Political parties in Northern Ireland issue joint statement condemning Lyra McKee murder
The leaders of six political parties in Northern Ireland have issued a joint statement condemning the murder of journalist Lyra McKee.
In a statement, they called for "calm heads" after Ms McKee was shot dead during riots in Derry last night.
A journalist has been killed covering riots in Derry. Her name was Lyra McKee. She was 29. She recently signed a two-book deal with Faber, who called her a "rising star of investigative journalism". This is her last tweet, sent from the scene of the unrest. pic.twitter.com/0gk1Fa7Du0
— Naomi O'Leary (@NaomiOhReally) April 19, 2019
The release was issued by Michelle O'Neill (Sinn Fein), Arlene Foster (DUP), Robin Swann (UUP), Colum Eastwood (SDLP), Naomi Long (Alliance), and Clare Bailey (Green Party).
“We want to express our condemnation in the strongest terms possible at the murder of journalist Lyra McKee,” they said.
“The murder of Lyra McKee is first and foremost a devastating loss for her grieving partner, family and friends, and our thoughts are with them at this awful time.
“Lyra’s murder was also an attack on all the people of this community, an attack on the peace and democratic processes.
It was a pointless and futile act to destroy the progress made over the last 20 years, which has the overwhelming support of people everywhere.
“We are united in rejecting those responsible for this heinous crime. They have no support in the community, must be brought to justice and should disband immediately.
“We reiterate our support for the PSNI, who while carrying out their duties were also the target of last night’s attack. We call on anyone with any information to bring that forward to the police and assist their inquiries.
“This is a time for calm heads," the statement concluded.
Joint statement from the Party Leaders on the murder of Lyra McKee ⬇ pic.twitter.com/4ouQACrRjr
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) April 19, 2019
Meanwhile, the PSNI have appealed for members of the public to assist them in their murder investigation by uploading any videos, CCTV or dashcam footage and photos to their online portal.
