THE BLOODY SUNDAY INQUIRY/Day 205: The Rev Ian Paisley attacked the Bloody Sunday inquiry as "a monumental waste of public money" and "a witch-hunt" after he emerged from yesterday's hearing having spent four hours in the witness box answering lawyers' questions.
Under threat of being held in contempt of the tribunal if he did not turn up yesterday, and having failed to obey four previous subpoenas, the DUP leader arrived at Derry's Guildhall before 9.30 a.m. with an entourage consisting of his lawyer, his police bodyguards and his son, Ian Jnr.
His evidence was an anti-climax, as various counsel failed in turn to elicit any new information from him on the events surrounding the Bloody Sunday march.
In the main, he simply endorsed attitudes and opinions he has previously expressed in Stormont and other political assemblies.
Asked, as he left the Guildhall, if he thought the inquiry was going to find out anything, he replied: "No. I think it will please nobody".
He asserted that the proceedings had descended into chaos and the questions he was asked were neither focused nor relevant. "I've never listened to such balderdash," he declared.
The inquiry had become "the playground of conspiracy theorists".
During Dr Paisley's evidence, counsel to the tribunal, Mr Christopher Clarke QC, sought to ascertain his part in the organisation of a counter-demonstration, or "prayer meeting", which was advertised by the local Paisleyite group, the Derry Unionist Asssociation (DUA), to take place in the city centre on January 30th, 1972, if the planned civil rights anti-internment march was allowed to go ahead.
The loyalist counter-demonstration was called off the day before Bloody Sunday and the vice-chairman of the DUA, then the Rev James McClelland, was quoted in the press as saying that it had been given assurances that the civil rights march would be halted, by force if necessary.
Dr Paisley said he had nothing to do with the organisation of this demonstration, or with its cancellation. He complained bitterly that there had been "such haste to get me here" while the named individual involved with the DUA parade had not been questioned or subpoenaed.
He said he resented comments made by the tribunal that he had been giving it "the run-around", while a person named in its own documents had not been dealt with as he was.
"I take it that is just political discrimination against me," he said.
As counsel finished his questions, Dr Paisley drew attention to a speech he made in Stormont shortly after the events of Bloody Sunday. He had said in it that "I never saw funerals more exploited politically than those funerals" and that, while he had every sympathy with anyone who lost a son or a parent, "no excuse can or must ever be made for those who fall in opposition to the rule of law".
Later, Mr Michael Mansfield QC attempted to pursue the issue of Dr Paisley's knowledge of, or involvement with the DUA counter-demonstration and its cancellation, but the witness said he knew nothing about it.
Mr Mansfield asked him: "Do you want to help the inquiry or hinder it?" Dr Paisley replied: "Well, that is a difficult question for me because I opposed the setting-up of this inquiry in Westminster. I voted against it, I deplore the amount of money that has been spent on it. . ."
When the question was repeated, he admitted: "I do not want to help the inquiry the way it is going at the moment".
As Dr Paisley and his escorts entered their cars in Guildhall Square, a scattering of people looked on and several women shouted: "Bigot Paisley" and "Don't come back".
A youth spat on Dr Paisley's car and was apprehended by police but managed to run away as they were questioning him.