Full Breakdown
John Finucane Calls for Apology After Tory MP Labels Lawyers “IRA Lawyers”
By Drooid · · How we work
Open Letter and Demand for Apology
Sinn Féin MP John Finucane wrote an open letter to Conservative MP Sir David Davis demanding a public apology for remarks made during a Westminster debate on the Legacy Bill. In the letter, Finucane recalled that he was eight years old when his father, human-rights solicitor Pat Finucane, was shot dead in front of him. He urged Davis to apologise to his family, to the family of murdered solicitor Rosemary Nelson, and to the lawyers who continue to challenge the British state.
Background: Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson, and Past Remarks
Rosemary Nelson, who represented the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition, was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries in 1999.
Official Statements & Responses
Finucane described Davis’s language as “contemptible” and asked whether English solicitors receive more protection than Irish lawyers who challenge the state. Davis defended his comments as a critique of a perceived bias, insisting he is not “living in 1989” and that a new Ireland should be built on equality and justice. Secretary of State Chris Bryant intervened, emphasizing that the legal profession must be protected and that the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” is fundamental to the system.
Verbatim Quote
“I was eight years old. I watched my father being shot dead in front of me, in our family home.” — Pat Finucane, human rights lawyer — Pat Finucane, human rights lawyer
