Today saw the landmark publication of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry report as discussed on here last week. In the end, the report officially denounced the killings as “unjustified and unjustifiable” and vindicated all victims from any questions of attacks on soldiers. The soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians with no provocation. They were under the impression that shots had been fired when, in fact, the original shots came from the soldiers themselves. It is now up to the prosecution service (PPS) in Northern Ireland as to whether to file charges against any soldier involved.
My opinion doesn’t mean much, to be sure, but I believe no one will be prosecuted. So far the victims’ families have only expressed relief that, after 38 years, the killings have been officially ruled unlawful. The question of who opened fire has been answered and the victims exonerated. I believe that most will want to draw a line under this tragedy. I believe that Northern Ireland has suffered enough and will not want to re-open old wounds and re-draw old battle lines. I could be wrong, though. I could be very wrong and the PPS could prosecute one soldier to set an example or all of the soldiers to ensure law has the final word. We don’t know yet what they will do.
I haven’t had as much time as I had hoped to devote to this today. The findings are summarised below thanks to the BBC and links to other news sites follow. Please read through these for yourselves and draw your own conclusions. I, for one, am happy to see justice for the victims and hope that this will put an end to one of the worst tragedies of the 21st century.
- No warning had been given to any civilians before the soldiers opened fire
- None of the soldiers fired in response to attacks by petrol bombers or stone throwers
- Some of those killed or injured were clearly fleeing or going to help those injured or dying
- None of the casualties was posing a threat or doing anything that would justify their shooting
- Many of the soldiers lied about their actions
- The events of Bloody Sunday were not premeditated
- Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein, was present at the time of the violence and “probably armed with a sub-machine gun” but did not engage in “any activity that provided any of the soldiers with any justification for opening fire”
Sources:
Guardian 1 and Guardian 2