Angry police shun De Blasio at slain officer's funeral

Police officers turn their backs to a screen showing Bill de Blasio but salute the hearse carrying fallen colleague Rafael Ramos, below left. Pictures / AP

Police officers showed their contempt for New York's Mayor yesterday, turning their backs as he addressed a funeral for a fallen colleague.

Rafael Ramos was shot dead alongside his partner Wenjian Liu last weekend amid nationwide protests accusing police of racism and using excessive force against black people. Liu's funeral will be held in the coming days.

Officers have accused Bill de Blasio, the city Mayor, of having blood on his hands for failing to give his full backing to officers while demonstrators raged at the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died in a police choke hold.

While he received polite applause inside the church, hundreds of officers outside turned their backs to screens showing the service.

"New York city has lost a hero - a remarkable man for the depth of his commitment to all around him," he said, extending his condolences to the family of Ramos.

In contrast, Joe Biden, the US Vice-President, won warm applause when he praised the dedication of officers such as Ramos and acknowledged the divisions in society.

"I believe that this great police force in this incredibly diverse city can and will show the nation how to bridge any divide," he said.

Just before the shooting, the gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, posted online comments threatening police, and promising revenge for Garner and Michael Brown, shot dead by police in Missouri.

Three hours before the funeral started, mourners stretched for more than six blocks, many in their blue police uniforms. They travelled from across the US and Canada, helped by an offer from an airline to fly two officers for free from each local police department.

An estimated 25,000 people assembled for the funeral, one of the largest for an officer killed in the line of duty in the city.

Officers have been on high alert for the past week, wary of copycat attacks.