An Fhírinne vigil disrupted by drunken PSNI members

Drunken off-duty PSNI members verbally abused members of anti-collusion group An Fhírinne as they held a candlelit vigil outside Belfast's City Hall on Friday night, 10 December.

Over 100 members of the group had gathered to demand the truth behind British Government collusion with loyalist death squads.

During the vigil, off-duty PSNI members, who were clearly drunk, verbally abused those taking part and confronted Sinn Féin Councillor Tom Hartley.

As the altercation took place, one of the drunken PSNI men stood chatting with a number of uniformed PSNI members present at the vigil as his pals abused Hartley, asking him what An Fhírinne meant.

The drunken cops shouted "all this should be a thing of the past" as they walked among the families, glaring at the posters of the relatives' dead loved ones.

The PSNI members on duty ignored the aggressive behaviour of their colleagues.

"We should not let the actions of these drunken PSNI members overshadow the significance of the vigil which is part of the campaign to highlight the pain and hurt experienced by relatives, and the need for them to know the truth behind their loved ones deaths," said Hartley.

An Fhírinne spokesperson Mark Sykes said the actions of the off-duty PSNI members were totally insensitive and usettling.