Trimble remarks absolutely disgraceful!

Thursday, 5 July 2001

‘Trimble remarks absolutely disgraceful!’

Relatives for Justice has called on the Ulster Unionist Party Leader,
David Trimble, to immediately withdraw his deeply offensive comments
following the brutal sectarian murder of Catholic youth, Ciaran
Cummings. Mr. Cummings was gunned down yesterday morning while waiting
for a lift to work in Co. Antrim.

Speaking on Irish national radio yesterday, Mr. Trimble described the
sectarian murder of Ciaran Cummings as a drug-related murder committed
by Republicans, despite the fact that loyalist paramilitaries have
claimed responsibility for the killing.

Speaking today, RFJ said that: ‘The remarks are completely and utterly
reprehensible. Considering that up until his resignation on Sunday,
David Trimble also had responsibility for ‘victims’ within his office
of First Minister, the comments are all the more offensive.

Instead of showing compassion and easing the trauma of the Cummings
family, the de facto First Minister has simply added to, and compounded
their grief.

Mr. Trimble has shown contempt for the sanctity of human life in the
interests of peddling his own nasty propaganda. The comments are
absolutely disgraceful, and reveal nothing about the sectarian murder
of Ciaran Cummings, rather they reveal everything about Mr. Trimble.

Even the RUC, who have on occasion been known to leak misinformation
for political purposes, had to rebut Mr. Trimble’s comments, describing
them as ‘absolute nonsense’.

In light of the remarks, we immediately call on him to withdraw them
and to apologise unreservedly to the Cummings family.’ END