Belfast Pride and the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association today described as “a scandal” the decision of the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) not to recommend a Police Service of Northern Ireland investigation into homophobic comments made by the Member of Parliament for Strangford.

Chair of Belfast Pride, Andy Thompson, said: “We are outraged and offended, though not surprised, that the PPS has decided not to recommend an investigation into the odious comments made by the First Minister’s wife.

“In any other part of the United Kingdom, or had Mrs Peter Robinson made comparable assertions about any other minority group, we strongly feel that there would have been at least a thorough investigation, if not a case for her to answer.

“The face, as far as we are aware, that the PSNI hasn’t even interviewed the First Minister’s wife suggests something far from a serious investigation.

“At very least this decision poses very poignant questions about the viability of devolving policing and justice to Stormont. We cannot at this time say that we have any confident in a competent or independent PPS in Northern Ireland.”

Secretary of NIGRA, Michael Campbell stressed the dangerous precedent set by the decision made by the PPS: “Given that her comments are widely held to have been homophobic, and given that a young man was severely beaten in a homophobic attack at Ballyduff less than a week after her initial outburst, we are deeply concerned that the PPS has effectively given a licence to people to assert homophobic views at will—views that can, and do, place people at risk of bullying, victimisation and, in many cases, violence.”

Belfast Pride is Northern Ireland’s celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans community, their friends and family. The week long festival takes place annually launching on the last Saturday of July, and culminating on Pride Day, on the first Saturday of August.

Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association (NIGRA) is the pre-eminent human rights and campaigning group, committed to defending the rights of the broad LGBT community.