Rich Neal: “For the better part of two decades I have been immersed in the details of what life is like in Northern Ireland…”

“For the better part of two decades I have been immersed in the details of what life is like in Northern Ireland, particularly for the nationalist community, and we are reminded today that this conflict represents the longest standing political dispute in the history of the Western world. Once again, on occasions like this we are also reminded that it is the United States that lights the way for hope in terms of man and womankind. It is the United States, and its ability to shed light on inequities and injustices in other parts of the globe, that calls attention to events like the murder of Rosemary Nelson. I had the opportunity to meet Rosemary Nelson, and I can say that in an unbridled manner she was the champion of the rights of the nationalist community to stand in front of a court system that they do not always trust, but nonetheless to be treated in a manner that was fair and equitable. The killing of Rosemary Nelson reinforces my belief and the belief of millions of Americans that the criminal justice system in the north of Ireland, including policing, is in need of dramatic change and indeed reform and perhaps even abolition.”