A defining moment in troubled past

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, undoubtedly one of the defining dark moments in our troubled past.

The events of that day are so shocking, as to be almost unimaginable. Thirteen innocent people brutally killed on the streets in broad daylight when paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights march. A fourteenth victim would succumb to his injuries several months later.

As Derry and the rest of the North plunged headlong into the chaos of violence and sickening atrocities, the families of Bloody Sunday were repeatedly denied justice as the British State attempted to cover up the truth of what happened. The actions of the Parachute Regiment would be exposed at the Saville Inquiry, which found that none of the casualties were posing a threat. They were innocent and the then Prime Minister David Cameron apologised in the House of Commons saying the killings were “unjustified and unjustifiable.”

But this was a long time in coming…

Widely regarded as the biggest catalyst for the deadliest period in the Troubles, Bloody Sunday has also shone a light on the persistence of the victims’ families, who could have been forgiven for giving up on justice amid their trauma and grief.

Unfortunately, there are too many families from both the nationalist and unionist communities still being denied justice and even basic answers, and any hopes for some form of closure are being put in further jeopardy by the proposed Tory government legislation that would end all Troubles-era prosecutions and civil actions.

As relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims once again take to the streets of Derry this Sunday to remember those killed, so too, should we all take a moment and reflect on that terrible day and take hope from the resolve of the families.