Relatives of Bloody Sunday victims

Footage shows the crowd in Londonderry’s Guildhall Square applauding David Cameron’s speech to the House of Commons regarding the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday (please see context below).

In a voice-over from the BBC’s Stormont studio Jim Fitzpatrick summarises the speech that David Cameron has just made, with its emphasis on the innocence of the victims.

The people in Guildhall Square cheer and clap as the first representative of the victims’ families comes out of the Guildhall and stands behind a podium facing the crowd.

Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams and fellow senior members of Sinn Fein are seen in the crowd.

As more relatives of the victims emerge from the Guildhall the crowd cheer and clap. The relatives raise their arms and wave back to their supporters.

Jim Fitzpatrick asks Sinn Fein’s Mitchell McLoughlin (who is with him in the BBC’s Stormont studio) to comment on the scenes in the square. Mr. McLoughlin welcomes David Cameron’s forthright statement that the victims were innocent, “That was the first step in the cathartic process of healing that has to follow”.

The Democratic Unionist Party’s Arlene Foster is also with Jim in the studio. She welcomes the fact that any rumours of a government cover-up have been squashed and that rogue soldiers were to blame. She also feels for the other victims of the troubles who will not be afforded an inquiry.

Mickey McKinney now addresses the crowd in Guildhall Square, “My 27 year old brother, Willie McKinney, was murdered by British paratroopers on Bloody Sunday”. Mr. McKinney thanks those in the crowd for their encouragement and support over the past 38 years.

Kay Duddy (the sister of Jackie Duddy) addresses the crowd. On behalf of the families of all those murdered and injured on Bloody Sunday she asks them to observe a minute’s silence for all those killed in the conflict over the last 40 years.

The silence is observed.

Tony Doherty (the son of Paddy Doherty) addresses the crowd, “Unjustified and unjustifiable, those are the words we’ve been waiting to hear since the 30th of January 1972 - The victims of Bloody Sunday have been vindicated and the Parachute Regiment has been disgraced - Widgery’s great lie has been laid bare, the truth has been brought home at last”.

Gerry Duddy (the brother of Jackie Duddy) addresses the crowd,
“Widgery destroyed our loved ones’ good name, today we cleared them.”

Derek Gilmour (the brother of Hugh Gilmour) addresses the crowd, “He was shot going over the barricades on Bloody Sunday by soldier U; he was 17 years of age and innocent”.

Kathleen Kelly (sister of Michael Kelly) addresses the crowd, “I say to my little brother Michael, loving mother and father, at least you can rest in peace forever”.

John McDaid (brother of Michael McDaid) addresses the crowd, “Quoting from Saville, ‘Michael was going to the aid of William Nash, we are sure he was not armed with any lethal weapon’”.

Kate Nash sister of William Nash (shot dead) and daughter of Alec Nash (injured) addresses the crowd, “My bother William, we know he was innocent, we’ve always known, now the world knows.”

Neil Young addresses the crowd, “My name is Neil Young, bother of John who was murdered on Bloody Sunday and has now been vindicated as innocent”.

Jean Hegarty addresses the crowd, “I’m the big sister to Kevin McElhinney. Quoting Lord Saville, ‘Kevin McElhinney was shot as he was crawling away from soldiers, these shots were not fired in fear or panic, he posed no danger to life or danger of injury’”.

Joe McKinney (brother of Willie McKinney) addresses the crowd, “Our brother, Willie McKinney is innocent.”

Liam Wray (brother of Jim Wray) addresses the crowd, “This inquiry has vindicated the Wray family and much more so, the people of Derry”.

Geraldine Doherty (niece of Gerard Donaghey) addresses the crowd, “Today the world has been told, my uncle was innocent.”

Regina McLoughlin (the daughter of Gerry McKinney) addresses the crowd, “My father is innocent”.

Glen Doherty (son of Patrick Doherty) addresses the crowd, “Paddy Doherty is innocent”.
Charlie McGuigan (son of Bernard McGuigan) addresses the crowd, “Barney McGuigan posed no threat whatsoever and would be celebrating is 80th birthday tomorrow were it not for Soldier F. The truth is out, Barney is innocent”.

Jimmy Duddy (nephew of Johnny Johnston, the oldest man shot on Bloody Sunday, he died a few months after the event from his injuries). Jimmy’s father John Duddy had campaigned with the other families for the truth, but sadly he died before the Saville Inquiry concluded, he like many others did not live to see their loved ones being cleared. Jimmy states, “Johnny, like everybody else, was innocent”.

Caroline O’Donnell (her father was shot and wounded on Bloody Sunday) addresses the crowd. Caroline reads a list of the names of those people who were shot that day and who have all passed away – Michael Bradley, Patrick Campbell, Peggy Deery, Daniel Gillespie, Danny McGowan, Alec Nash and Patsy O’Donnell.

Alana Burke addresses the crowd. She survived Bloody Sunday and now calls on people to remember those who were injured on the day and who are still with us – Michael Bridge, Damien Donaghy, Joe Friel, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn and Patsy McDaid.

Bubbles Donaghey addresses the crowd, “I will now quote Lord Saville, ‘None of the wounded was posing a threat of death or serious injury or indeed was doing anything else that could on any view justify their shootings’, we’re all innocent!”

The crowd cheers and claps.

CONTEXT
On 30 January 1972 soldiers from the 1st Parachute Regiment killed 13 innocent civil rights demonstrators in Derry.

The period from August 1971 to January 1972 saw a sustained campaign of anti-internment protests. On 22 January, John Hume led an illegal demonstration along Magilligan Strand just outside Londonderry, towards a nearby internment camp. The marchers were confronted by soldiers of the 1st Parachute Regiment who drove them off the beach using baton charges and rubber bullets.

It was these same paratroopers who were sent into Derry eight days later to deal with another banned protest. This march was organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA). Some ten thousand people gathered in the Creggan estate and proceeded towards Guildhall Square in the centre of the city. The paratroopers had sealed off the approaches to the Square and the march organisers, in order to avoid trouble, led most of the demonstrators towards Free Derry Corner in the Bogside.

Groups of local youths (referred to by the security forces as ‘YDHs’ – Young Derry Hooligans) stayed behind at the Army barricades to confront the soldiers. The soldiers were ordered to move in and arrest as many of the rioters as possible. Just after four o'clock, the paratroopers made their move. What took place next was totally unexpected: the paratroopers opened fire on the crowd, killing thirteen men and injuring thirteen others; one of the injured died some time later.

The soldiers claimed that they had been fired on as they moved in to make arrests. As far as the people of the Bogside and further afield were concerned, the Army had summarily executed thirteen unarmed, innocent civilians. The Widgery Tribunal, which had been set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killings, later concluded that: ‘At one end of the scale, some soldiers showed a high degree of responsibility; at the other end.... firing bordered on the reckless’.

The Londonderry Coroner, Major Hubert O'Neill, did not share Lord Widgery's conclusion. At the end of the inquest in 1973, which is still seen by nationalists as a cover up for murder, O'Neill said, “It strikes me that the army ran amok that day and they shot without thinking what they were doing… I say it without reservation - it was sheer unadulterated murder”.

The British government later made out-of-court settlements with the bereaved families

In 1998 the Labour government launched an in-depth investigation chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate. The Saville Inquiry, which was the most expensive investigation of its kind in the United Kingdom, reported in June 2010.
It concluded that none of the dead posed a threat and the actions of the soldiers were totally without justification. The Prime Minister David Cameron apologised on behalf of the nation for the “unjustified and unjustifiable killings”.