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Hate mail won't stop Bloody Sunday campaign, says victim's brother

Teresa CraigBBC News NI
News imageBBC Mickey McKinney has short grey hair. He is wearing glasses and has a green coat on with a blue shirt and jumper. He is standing in a reception area with a lift in the background. BBC
Mickey McKinney, whose brother William was killed on Bloody Sunday, has received hate mail

The brother of one of the people killed on Bloody Sunday has said hate mail will not stop him fighting for "truth and justice".

Mickey McKinney's brother William was among 13 people shot dead by the Parachute Regiment at a civil rights demonstration in Londonderry in 1972.

He said he received the most recent letter moments before meeting Irish President Catherine Connolly during her visit to Derry last week.

"I think the person or people who are doing this really deserve to be pitied," he said.

The letter was sent to the Museum of Free Derry, as first reported by the Belfast Telegraph.

The letter praised the Parachute Regiment and said "it is a pity" the B-Specials - part of a reserve police force from the 1920s to 1970 - "did not shoot you all".

In addition to the 13 people who were killed, 15 others were injured when the Army opened fire in the Bogside area of Derry on 30 January 1972.

The day became known as Bloody Sunday and is widely regarded as one of the darkest days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

News imagePacemaker A picture taken on 30 January 1972 - Bloody Sunday. A group of men are carrying a lifeless body - they are accompanied by a priest waving a wife handkerchief. There are soldiers at the side of the picture and in the foreground.Pacemaker
Thirteen people were killed and 15 wounded on Bloody Sunday

McKinney said: "Can you just imagine what it would be like if your relative was shot dead, shot in the back, gunned down in the street, had lies told about them, and then someone takes it on themselves to send you a letter like that?

"I think it's sick that someone would go to those lengths."

News imageThree men stood looking at the camera. On the left is a bald man wearing a navy-blue shirt and a black jacket. In the middle is a man with glasses wearing a dark jacket. On the right is a man with grey hair wearing a green jumper and a green jacket. The appear to be standing in front of a monument.
The McKinney family said they reported the threat to the police

In October 2025, the former paratrooper known as Soldier F was found not guilty of the murder of William McKinney, 26, and James Wray, 22, as well as five charges of attempted murder.

At that time, the McKinney family also revealed that they had received a "sickening" death threat.

News imageA collage of black and white photographs of the 13 people killed on Bloody Sunday. The victims, top row (l to r): Patrick Doherty, Gerald Donaghey, John Duddy, Hugh Gilmour, Michael Kelly, Michael McDaid and Kevin McElhinney. Bottom row : Bernard McGuigan, Gerard McKinney, William McKinney, William Nash, James Wray and John Young
The victims, top row (l to r): Patrick Doherty, Gerald Donaghey, John Duddy, Hugh Gilmour, Michael Kelly, Michael McDaid and Kevin McElhinney. Bottom row : Bernard McGuigan, Gerard McKinney, William McKinney, William Nash, James Wray and John Young

McKinney said the hate mail started to arrive in the wake of the Soldier F trial.

Social media posts, he added, "gloating over the events of the day" became "too many to count".

He said he no longer reads the threats but stepping away from the Bloody Sunday campaign "doesn't even get off the blocks".

"Because it's not about me, it's about truth and justice," he said.

"You couldn't step away from that, I don't believe any other families could step away from it either."

The SDLP MP for Foyle, Colum Eastwood, condemned those responsible.

"It's disgusting, you know, but Mickey and the others are just much bigger than that and they're not going to be put off by these kind of things," he said.

"A quick glance at my own social media would show you the bile that is sent about the Bloody Sunday families and the victims and I think that's given cover by political representatives."

Ciarán Shiels of Madden & Finucane law firm, who represent the McKinney family, said they receive on average one message a week that reflects a "a sectarian and hateful mindset".

He said the letter received last week would be given to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for investigation and forensic examination.

In a statement, the police said they do not comment on named individuals but "no inference should be drawn from this".