Councillor Laura McNamee has hit out at Sinn Fein and the SDLP for failing to condemn the paramilitary-style funeral of convicted IRA killer Tony Catney.
The two Nationalist parties have remained silent since the funeral took place on Wednesday, amid reports of shots being fired and sightings of masked men walking the streets of West Belfast as part of the funeral possession.
Councillor McNamee said: “The show of so-called paramilitary strength at a funeral in West Belfast earlier this week produced images that are not part of our future and should never be witnessed on our streets.
“I am amazed that both Nationalist parties have opted to remain quiet on this. Both Sinn Fein and the SDLP talk the talk when it comes to creating a shared future, yet their silence on this issue speaks volumes. It now seems clear they are only interested in using the vision of a shared future when it suits their own objectives.
“With an official PSNI investigation underway the SDLP and Sinn Fein must outline why they have failed to outrightly condemn this incident.
“The Alliance Party does not simply use rhetoric. We believe in a new Northern Ireland for everyone, where people can live in a truly shared society free from intimidation or fear. Scenes like this must be banished to our past and Alliance will never stop in its bid to deliver the society everyone in Northern Ireland deserves.”