue of human rights abuses including collusion and shoot to kill. They are an internationally discredited force who should be disbanded not honoured.''

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