Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Rafferty family to the House. I have not been through what the Rafferty family have endured and one must have suffered in order to have complete empathy with the suffering of another. I sincerely hope there will be a fruitful solution to this tragedy.

As an activist in the peace process in the North since 1993, I have travelled to the North frequently. I spoke out in this Chamber against collusion in the case of the murders of Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson. It is known there was collusion between the forces of the state in the North in these murders. Sinn Féin must acknowledge the rights of the Rafferty family are the same as those of the Finucane family. If Sinn Féin knows the identity of the criminal thug who committed the violent act against Joseph Rafferty and in order for it to progress in a constitutional and political manner, it must be strong in fighting and getting rid of thugs and gangsters. I wish the Rafferty family success in their campaign and I thank them for attending the House today.