McCord seeks U.S. justice for son

“The police protected the killers -- that’s the collusion issue -- after my son’s murder, and people don’t realize that here in America,” explained McCord. 

Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland Nuala O’Loan, after a vigorous campaign for truth by McCord, carried out a thee-and-a-half year investigation into Raymond’s murder and other cases of collusion in the North. The final report concluded that over a number of years British police colluded with loyalists in over a dozen murders in north Belfast.

“Young Raymond was buried in a closed coffin. I never seen his body, he was so badly beaten,” recalls McCord painfully.

“He had no face left. I got them to open the coffin very slightly so I could hold his hand and I saw marks on his hands where he had been fighting for his life. I held his hand and I swore that I would get justice for him and I wasn’t going to stop.”

And stop he hasn’t. Since O’Loan’s report, McCord Senior has been demanding a full public inquiry into the collusion.

McCord’s anger at politicians back in Northern Ireland has brought him on his U.S. quest. While door after door was being slammed in face for years, he now thinks justice may be found in the U.S.

“No one cares in Ireland. Even the current Secretary of State Sean Woodward has refused to meet me,” he said.

Woodward, according to McCord, told Father Sean McManus of the Irish National Caucus on his visit to Washington on St. Patrick’s Day that he would meet McCord if he thought it would be productive.

“He was prejudging. It’s typical of the answers from British politicians,” said McCord. “All I’m looking for is equality in relation to my son’s case.”

McCord is being accompanied around Congress by McManus this week.

McCord initially reached out to McManus for support two years ago while on a similar lobbying visit to Washington. They had a second meeting in Fermanagh last year while McManus was visiting his home place.

“Since the O’Loan report came out about my son’s murder it was far too busy here in America with the elections taking place for me to come over. It did take me two years to get here but I’m here and it’s all good,” said McCord.

“One thing that amuses the politicians on Capitol Hill is to see a Protestant and a Unionist walking around Capitol Hill with a Roman Catholic priest from back home,” laughs McCord.

 “I think politicians in Washington are just baffled because of all the stories they have heard over the years about the Protestant vs. Catholic thing, and now they are seeing first hand that it isn’t the case anymore,” added McCord.

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Nster.com