There were tears and cheers when relatives of the victims heard that their loved ones had finally been vindicated, writes JAMIE SMYTH
RELATIVES OF the victims of Bloody Sunday have welcomed the findings of the Saville report, saying it proved to the world the innocence of their loved ones after their 38-year campaign for justice.
Amid emotional scenes on the steps of Derry’s Guildhall yesterday, a procession of relatives of the people who died in the massacre thanked a crowd of several thousand for their support, and declared each and every one of the victims innocent.
There were also calls for justice from several relatives of the dead, who said they would like to see the paratroopers responsible for the deaths on Bloody Sunday prosecuted for their crimes.
Mickey McKinney, brother of 27-year-old William McKinney, who was shot from behind when tending to a wounded man, led the families on to the stage following publication of the report.
“This is a historic day for Derry. I’d like to thank you all for your patience, as we have all had patience for 38 years. But today the waiting has come to an end,” he said.
The crowd erupted with cheers and clapping before Kay Duddy, sister of 17-year-old Jack Duddy – the first person to be shot dead on Bloody Sunday – called for a minute’s silence to mark the deaths of all those who lost their lives during the Troubles.
Tony Doherty, brother of 31-year-old Patrick Doherty, who was shot from behind when trying to crawl to safety in a flat forecourt, said he welcomed British prime minister David Cameron’s comments that all the killings were “unjustified and unjustifiable”.
“The victims of Bloody Sunday have been vindicated, and the parachute regiment has been disgraced. Their medals of honour have to be removed,” he said.
Mr Doherty said the victims were gunned down in their own streets by soldiers who were given to believe they could act with impunity.
He said Widgery’s lies had been “laid bare” by the Saville report, in a reference to the inquiry into the events on Bloody Sunday led by Lord chief justice Widgery in 1972. “Bloody Sunday wounded Derry very badly, and we hope today Derry can begin to bind up the wounds,” he added.
One of the relatives of the victims, Jean Hegarty (sister of Kevin McElhinney), ripped up the Widgery report and threw the pages into the air, provoking huge cheers from the crowd.
John Kelly, brother of 17-year-old Michael Kelly, who died of a shot in the abdomen, said for him what mattered above all else was the finding of innocence for all the victims.
“Everything else fades into insignificance apart from that,” he said.
However, other relatives and campaigners called for prosecutions and justice to be served.
Damien Donaghey, who was 15 years old when he was shot in the leg on Bloody Sunday while attending the civil rights march, said the soldiers needed to be brought to justice.
“If war crimes perpetrated by the Nazis can be prosecuted, then why not this?” he said.
Mr Donaghey also said the British government must have had something to do with the decision by soldiers to shoot people.
The first sign that the Bloody Sunday families’ 38-year wait for justice was finally over came when several relatives, who were given a sneak preview of the report, gave the thumbs up to the crowd from the windows of the Guildhall.
They also held up copies of the report to the window a few minutes before British prime minister David Cameron gave his statement to the House of Commons, and the 5,000-page report was published.
Liam Wray, one of the relatives to get a preview of the report a few hours prior to its publication, said he broke into floods of tears when he read its conclusions. “I have felt a responsibility and duty of love to my brother like all the relatives for the last 38 years.
“The beautiful thing about this is that it gives hope to other people around the world. If you campaign long enough then justice will prevail,” he said.
He said he hoped the PSNI and public prosecution service would seek prosecutions.
He said many people in Derry had taken the risk to support the PSNI, and now it was up to them to do their duty.
Ivan Cooper, co-founder of the SDLP and the man who led the anti-internment march on Bloody Sunday, said he was impressed by the Saville report – particularly the vindication of everything the families had worked for.
He said the authorities should immediately arrest Maj Gen Robert Ford and bring him to justice.
“He was commander of land forces that day, and I believe he was ultimately responsible for all the deaths that day. I saw him on William Street, and he was striding about with a baton under his arm like an English overlord and he was shouting to the Paras ‘go Paras go’, and they went all right and they murdered innocent people,” Mr Cooper said.
The Saville report found Maj Gen Ford neither knew nor had reason to know at any stage that his decision to employ an additional battalion (1 Para) as the means of seeking to deal with rioters in Derry on Bloody Sunday would or was likely to result in soldiers firing unjustifiably on that day.