:00:00. > :00:00.You can see more on all of today's ceasefires and get a first
:00:00. > :00:20.Hello, and welcome to a specially extended edition of BBC Newsline.
:00:21. > :00:23.The Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has been released without charge,
:00:24. > :00:32.having been questioned for four days in connection with the murder of
:00:33. > :00:35.Jean McConville. A file is to be sent to the Public Prosecution
:00:36. > :00:39.Service who will make a final decision on whether or not charges
:00:40. > :00:42.will be brought against him. There were tensions at Antrim Police
:00:43. > :00:46.Station, as Mr Adams was driven away.
:00:47. > :00:51.Late this afternoon, loyalist protesters gathered outside Antrim
:00:52. > :00:56.Police Station Wadsworth and come through the Sinn Fein leader was
:00:57. > :01:01.being released. Then, the police in a decoy operation, brought vehicles
:01:02. > :01:05.and officers in riot gear acting as a chord in between protesters and
:01:06. > :01:10.the supposed except by the Sinn Fein leader. There was a brief protest
:01:11. > :01:17.but those taking part were oblivious to the fact Mr Adams was being
:01:18. > :01:20.driven out off the back gate. More officers were gathered there. Police
:01:21. > :01:23.at the front then retreated and there was some heckling as
:01:24. > :01:28.protesters realised what had happened.
:01:29. > :01:33.After his release, Gerry Adams made his way to a hotel in West Belfast
:01:34. > :01:35.where, a short time ago, he spoke to reporters. Be aware there's some
:01:36. > :01:39.flash photography. Let me be very clear. I am innocent
:01:40. > :01:46.of any involvement in any conspiracy to abduct, kill or bury Mrs
:01:47. > :01:51.McConville. I have worked hard with others to have this injustice
:01:52. > :01:55.addressed and for the return of the bodies of others killed in the
:01:56. > :02:05.conflict who was secretly buried by the IRA. I will continue to do so.
:02:06. > :02:10.People have carved out a new dispensation, the past needs to be
:02:11. > :02:15.dealt with and Sinn Fein is up for doing this. There can be no going
:02:16. > :02:23.back. There is no possibility of going back. I did not go to Antrim
:02:24. > :02:29.expecting special treatment. But it is crucial everyone is
:02:30. > :02:33.treated fairly. And I seek fair treatment not just for myself or
:02:34. > :02:40.only for myself but because it is crucially important that the signal
:02:41. > :02:45.goes out that everybody knows that these are changed times. Things have
:02:46. > :02:51.changed. That they will be treated fairly and we can all have hope and
:02:52. > :02:56.confidence in the new developing dispensation including the police
:02:57. > :03:04.service. To send any other signal is to encourage the bigots. So, I make
:03:05. > :03:08.the case that those who authorised my arrest and detention could have
:03:09. > :03:16.done it differently. They had discretion. They did not have to use
:03:17. > :03:24.coercive legislation over an issue as serious as this. Which I was
:03:25. > :03:28.voluntarily prepared to deal with. They did not have to do this in the
:03:29. > :03:35.middle of an election campaign. I contacted them two months ago. I
:03:36. > :03:41.want to make it clear I support the PSNI. I will continue to work with
:03:42. > :03:46.others to build a genuine policing service. The old guard which is
:03:47. > :03:56.against change whether in the PSNI leadership, or the far fringes of
:03:57. > :04:03.self-proclaimed pseudo- Republicans, they cannot win. The
:04:04. > :04:09.dark side of the system cannot be allowed to deny any of our people,
:04:10. > :04:14.Catholic, Protestant or dissenter, from our entitlement to a rights
:04:15. > :04:19.-based citizen centred society as set out in the group Friday
:04:20. > :04:23.agreement. I have never disassociated myself from the IRA
:04:24. > :04:29.and I never will. But I am glad that I and others have created a peaceful
:04:30. > :04:36.and democratic way forward for everyone. The IRA has gone. It is
:04:37. > :04:42.finished. So, my resolve and the result of this leadership remains as
:04:43. > :04:47.strong as ever. To build a peace, not to let this put us off, not to
:04:48. > :04:57.let anyone use this as an excuse, not to let anyone, whether on the
:04:58. > :05:01.dark side all within the individuals, not to let any of those
:05:02. > :05:08.stop citizens here having their full rights and entitlements. I'm joined
:05:09. > :05:12.now by our home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney.
:05:13. > :05:18.During that news conference, he gave us some insight into the line of
:05:19. > :05:20.questioning. There were allegations he was
:05:21. > :05:28.involved in the murder of Jean McConville. Gerry Adams gave some
:05:29. > :05:34.detail, he said there had been 33 taped interviews going back to the
:05:35. > :05:40.1960s. He was questioned over the contents of books he had bitten.
:05:41. > :05:46.Over photographs. Some of the contents of an oral history
:05:47. > :05:52.programme, referred to as the Boston takes, some of which were said to
:05:53. > :05:56.have implicated Gerry Adams. Sending a file to the PPS, what exactly does
:05:57. > :06:00.this mean? It means the police did not believe
:06:01. > :06:14.they had sufficient evidence to merit a prosecution. We don't know
:06:15. > :06:19.what the contents of the file would be. Police may recommend a
:06:20. > :06:24.prosecution or no prosecution. Given the huge publicity, it could simply
:06:25. > :06:29.set out the steps they have taken and the bases of questioning. This
:06:30. > :06:34.means the police did not believe there was sufficient evidence to
:06:35. > :06:40.merit a prosecution. Does it mean there is a likelihood of charges? It
:06:41. > :06:46.can never be definitive. The prosecutors were considering the
:06:47. > :06:50.contents of this file. The fact is, if the police believed there was
:06:51. > :06:54.sufficient evidence to merit a prosecution, a real prospect of
:06:55. > :06:58.securing a conviction, they would have charged Gerry Adams rather than
:06:59. > :07:04.release him. Allegations have been around for many years over his
:07:05. > :07:11.involvement in the murder of Jean McConville, and his involvement with
:07:12. > :07:14.the IRA. The police made it clear the decision was taken because
:07:15. > :07:19.detectives believed there was sufficient information to put to
:07:20. > :07:25.him. He was released without charge after four days. It suggests the
:07:26. > :07:31.evidence was not strong enough. Given that information, it is
:07:32. > :07:36.reasonable to assume it is not likely that this has sufficient
:07:37. > :07:39.evidence. What does this mean for the
:07:40. > :07:44.relationship between Sinn Fein and the police?
:07:45. > :07:48.Very bad indeed, this is hugely embarrassing for the police. The
:07:49. > :07:54.decision to arrest Gerry Adams was a high-risk gamble. We heard Martin
:07:55. > :07:59.McGuinness talk about the dark side of policing. This time, there was a
:08:00. > :08:06.threat Sinn Fein might withdraw support for the police. Gerry Adams
:08:07. > :08:20.spoke about the old guard using old method. -- methods. These were
:08:21. > :08:25.strong words, allegations of a cabal. These words cannot be taken
:08:26. > :08:32.back. Clearly, a lot of damage has been done between Sinn Fein and
:08:33. > :08:36.those within the PSNI. Long-term damage which could take time to
:08:37. > :08:39.repair. Earlier tonight, Jean McConville's
:08:40. > :08:44.son, Michael, spoke to our reporter Julian Fowler. He asked him what the
:08:45. > :08:49.family hoped would happen now? We want the police to be able to do
:08:50. > :08:59.their job. Without anybody interfering with police work. The
:09:00. > :09:03.politicians or anyone else. It doesn't matter when this crime
:09:04. > :09:09.happened, a year ago or 40 years ago. It is a murder which shouldn't
:09:10. > :09:17.have taken place. There is no justification for murder. It does
:09:18. > :09:24.not matter what the IRA says. We have proved our mother was not an
:09:25. > :09:33.informant. We want to see the proper people going to a court of law and
:09:34. > :09:39.getting a sentence. Under the Good Friday agreement. But we do think
:09:40. > :09:44.anybody who is involved in this, when they do get brought before the
:09:45. > :09:49.court, it should not be in Northern Highland, but in The Hague, because
:09:50. > :09:58.it is a war crime. This happened in the 1970s and 1980s. Nazis had been
:09:59. > :10:05.chased all around the world for war crimes. From the 1940s. There is no
:10:06. > :10:09.difference in those people and our mother. You said in the past you
:10:10. > :10:14.know the names of those involved but you were not prepared to give them
:10:15. > :10:21.to the police. Has that changed? It hasn't changed in the last few days.
:10:22. > :10:34.In fact, it gets stronger. When you see the likes of the protests. If
:10:35. > :10:40.that is not there for anyone come everyone to see, I don't know what
:10:41. > :10:45.is. Will you not now go to the police? I
:10:46. > :10:52.do not trust Sinn Fein. I will not be taking what they say seriously.
:10:53. > :10:54.Joining me now is North Belfast DUP MP Nigel Dodds. And Alex Maskey from
:10:55. > :11:01.Sinn Fein. Nigel Dodds. Four days, 33 tapes
:11:02. > :11:02.looking back as far as Gerry Adams' childhood. Was this a fishing
:11:03. > :11:08.expedition? No, the rule of law has two run its
:11:09. > :11:16.course. Nobody should be above the law, whether they are a protected --
:11:17. > :11:25.an elected politician or not. We have seen a self pitying victim. The
:11:26. > :11:30.real victims are the McConville family, Jean McConville who was
:11:31. > :11:35.abducted, murdered, tortured, disappeared. The republican movement
:11:36. > :11:39.denied they were involved. The message goes out, no matter who you
:11:40. > :11:44.are, the rule of law should apply equally. The police had a job to
:11:45. > :11:52.do. They have sent a file to the PPS. Barry McCrory has said he would
:11:53. > :11:57.not have anything to do with it. It has to be independent. Let's see
:11:58. > :11:59.what the proper judicial course will be, it should be free from political
:12:00. > :12:11.interference. Are you going to drop those
:12:12. > :12:15.allegations? No we stand by all of the
:12:16. > :12:25.allegations. It is interesting to note that even in the last 48 hours
:12:26. > :12:29.I have been dealing with senior PSNI officers in my own constituency and
:12:30. > :12:33.will do so tomorrow and the day after. We have a legitimate right to
:12:34. > :12:39.make criticisms of them. We believe they are misusing the law or making
:12:40. > :12:45.a botched effort in the last number of days. We have an obligation to
:12:46. > :12:51.level that criticism. But surely you are the ones being
:12:52. > :12:56.political? No, we criticised them because they -- we believe they were
:12:57. > :12:59.wrong for doing that in the manner in which they did it and you heard
:13:00. > :13:05.that from Gerry Adams this evening when he pointed out the nature of
:13:06. > :13:11.the allegations put to him and the level of interviews conducted. I
:13:12. > :13:16.would have to say it sends out a negative signal to the community. We
:13:17. > :13:21.are trying to work with the PSNI to build support within those
:13:22. > :13:26.communities so we made legitimate criticism and we are obligated to do
:13:27. > :13:31.it. Gerry Adams reaffirmed in a determined way we will work with the
:13:32. > :13:35.PSNI to make sure we get a good and supportive police service.
:13:36. > :13:40.He spoke tonight about work still to be done and he would do that and so
:13:41. > :13:48.would Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson. Is it forgiven and
:13:49. > :13:53.forgotten? Well, not to engage in spurious talk about political
:13:54. > :13:57.policing. The political isolation of Sinn Fein in broader nationalism in
:13:58. > :14:01.terms of politicians in the Irish Republic and virtual silence from
:14:02. > :14:06.the US. There is very little support for the allegation of political
:14:07. > :14:11.policing even coming from nationalism. Sinn Fein have been
:14:12. > :14:14.guilty of providing total lack of leadership. They lecture others
:14:15. > :14:21.about giving leadership when it comes to policing, but when it came
:14:22. > :14:24.to people saying let the rule of law taking its course no matter how an
:14:25. > :14:33.mighty people might be, but then they say the dark side of this
:14:34. > :14:40.appears. If they are serious about a cabal and dark forces, let the name
:14:41. > :14:42.them. Because it can only be the persistent -- the police Chief
:14:43. > :14:47.Constable and senior members of the police they are talking about. They
:14:48. > :14:52.are now playing into the hands of dissidents. They have now empowered
:14:53. > :14:55.dissidents who can turn around to Sinn Fein and say, why are you
:14:56. > :15:00.telling us to accept the police if you are saying there is a dark
:15:01. > :15:09.cabal? What is important to do is to
:15:10. > :15:13.recognise what we have. It is very important for people and political
:15:14. > :15:18.representatives to send a signal that, despite these difficulties, we
:15:19. > :15:23.have a collective responsibility to make sure that we get the people out
:15:24. > :15:30.there hope for the future. Let us remember that Sinn Fein is the
:15:31. > :15:36.largest national party here across the North and growing on the basis
:15:37. > :15:41.of policies we have pointed out and we want to work for people out here
:15:42. > :15:44.and this advice to people who need support from all the political
:15:45. > :15:48.parties and the austerity measures people have to endure.
:15:49. > :15:51.Let's get some more of the detail from Gerry Adams news conference
:15:52. > :15:54.now. He was asked earlier for his reaction to Peter Robinson's
:15:55. > :15:57.comments today on members of Sinn Fein using "bully boy tactics" when
:15:58. > :16:06.it came to claims of political policing. Peter Robinson is a
:16:07. > :16:12.partner in government with us and is in a coat equal position with my
:16:13. > :16:16.comrades here, Martin McGuinness. He has work to do with us and we have
:16:17. > :16:25.work to do with him and we will continue to do that. I have said and
:16:26. > :16:31.I wrote those remarks in myself this morning. I said that we are utterly
:16:32. > :16:36.committed to this peace process. There will be difficulties and
:16:37. > :16:41.blockages but there is only one way and that is forward.
:16:42. > :16:45.Our political editor joins us now. In the midst of the election a lot
:16:46. > :16:50.is made of that. Will it damage the party?
:16:51. > :16:54.I don't think so. If anything it could end up being a bit of a
:16:55. > :16:59.positive for Sinn Fein. If there were charges it would be a
:17:00. > :17:03.completely different story. They probably have an extremely safe seat
:17:04. > :17:10.here in terms of the European election but it may have dented
:17:11. > :17:15.things south of the border. Gerry Adams put on a pretty sure-footed
:17:16. > :17:18.performance tonight. Probably more sure-footed than some of his party
:17:19. > :17:22.colleagues over the last few days when they seemed to be quite
:17:23. > :17:28.rattled. They will probably make the most of this. Those who may have
:17:29. > :17:33.been considering voted for them, I doubt many will have been put off.
:17:34. > :17:37.Disagreements between the two parties over this political policing
:17:38. > :17:43.line but where does it leave relations between the two of them?
:17:44. > :17:47.Things were getting hot and heavy. Peter Robinson warned Sinn Fein they
:17:48. > :17:52.had crossed the line and should pull back. The emphasis will now be on
:17:53. > :17:56.pulling back from this and the fact that Gerry Adams has been released
:17:57. > :18:02.without charge, I think Sinn Fein will dampen down some of its
:18:03. > :18:06.criticism. But they have handed a bit of ammunition to their critics
:18:07. > :18:10.amongst the dissidents when they talked about a cabal within the PSNI
:18:11. > :18:15.and they will have to square that now because there will be the likes
:18:16. > :18:19.of Brendan McKenna, for instance, putting out a statement saying if
:18:20. > :18:22.that is so, why have they only discovered it now?
:18:23. > :18:25.And with these allegations, where does that leave confidence in
:18:26. > :18:31.policing? Obviously we have had... Over the
:18:32. > :18:40.last four years Martin McGuinness went out on a limb saying... And we
:18:41. > :18:46.now have a situation where there have been some serious damage done
:18:47. > :18:50.to the relationship between the PSNI and Sinn Fein which will require
:18:51. > :18:55.repair work and that has ramifications for the wider
:18:56. > :19:02.nationalist community. What about London and Dublin? Is this a wake-up
:19:03. > :19:07.call? David Cameron has been involved obviously. He talked to
:19:08. > :19:12.Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson earlier in the week. I think he will
:19:13. > :19:15.feel that maybe he has to keep a closer eye on events here.
:19:16. > :19:18.Thanks very much. We'll get some more reaction in just
:19:19. > :19:23.a moment, but now some of today's other news. The homes of three
:19:24. > :19:27.Polish families have been attacked in East Belfast. The rented houses
:19:28. > :19:31.on Roslyn street were daubed with graffiti saying "locals only" and
:19:32. > :19:41."get out". It follows a spate of racist attacks in the area which the
:19:42. > :19:44.police blame on the UVF. Fire crews have dealt with an overnight blaze
:19:45. > :19:48.at retail premises in County Antrim. A bingo hall in Laharna Retail Park
:19:49. > :19:51.on the Circular Road in Larne was damaged in the blaze which broke out
:19:52. > :19:54.just before four o'clock this morning. At its height, around 50
:19:55. > :20:05.firefighters were at the scene and eight pumping appliances had to be
:20:06. > :20:12.used. Luckily, it didn't reach a particular area and that was largely
:20:13. > :20:15.due to a sustained attack on the fire and preventing it from
:20:16. > :20:25.travelling to the foot -- fabric of the building. Glass was broken in
:20:26. > :20:33.Windows but thankfully the fire didn't spread to other premises.
:20:34. > :20:39.Being a retail Park, premises have adjoining buildings with quite
:20:40. > :20:41.significant -- significant fire loading.
:20:42. > :20:47.Back to our main story and joining me now are Irish News editor Noel
:20:48. > :20:51.Doran and commentator Alex Kane. Was this a miscalculation by the
:20:52. > :20:57.police? The police had to investigate. If there is an
:20:58. > :21:03.allegation of a crime it has to be looked into. The need for the
:21:04. > :21:08.process to take place immediately before an election will be
:21:09. > :21:12.questioned but when press conferences are over and protesters
:21:13. > :21:15.have faded away, we will be left with a largely dysfunctional
:21:16. > :21:21.executive at Stormont and we have to come up with a way of dealing with
:21:22. > :21:25.the past. What do you think about election prospects for seeing --
:21:26. > :21:30.Sinn Fein north and south of the border? In the north, they have a
:21:31. > :21:35.strong electoral machine and they will get their vote out regardless.
:21:36. > :21:44.As has been suggested, this will probably assist that. In the South,
:21:45. > :21:51.Sinn Fein have been surging ahead. But we don't know how solid that
:21:52. > :21:58.support is. It is harder to call there but it will be difficult to
:21:59. > :22:03.see any damage in the North. Alex Kane, do you think they will
:22:04. > :22:06.fare better in the South? I think they will do fairly well across
:22:07. > :22:11.Ireland because there is nothing quite like the emotional appeal of
:22:12. > :22:16.Sinn Fein being able to say, one of our own has been locked up by the
:22:17. > :22:22.Brits. It also takes all the focus of the relationship they have with
:22:23. > :22:25.the DUP and the fact they haven't sorted out welfare or shed
:22:26. > :22:31.education. This is now an issue entirely for them. They couldn't
:22:32. > :22:38.have asked for a better opportunity, from their point of view. But where
:22:39. > :22:42.does it leave Unionists? The wide perception across Unionism was that
:22:43. > :22:48.he would not be charged so they are not surprised. But there is a
:22:49. > :22:57.perception in the grassroot element that they sense it is all part of
:22:58. > :23:01.political policing. Peter Robinson doesn't normally do press releases
:23:02. > :23:05.on a Sunday but he said the perception will be that if Gerry
:23:06. > :23:10.Adams isn't charged that it is because someone has given into Sinn
:23:11. > :23:13.Fein pressure. He said that so there are people on the ground across
:23:14. > :23:18.loyalism in particular who believe that is what happened and that is
:23:19. > :23:23.bad Unionism. What will your editorial say
:23:24. > :23:29.tomorrow? We will suggest it is high time foot our politicians to take a
:23:30. > :23:38.measured approach. We are saying that it was alarming to hear that
:23:39. > :23:41.Sinn Fein support for policing was conditional and Gerry Adams made it
:23:42. > :23:46.clear with some authority that he was endorsing the new policing
:23:47. > :23:51.structures. No sooner than that had been addressed, Peter Robinson
:23:52. > :23:54.talked about bully boy tactics and attempting to blackmail the police.
:23:55. > :24:01.We will also suggest his track record in that regard is far from
:24:02. > :24:10.trouble-free during the flag protests. Alex, it has been a
:24:11. > :24:14.different -- difficult number of months so people could be forgiven
:24:15. > :24:20.for losing faith given how quickly things can disintegrate. You can
:24:21. > :24:24.write a measured editorial and most people would like the parties to
:24:25. > :24:28.work together. The blunt and brutal reality is that they despise each
:24:29. > :24:33.other and there is no other word for it. They share nothing in common,
:24:34. > :24:38.they have no vision or agenda in, and they don't even agree on what
:24:39. > :24:43.you call Northern Ireland. When two parties in government do not want to
:24:44. > :24:47.agree all that is going to happen is increasing numbers of people will
:24:48. > :24:51.give up because they are getting no resolution to the issues of legacy
:24:52. > :24:54.but they are also getting terrible government.
:24:55. > :25:01.Is there something that can be done at this stage? The new centre ground
:25:02. > :25:07.party of liberal Unionism has caused them enormous trouble because this
:25:08. > :25:11.will become one of the most bitter and brutal elections we have had for
:25:12. > :25:16.a number of years. The alliance already is under some problems and
:25:17. > :25:21.they will struggle to get 78% between them.
:25:22. > :25:24.This has certainly brought back the issue of the disappeared and
:25:25. > :25:28.particularly the murder of Jean McConville but no real clarity for
:25:29. > :25:33.the family. No, other than the suggestion they
:25:34. > :25:37.could be some form of civil proceedings taken against Gerry
:25:38. > :25:45.Adams further down the line. You can sense the raw emotion and grief with
:25:46. > :25:53.every interview they do. Of course, in wider terms there is no form of
:25:54. > :25:56.truth commission or Justice Forum agreed by the politicians which is
:25:57. > :26:02.an enormous failing on their part. If anything is to come out of
:26:03. > :26:05.Stormont, surely we can find some structure or process of dealing with
:26:06. > :26:12.a past which will address the pain of families like the McConville 's.
:26:13. > :26:30.There is the risk of a shower persisting tonight. Plenty of cloud
:26:31. > :26:33.cover so a mild night with lows of up to 10 Celsius. Tonight we are in
:26:34. > :26:38.a clear space before the next band of rain and the mass of warm, moist
:26:39. > :26:44.air spreading across Northern Ireland tomorrow. It will be quite a
:26:45. > :26:51.cloudy bank holiday with a deal of rain around. For the marathon it
:26:52. > :26:55.gets underway in Belfast at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. A dry
:26:56. > :27:01.stopped for the runners but by the end of the marathon the rain will be
:27:02. > :27:08.coming down. It works its way from West to East spreading to all parts.
:27:09. > :27:13.It will be a soggy old bank holiday Monday. A bit of a North West and
:27:14. > :27:18.South East split in the weather across the UK and Ireland tomorrow.
:27:19. > :27:22.For Northern Ireland, West Wales and Scotland there will be a good deal
:27:23. > :27:29.of rain around and a much drier picture across England. Decent
:27:30. > :27:33.temperatures in the south-east. We won't see temperatures like that.
:27:34. > :27:39.Still feeling reasonably mild as we go through the day, but certainly a
:27:40. > :27:47.damp squib with that rain. Through the night and into Tuesday, another
:27:48. > :27:53.reasonably mild night. Casting our eye towards next week where it is
:27:54. > :27:59.bikes rather than runners, a breezy picture and we will start to she --
:28:00. > :28:04.sees showery conditions but also some sunshine as well. A brighter
:28:05. > :28:09.field to Tuesday and temperatures nudging up. An unsettled week so
:28:10. > :28:11.rain is never far away. Not the best few days ahead but it picks up
:28:12. > :28:19.towards the middle of the week. Our next BBC Newsline bulletin is at
:28:20. > :28:23.6.25 in the morning. You can also get all the latest reaction to the
:28:24. > :28:26.Gerry Adams story on Good Morning Ulster starting at 6.30. From
:28:27. > :28:28.everyone on the BBC Newsline team, good bye.