30th of January 1972, 14 civil rights activists were shot dead. 38 years later Justice came to Derry

by EAMONN McCANN Mon Jun 27, 2011 18:39

Real Conspiracy in Action
Bloody Sunday, the Ongoing Cover-Up
http://www.counterpunch.org/mccann06152011.html
By EAMONN McCANN

June 15 marks the first anniversary of the publication of the report by Lord Saville into the killing in 1972 of 13 civil rights marchers in Derry by members of the Parachute Regiment. The report acknowledged the innocence of all of the dead and of the 13 wounded. In a speech introducing the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron, just a month in office, accepted that the killings had been "unjustified and unjustifiable" and apologised to the families of the victims.

The unequivocal terms of the apology were greeted with euphoria in Derry. The report, Cameron's speech and reaction to the speech have since been seen as a key stage in a process of "reconciliation" and "healing" in Ireland. But this may not be the whole story, according to Eamonn McCann, chairman of the Bloody Sunday Trust, which coordinated the campaign for the establishment of Saville's inquiry...

by Dunk Sat Jun 26, 2010 14:03

With the announcement from Brian Cowen that an invitation has been issued to Elizabeth Windsor to visit Ireland there is much debate as to whether it is to be supported or protested against.... Elizabeth Windsor's offical name is the Queen of Britain, the head of the British Military imperialist armed forces, who still occupy the north of this island and who are presently occupying and murdering in Iraq, Afghanistan etc.....

Heres a few sides in the argument:

- RTE - Paul Colgan looks at how Queen Elizabeth II might be received if she makes a State visit to Ireland and the protocols for such a visit
http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/player.html?20100...2C209

- RTE Joe Duffy text poll - Should we welcome the Queen to Ireland next year : 9971 votes . 63% YES. :: NO 35%
http://twitter.com/talktojoe1850/status/16943998095

- Joe Duffy show audio - 24 de junio de 2010 14:00
Liveline Podcast - proposed visit to Ireland by the queen of England
http://www.rte.ie/podcasts/2010/pc/pod-v-24061032m20sli...n.mp3

- Cowen neglects collusion victims but welcomes Commander-in-Chief of British Army – Ó Caoláin
http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/18818

“It is totally unacceptable that the Taoiseach is, on the one hand, welcoming and preparing for a visit to Ireland by the Queen of England, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, while on the other hand he refuses to pursue the British Prime Minister and the British government on the issue of collusion.

“While the Saville Report was a welcome ... See Moredevelopment in vindicating the dead of Bloody Sunday it was only the tip of the iceberg of British state killings in Ireland.

“Sinn Féin opposes the proposed state visit of the Queen of England, Commander-in-Chief of the British armed forces. Until there is complete withdrawal of the British military and the British administration from Ireland, and until there is justice and truth for victims of collusion, no official welcome should be accorded to any officer of the British armed forces of any rank.”

Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD

- Sligo Demonstrations Planned Over Queen's Visit
http://sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=9699

The fallout in the northwest continues over the forthcoming visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland and possible visit to Sligo.

Both éirígí and Sinn Fein are totally opposed to such a visit and demonstrations are forecast if the visit proceeds.

Sligo éirígí activist Gerry Casey has said any state visit to Sligo or any other part of Ireland by the Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s armed forces Elizabeth Windsor will be vigorously opposed.

Sinn Fein also are objecting to the visit and the party's Northwest Senator Pearse Doherty has said that the Taoiseach’s welcome for a visit to Ireland by the Queen of England is “totally unacceptable”.

The Donegal-based Senator said, “It is totally unacceptable that the Taoiseach is, on the one hand, welcoming and preparing for a visit to Ireland by the Queen of England, while on the other hand he refuses to pursue the British Prime Minister and the British government on the issue of collusion.

"Sinn Féin opposes the proposed state visit of the Queen of England, Commander-in-Chief of the British armed forces until there is complete withdrawal of the British military and the British administration from Ireland . And until there is justice and truth for victims of collusion, no official welcome should be accorded to any officer of the British armed forces of any rank.”

- No British Withdrawal? – No Royal Visits! - Eirigi republican socialist blog - http://www.eirigi.org/campaigns/ImperialistsoutofIrelan....html

The simple fact is that, were a state visit to go ahead, Elizabeth Windsor would be coming to the Twenty-Six Counties as the head of a British state – including its armed forces – which continues to illegally occupy the Six Counties.

When the Dublin government does invite Windsor, it will no doubt be welcomed by the greatEir and the good in the media, the political establishment and the churches. It will then fall to the people of Ireland themselves to reject both the visit and the political philosophy behind it.

Post includes 3 embedded vids -

- No British Withdrawal? No Royal Visits!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmA6MmrCbCo

- Leeson challenges British Royal visits on RTÉ [1/2]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOV7Zd-zjxo

- Leeson challenges British Royal visits on RTÉ [2/2] (includes brief views from Richard Boyd Barrett)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLG7QbyxTUY

Related...

eirigi - No royal visit leaflet PDF
http://www.eirigi.org/campaigns/ImperialistsoutofIrelan...t.pdf

RTE reports from when charlie visited in '02 - http://www.rte.ie/news/2002/0214/prince.html

Photo Story of Dublin Riots - http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74507

Mr Bean - Headbuts the Queen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7auvfjC8-0

NO ROYAL VISIT

NO ROYAL VISIT - Éirigí protest Ballybough

Caption: Video Id: AmA6MmrCbCo Type: Youtube Video
Éirígí- No British Withdrawal? No Royal Visits!

Caption: Video Id: a7auvfjC8-0 Type: Youtube Video
Mr Bean - Headbuts the Queen

http://www.rte.ie/podcasts/2010/pc/pod-v-24061032m20slivelinequeen.mp3

RTE Joe Duffy - Should we welcome the Queen to Ireland next year

by Tragi-Comic Wed Jun 23, 2010 21:04

Everybody knows that people who qualify as paratroopers have to be half mad.

The real comedy is that people who ordered more murders than the paras are in government in Ulster
tut-tutting about the paras.
.

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Wed Jun 23, 2010 20:12

As when you claim you are upholding neutrality as you sachet the state into a NATO alliance, and collaborate with an illegal invasion of a non-belligerant state, grovelling already after decades of sanctions and semi-recorded bombings, by providing civilian air facilities for military traffic.

or the bertified widgery: Wherewith the practitioner claims that the hundred thousand plus individuals marching to protest such idiocy are reflexively incorporated by the simple device of claiming that these people are, just like you, standing up and supporting peace and further negotiation.

More of that, Mr G.

by Lemuel Wed Jun 23, 2010 17:36

widgery, n.

Eponym

1. (a) The process by which an official inquiry exonerates the miscreant and incriminates the victim of a misdeed (e.g. The inquiry into the bombing of the school was an utter widgery which suggested that the children were armed with Stinger missiles.)
(b) the report emanating from such an inquiry (e.g. Being printed on glossy paper, the widgery was not even suitable for toilet paper.)
(c) the contents of such a report (e.g. This report is a load of old widgery).
(d) the official who presides over such an inquiry (e.g. The widgery was able to retire on a very fine pension for his paiins.)

2. A courageous soldier whose heroic deeds on the battlefield are tarnished by misconduct in civilian life.

v.
1. To prepare, publish or endorse a false report regarding matters of misconduct. (e.g. A series of judicial reviews suggested that a Garda Superintendent investigating complaints to the Ombudsman had widgeried 6 out of 7 cases.)

2. To exacerbate an injustice. (e.g. Having acknowledged that there is not enough evidence to convict the prisoners, President Obama will nevertheless widgery by approving their indefinite detention.)

3. (colloquial) To add insult to injury. (e.g. Having stolen all of the crockery, the intruder widgeried by leaving his calling card in the sink.)

Variant: widgeridoo
Synonyms: (colloquial) whitewash; claptrap.

by Clem Tue Jun 22, 2010 00:10

Atrocities fuel propaganda and are used to 'justify' decades of killing. Puca states that killings of civilians are a by-product of political policies on armed struggle. Incidentally, a southern Irishman of protestant background, Noel Jenkinson, was convicted of involvement in the Aldershot barracks bombing in which seven civilians, mostly cleaners, died. Jenkinson was a member of the Official IRA, also known as the Stickies.

In my book, one atrocity does not justify another.

During the thirty-year conflict members of British forces dirty tricks units planted bombs in a couple of Belfast bars and gleefully waited in the background while members of the UDA and the IRA carried out tit-for-tat street assassinations in various neighborhoods.

by Irish Army Veteran. Mon Jun 21, 2010 21:08

Paratroops are the very last people that anybody sane would send into a civilian protest.
(From whatever army.)

They are the toughest troops on the planet.

Only about one in a hundred wannabee paratroopers gets through the training schedule.
In whatever army.

They are so tough they are virtual Psychopaths.

They are "Shock Troops" trained to parachute into a raging battle and open fire even before they hit the ground.

Not the sort of people to police a civilian protest.

The Provos must grateful to the Paras.

Paratrooper thuggery was a great recruitment seargent for the Provos.

The Provos started their own murders of innocent people.

The Provos murdered more innocent Irish people than the Paras.

by puca Mon Jun 21, 2010 19:05

Damien M wrote
"Civilians were not the target of the Aldershot bombing, what happened was indeed terrible tragic. What do/did you expect people to do to soldiers after Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy etc?"

Start planting bombs and you will kill civilians. It is an inevitable outcome. Those who plant them assume as much and are prepared to kill civilians because they feel its worth it. The very same logic applies to drone strikes in Afghanistan and to imperial bombing from the air.

by Sceptic - None whatsoever Mon Jun 21, 2010 01:00

You Can Never Improve on The Truth .

A Liar Needs A Good Memory , thats why the truth took so long ( & £200 Million ) 'to
Investigate ' ; Those unfortunate victims of the trigger happy invaders who were 'dressed to
kill' and egged on by ze politicians - in - power so as to 'show the world' who was who .
May the Victims Rest in Eternal Peace , May their Loved ones go forward now & find it in
their broken hearts to see the 'the games people play' whilst in power.

by Séamus Sun Jun 20, 2010 18:34

Don't know why Derry people need the apology of a London Prime Minister to cheer.

They didn't cheer the apology, they cheered the fact that after 38 years of campaigning they had finally got the British government to admit publicly that the 14 people killed were innocent.

by Dunk Sun Jun 20, 2010 18:20

The Bloody Sunday Trust, Mission Statement:

"The advancement of the education of the general public to raise greater awareness and understanding of their heritage and to compile archival materials publicly accessible in the advancement of human and civil rights, tolerance and diversity throughout the island of Ireland and internationally."

Bloody Sunday, SET THE TRUTH FREE, Media pack...

The Bloody Sunday Media Pack which has been prepared for Tuesday 15 June 2010 and the findings of the Saville Inquiry. The pack can be downloaded as a word document or as a PDF:

(website) http://www.bloodysundaytrust.org/
(PDF version) http://www.bloodysundaytrust.org/bsi/BSI-media-pack-pdf.pdf
(word version) http://www.bloodysundaytrust.org/bsi/BSI-media-pack-wor...d.doc

Bloody Sunday

Information that both IRAs had promised to stay away encouraged confidence that the day would prove peaceful. The march included many family groups.

During the 20 minutes of concentrated British fire, the OIRA fired three ineffectual shots in response. (OIRA: Official IRA, one of the two republican organisations active at the time, the other being the Provisional IRA or PIRA.) The British Army labelled the victims gunmen and bombers; they claimed their soldiers had met a ‘fusillade of fire’. No soldier or vehicle was hit. Derry Coroner Hubert O’Neill later declared the killings ‘sheer, unadulterated murder’. The hundreds of civilian eyewitnesses agreed.

Set The Truth Free

It is the families’ belief that all the evidence presented to the Saville Inquiry leads to one simple conclusion: all those killed or wounded on Bloody Sunday are totally innocent. They also insist that those responsible for the killing and maiming of 28 people should be held to account for their actions.

‘Set The Truth Free’ was the slogan for the 2010 commemoration, and then became the title for the family-led campaign to try to force the British Government to publish the report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry as soon as possible and without any political interference.

A comprehensive report with interviews was made for RTE's Primetime the night of the Saville report, in which Martin McGuinness correctly stated the following:

"I think it is a mistake to say that the British army have a long and noble tradition on the island of Ireland, they certainly do not!"

Martin McGuinness on Primetime - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwPNJD8QtJM

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin in an interview with Miriam O'Callaghan of RTE's Primetime following the publication of the Saville Inquiry Report in to Bloody Sunday.

http://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/

RTE Primetime - 15 June 2010

Viewable at http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0615/primetime.html

* History made with publication of Saville Report
* Paul Murphy looks back at the events of 30 January 1972 when British paratroopers opened fired on a civil rights march
* Owen Paterson, Northern Ireland Secretary, says the Saville Inquiry is an 'extraordinarily detailed document'
* Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister, says the allegation that he was carrying a sub-machine gun on Bloody Sunday was 'ludicrous'
* Mike Mansfield, QC, says it was the families and not the system that initiated this process
* Martin McGuinness says he is very conscious that unionists and loyalists who have lost loved ones will have looked on with hurt today

Ballymurphy and Springhill Families deserve Truth - Gerry Adams, June 17, 2010

Sinn Féin west Belfast MP Gerry Adams this morning hosted a press conference to highlight the demand for truth and justice by the families of those killed in Ballymurphy and Springhill almost 40 years ago.

“On Tuesday the Bloody Sunday families finally achieved truth for themselves and their loved ones.
The British Prime Minister in apologising for the actions of the Paras stated that “Bloody Sunday is not the defining story of the service the British Army gave in Northern Ireland from 1969-2007.”
That is wrong.

Bloody Sunday is the defining story of the British Army in Ireland.

The British Army, British Military Intelligence, and a variety of British intelligence agencies, like the Military Reaction Force and the Force Reconnaissance Unit, along with the UDR and RUC, were directly responsible for 400 deaths in disputed circumstances.

Through collusion and sectarian murders they were responsible for hundreds more.

The Ballymurphy and the Springhill Massacres are examples of this and in these cases, as in so many others, the families still do not have truth.

The Ballymurphy Massacre (half year before Bloody Sunday)

On Monday 9th of August 1971 Interment without Trial was introduced by the British Government in the North of Ireland. This policy was implemented by the British Army at 4am on that particular summer morning. The British Army directed the campaign against the predominately Catholic community with the stated aim to "shock and stun the civilian population".

Between 9th and 11th of August 1971, over 1000 British soldiers entered the Ballymurphy area of West Belfast, raiding homes and rounding up men. Many, both young and old, were shot and beaten as they were dragged from their homes without reason. During this 3 day period 11 people were brutally murdered.

All 11 unarmed civilians were murdered by the British Army's Parachute Regiment. One of the victims was a well known parish priest and another was a 45 year old mother of eight children. No investigations were carried out and no member of the British Army was held to account.

It is believed that some of the soldiers involved in Ballymurphy went on to Derry some months later where similar events occurred. Had those involved in Ballymurphy been held to account, the events of Bloody Sunday may not have happened.

Six civilians were shot on 9 August, these were:

* Francis Quinn (19), shot by a sniper (who had taken position at the nearby army base) while going to the aid of a wounded man.
* Hugh Mullan (38), a Catholic priest, shot by a sniper while going to the aid of a wounded man.
* Joan Connolly (50), shot as she stood opposite the army base.
* Daniel Teggart (44), shot as he stood opposite the army base.
* Noel Phillips (20), shot as he stood opposite the army base.
* Joseph Murphy (41), shot as he stood opposite the army base.

One civilian was shot on 10 August, and another four were shot on 11 August, these were:

* Edward Doherty (28), shot while walking along Whiterock Road.
* John Laverty (20)and Joseph Corr (43) were shot at separate points at the Top of the Whiterock Road. John was shot twice once in the back and once in the back of the leg. Mr Corr was shot multiple times and died of his injuries on the 27th of August.
* John McKerr (49), shot while standing outside the Roman Catholic Church, died of his injuries on 20 August.

* Paddy McCarthy (44) got into a confrontation with a group of soldiers. One of them allegedly put an empty gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. As a result, McCarthy suffered a heart-attack and died shortly thereafter.

The families of the victims continue to seek acknowledgment from the British government that those killed were innocent of any wrongdoing.

In Sinn Féin's paper An Phoblacht in 6 May, 1999 Adams made a similar call for an inquiry into The Springhill massacre
http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/32335

The Springhill massacre - Adams demands an inquiry

On a summer's day, similar to the Sunday 27 years ago on July 9 when British snippers opened fire without warning from Corry's timber yard and murdered five local people, including children and a priest, the Sinn Féin President and local West Belfast MP, Gerry Adams demanded a ``full independent public inquiry'' into the killings.

Adams added that such an inquiry ``would open up the can of worms that is British collusion''.

web links

Ballymurphy Massacre
Ballymurphy - The Forgotten Massacre http://www.inc.ie/newsprev3.html
website - http://ballymurphymassacre.com/
wiki entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballymurphy_Massacre
BALLYMURPHY MASSACRE, video on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlZ8TW_z_1o

Springhill Massacre
http://www.relativesforjustice.com/springhill-massacre-...2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springhill_Massacre

Set the truth free - Bloody Sunday Trust

Bloody Sunday Trust - TRUTH JUSTICE RECONCILIATION HEALING

museum of free derry

Ballymurphy - The Forgotten Massacre

Paddy McCarthy, the Ballymurphy Tenants Associations first youth worker. Gun in his mouth caused death by heart attack

Caption: Video Id: cwPNJD8QtJM Type: Youtube Video
McGuinness: I think it is a mistake to say that the British army have a long and noble tradition on the island of Ireland, they certainly do not!

Caption: Video Id: QlZ8TW_z_1o Type: Youtube Video
Ballymurphy - The Forgotten Massacre

by Deep South. Sat Jun 19, 2010 13:33

"Glad to see the people of the north have at last found some solace in the publication of the long awaited report on Bloody Sunday ."

Everybody in Cork always regarded it as a massacre.

Don't know why Derry people need the apology of a London Prime Minister to cheer.

Still an echo of needing approval from the Brit masters perhaps?

A bit like all the ads on RTE Radio 1 for Irish firms...........spoken with with English accents.
.

by Sceptic - None whatsoever Sat Jun 19, 2010 00:47

Never ceases to amaze me how the so called British Social Welfare System is collected in the North of Ireland ,.
Given all that has happened during 'the troubles' the people still class themselves as 'somewhat british' no matter what
they say , catholics as well as other religious people avail of the social welfare system to survive , The North is full of
contradictory systems which further add to the peoples life-style of confusion .

Glad to see the people of the north have at last found some solace in the publication of the long awaited report on Bloody Sunday .

by republican. Fri Jun 18, 2010 21:50

this is not justice,justice would be an end to british rule.
an apology from britain means fuck all as usual. there are still 5000 british troops in ireland.

by Dunk Fri Jun 18, 2010 15:37

Interesting to see these 2 very strong responses from ex-Beatles, John and Paul, after Bloody Sunday.

John & Yoko - Sunday Bloody Sunday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLZhNs7M1oE
lyrics - http://www.metrolyrics.com/sunday-bloody-sunday-lyrics-....html

A very succinct and powerful track from Lennon's 'Sometime In New York City' album from 1972
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Some_Time_in_New_York_City

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Well, it was sunday, bloody sunday when the shot the people there.
The cries of thirteen martyrs filled the free derry air.
Is there anyone amongst you dare to blame it on the kids?
Not a soldier boy was bleeding when they nailed the coffin lids!

Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.

Well, you claim to be majority, well, you know that it's a lie.
You're really a minority on this sweet emerald isle.
When stormont bans our marches, they've got a lot to learn,
Internment is no answer, it's those mothers' turn to burn.

Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.

Hey! yeah!
Yeah!

Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.

All you anglo pigs and scotties sent to colonise the north,
You wave your bloody union jacks and you know what it's worth.
How dare you hold to ransom a people proud and free?
Keep ireland to the irish, put the english back to sea!

Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.

Hey, hey, hey!
Alright!
Ooh -
Yeah!

Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.

Well, it's always bloody sunday in the concentration camps.
Keep falls road free forever from the bloody british hands.
Repatriate to britain all of you who call it home,
Leave ireland to the irish not for london or for rome.

Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.
Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.
Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.
Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.
Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.
Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.

Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.
Sunday, bloody sunday, bloody sunday's the day.
Sunday, bloody sunday.

Paul McCartney & Wings - Give Ireland back to the Irish

Rare footage from early 1972 Wings rehearsal of "Give Ireland Back To The Irish" - this song was banned in the UK

rare demo vid - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZcxnHDEmDw
improved version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaO4XeHhwo8

Give Ireland back to the Irish

Give ireland back to the irish
Dont make them have to take it away
Give ireland back to the irish
Make ireland irish today
Great britian you are tremendous
And nobody knows like me
But really what are you doin
In the land across the sea

Tell me how would you like it
If on your way to work
You were stopped by irish soliders
Would you lie down do nothing
Would you give in, or go berserk

Give ireland back to the irish
Dont make them have to take it away
Give ireland back to the irish
Make ireland irish today

Great britian and all the people
Say that all people must be free
Meanwhile back in ireland
Theres a man who looks like me

And he dreams of God and country
And hes feeling really bad
And hes sitting in a prison
Should he lie down do nothing
Should give in or go mad

Give ireland back to the irish
Dont make them have to take it away
Give ireland back to the irish
Make ireland irish today

Give ireland back to the irish
Dont make them have to take it away
Give ireland back to the irish
Make ireland irish today

Related:

John Lennon- "Luck of the Irish"
Post Beatles, John comments on Irish politics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVp7lkH10Gc

related vid - The US vs John Lennon
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=241324322058939...1784#

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_U.S._vs._John_Lennon

John Lennon's transformation from a member of The Beatles to a rallying anti-war activist striving for world peace during the late 1960s and early 1970s

Caption: Video Id: cLZhNs7M1oE Type: Youtube Video
John & Yoko - Sunday Bloody Sunday

Caption: Video Id: fZcxnHDEmDw Type: Youtube Video
Paul McCartney & Wings - Give Ireland back to the Irish (song was banned in the UK)

by Damien M Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:59

Jim
Civilians were not the target of the Aldershot bombing, what happened was indeed terrible tragic. What do/did you expect people to do to soldiers after Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy etc?

by jim Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:20

Immediately following Bloody Sunday, a former Para named David Seaman who had appeared at a press conference in Dublin the previous October alongside republicans claiming to have knowledge of British intelligence operations in the South, was murdered and his body dumped in Armagh.
19 year old Thomas McCann,serving in the British Army and home on leave was abducted and murdered and his body dumped on the Monaghen-Fermanagh border.
200lbs of explosives packed in a stolen car was detonated at Parachute Regiment HQ at Aldershot in Hampshire on 22 February 1972. 5 cleaning ladies, a gardner and an amry padre were murdered.

Is anyone going pay for these evil crimes?

by Diarmuid Breatnach - personal capacity Fri Jun 18, 2010 02:26

It is a great victory for the Derry relatives, one which was almost unthinkable they would succeed in. But it was not justice. 5 Paratroopers and their Colonel have been offered up. The British Army general command are not in the dock, nor the politicians, nor the capitalists who make the real policy decisions -- those who take the decisions to invade, to suppress and to target civilians. Even with regard to this particular event, those who covered this whole thing up in the army and outside, the disgraceful press coverage at the time -- none of those are in the dock, And among the various theories he considered, Saville appears to have never considered one important theory -- that the whole point of killing civilians was to lure the IRA out into combat with the Paras.

by Jacqueline Fallon Fri Jun 18, 2010 00:47

The families of the 14 dead peaceful civil rights marchers are truly heroic, they have fought a long and hard peaceful campaign for 38 years for justice for their loved ones murdered by the British State, and they never gave up - I admire them greatly.

For 38 years, the British Government and its army (whose soldiers to this day continue to make excuses and have not apologised), have attempted to put an appalling slur on the characters of the 14 dead Civil Rights marchers they gunned down, and fabricated events to save themselves from facing up to the murderous truth. In fact, on the 'Spotlight' tv programme on the very day the Saville Report came out, one former British Commander said: "the British Army had a proud record in ‘Northern Ireland’ after Bloody Sunday."

The fact that the families of the Bloody Sunday victims had to wait 38 years for the British Government to finally admit the truth is a crime in itself. The fact that in recent times, the families had to listen to British politicians and Unionists whinge about the cost, when the British Government and the Unionists could have saved a lot of time and expense if the British Government and its army admitted the murderous truth of what they had done in 1972 and apologised back then. It is appalling that it took 38 years to get a mere apology from the British Government for the gunning down of peaceful Irish civil rights marchers - this is not good enough! There must be prosecutions and punishment of the British soldiers, and only then will justice win out.

The British Government has not been punished, it merely admits now (38 years too late) to the murderous truth, and it needs to pay for its crimes and its soldiers need to be prosecuted. A mere apology does not equate to justice, if that were the case we could all go out and gun down 14 innocent people walking along the street and then wait 38 years (when it is more difficult to prosecute) to then issue a mere apology and never have to worry about any form of punishment.

A mere apology, after 38 years of lies and cover-ups and dastardly attempts to tarnish the reputations of the 14 dead innocent civil rights marchers, and causing untold anguish and hurt and grief to their families left behind - is not justice.

by Calib Thu Jun 17, 2010 21:27

“ Firstly, he can take his troops out of this country"
Yeah and what’s the likelihood of that happening when we have our own home grown armed morons running round the streets pretending their power struggle and lining their own pockets is about protecting their own communities.
The sooner the dissidents disarm and disband then we can get rid of the Brits and can continue bringing about a United Ireland through peaceful means. The simple truth is that while we have terrorists running round getting their jollies the Brits will remain in the North to back up the cops.

by jim Thu Jun 17, 2010 17:19

The first shooting incident of the day happened when a group of British soldiers in an OP inside a derelict building came under attack with stones from a large group of youths on William Street.

Privates A and B opened fire wounding a teenage boy in the thigh on nearby wasteground who had stooped to pick up a spent baton round. The burst of bullets fired also wounded a middle aged man on his way to Glenfada Park who was not in any way involved in either the Civil Rights march or the rioting by mostly young men and teenage boys on William Street in front of barricade 14.

An IRA sniper armed with a high velocity rifle opened fire on members of the Parachute Regiment who cutting wire on top of a wall so that their Company could climb the wall using ladders and deploy into the Rossville area to scoop up rioters.

The sniper was tackled by demonstrators who feared the Army would open fire on the crowds especially as women and children were present. He fled and threw the rifle in boot of a car and sped off.

Lt. Col Wilford, the CO of 1 Para Battatlion instructed Major Ted Loden to abandon the plan to cross over the wall and instead Loden's Support Company would ride into Rossville Street in a column of armoured vehicles.

The British Army plan supervised by Major-General Ford CO of Land Forces and his subordinate Brigadier MacLellan was to catch the rioters on William Street in a pincer movement between C Company moving down William Street and Support Company moving down Rossville Street where they would scoop up rioters and keep the separate from the main body of civil rights demonstrators who had turned Rossville St toward Free Derry Corner.

Wilford urged immediate action as he feared rioters were fleeing down Rossville St.

After a few minutes Wilford got the go ahead to proceed down Rossville St with Support Company.

Mortar Platoon under Lieutenant N and Sergeant O with their men in two separate armoured personnel carriers at the head of the column deployed their men in Rossville Carpark and Eden Place.

Anti-Tank Platoon deployed on the right side of Rossville Street took up position at Kells Walk behind a low wall of a pram ramp.

The soldiers fired tear gas and baton rounds and pursued both intermingled rioters and peaceful demonstrators and made arrests.

Lt N fired several shots over the heads of fleeing demonstrators after a number of them tried to prevent an arrest.

This is believed to have caused a chain reaction especially as a number of troops in Rossville carpark were attacked with acid bombs dropped from the flats above.

Jackie Duddy was shot dead and several others wounded in the carpark by soldiers the Saville Report deemed acted out of panic and fear believing them were under threat of gun or bomb attack.

Across Rossville street members of Anti-Tank Platoon under Lieutenant 119 opened up on more than 100 youths and men taunting them behind a rubble barricade thrown across the street.

Several more men fell dead and wounded and crowds scattered into Rossville Flats and Glenfada Park.

A young man running away from the barricade along the front of Rossville Flats toward the corner of Block 1 was hit by a shot fired by a member of Mortar Platoon and fell feet away from the phonebox where several men women and children were taking cover.

The Saville Report concluded the men of Anti-Tank Platoon had no justification for shooting any of these men.

Lance Corporal F and his men, Corporal E and Soldiers G and H ran into Glenfada Park and opened up with their rifles killing and wounded more unarmed civilians among them was one man shot in the back at point blank range as he lay wounded on the ground by either G or H. G opened fire and killed two men with one bullet. One of two victims had his hands in the air and was pleading "Don't shoot!"

Lance Corporal also aimed and fired at a group of men crawling away from Block 1 of Rossville Flat. F is believed to have wounded three men, one fatally at this point. A fourth man emerged waving a hankerchief to go to the aid of and F shot him in the head.

These were the last shots fired that day which left 13 dead and 13 wounded.

The middle aged man wounded earlier on William Street died months later and the Saville Report can find no connection between his wounds on Bloody Sunday and his death.

by Brian Thomas Wed Jun 16, 2010 22:23

Here is an interesting article I am after having e mailed to me. Makes a comparison between Bloody Sunday and the Gaza aid ship killings by Israel

[quote] June 15, 2010 was a day of vindication for the families of those civil rights marchers murdered by the British army's Parachute Regiment in Derry on Bloody Sunday in January 1972.

The publication of the Saville Report confirmed, more than 38 years after that massacre, what the people of Derry, the people of Ireland and indeed the vast majority of the people around the world already knew – that these victims were completely innocent and that the British army had spent the past four decades lying and trying to cover up the truth of that massacre.

Unable to hide the truth any longer, British Prime Minister David Cameron, was forced into acknowledging the innocence of the victims and that the murders were completely unjustifiable. He was also forced into apologising for the massacre.

The report found that:

No warning was issued to the thousands taking part in that day’s civil rights march when the British army opened fired on it in 1972.

The British army did not open fire in response to petrol bombers, stone throwers or gun attacks.

Many of the dead and injured were shot while attempting to aid the wounded and dying.

None of the casualties posed a threat or done anything that would “justify” their being shot.

The British army lied about its actions on January 30 1972.

Following publication of the report, éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey praised the resiliance of the victims families.

“It has been their determination” Casey said “that has led, 38 years after the massacre, to a British Prime Minister being forced to apologise and admit to a British Parliament that British troops engaged in the mass murder of innocent Irish civilians on the streets of Derry."

“Despite the massive obstacles they faced over the decades, the families never gave up and insisted on ensuring that those victims of British state terror were exonerated and that the truth of that massacre be finally acknowledged publicly by, not just the army that carried it out, but also by their political masters.”

“This report is a damning indictment of the British army murder machine and its utter contempt for the lives of northern nationalist civilians and for truth and justice. For, contrary to the suggestion that this was somehow an “aberration” and that the British army had a “noble and honourable tradition” in Ireland, the reality is the complete opposite.”

He added: “The British army record in our country is a shameful and bloody one. It is one of intense repression, torture and murder against republicans and nationalists. They have been responsible for many similar type atrocities both before and after Bloody Sunday here in Ireland and in other countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan which they continue to occupy.”

“Indeed, only months before Bloody Sunday, in August 1971 the British army murdered 11 civilians, including a priest, in what is now known as the Ballymurphy massacre. Less than five months after Bloody Sunday, the British army once again carried out a massacre of 5 civilians in Springhill in West Belfast. Amonst those gunned down in cold blood were a priest and two children. Many more were injured.”

“In circumstances similar to what happened on Bloody Sunday, a number of those murdered in Springhill were shot as they attempted to assist others who were injured. To suggest that Bloody Sunday was an aberration or a rogue operation is to ignore the reality of British rule in Ireland and indeed elsewhere around the world”.

He concluded: "Bloody Sunday also has striking similarities with Israel's recent massacre of civilians on the Gaza aid flotilla. In both instances the military murdered unarmed civilians who posed no threat to them. In both instances, those murdered were engaged in campaigning for civil and human rights. In both instances the killers lied through their teeth, tried to cover up their crimes and attempted to blacken the names of those killed by making false accusations aginst them. In both instances the world has seen through their lies."

éirígí general secretary Breandán Mac Cionnaith echoed those sentiments.

He said: “Today is, first and foremost, a victory for the families of the 14 dead. Their steadfastness and determination in demanding that Britain face up to what it did to their families on Bloody Sunday has been an inspiration to everyone in Ireland who cares about truth and justice. Even during the darkest days of the last 38 years, they never gave up, never stopped believing that they and the people of Derry were worthy of justice.”

“Today, for the first time ever, a British prime minister was forced to stand in his own parliament and apologise for a crime his government committed in Ireland. The people of Derry and the families of the dead should be deeply proud that they have brought this about. éirígí salutes their courage and integrity.”

Mac Cionnaith continued: “If David Cameron is truly sorry about what happened on Bloody Sunday he can do a few things to right the wrongs. Firstly, he can take his troops out of this country and Afghanistan, ensuring that never again will British soldiers run amok in cities and towns where they are not welcome.”

“Secondly, he can remove the whole apparatus of the occupation from Ireland and recognise the Irish people’s right to unity and self-determination. He can do likewise in Afghanistan.”

“Finally, he can declare Britain’s resolve to never again interfere in the internal affairs of another country and drown democratic movements in blood.”

“When David Cameron does these things, we will know he and his government are sincere about righting the wrongs of the past.” [/quote]

by dunk Wed Jun 16, 2010 18:21

The Guardian have a very interesting section on their website, especially devoted to BLOODY SUNDAY, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/bloodysunday from which here are 2 pieces, 1 is the lower story on Todays front page of the paper, the 2nd is "how the Guardian reported the shootings" and contains full size JPGs of copies of the papers from the day, which you can click and read...

- Amid the tears and cheers, a full stop to Britain's colonial experience in Northern Ireland
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/15/derry-bloody-s...eland

Simon Winchester was the Guardian's reporter in Derry on Bloody Sunday. Today, he returned to the city to see its victims vindicated at last

-Bloody Sunday: how the Guardian reported the shootings
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/14/bloody-sunday-...chive

which includes:

- Thirty injured as Dublin police charge fire mob ( Burning of the British embassy in Dublin, Feb 2 1972)
http://archive.guardian.co.uk/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=R1V...ustom

Bloody Sunday victims - Kevin McElhinney, Gerald Donaghy, John Duddy, Bernard McGuigan, Michael McDaid, William Nash, James Wray, Michael Kelly, John Johnston, John Young, William McKinney, Gerard McKinney, Hugh Gilmore, Patrick Doherty

Thirty injured as Dublin police charge fire mob ( Burning of the British embassy in Dublin, Feb 2 1972) Guardian archive