Bloody Sunday commemoration in Tipperary on 50th anniversary of atrocity

Activists in Clonmel will gather for a vigil under the Main Guard on this Sunday evening, January 30 at 6pm to stand in solidarity with the families of the victims of the Bloody Sunday Massacre in Derry, which occurred 50 years ago this coming Sunday. 

The Parachute regiment of the British Army shot dead 13 civilian protesters on the streets of Derry that day during a civil rights march (a 14th civilian died from their wounds some months later).

The march was organised to oppose the introduction of internment without trial and allegations of torture of nationalist prisoners by the British State Forces.

"For almost 40 years the families had to contend with the British Government labelling their deceased loved ones as criminals, rioters and looters armed with weapons," says Dean McGrath, one of the organisers of the Clonmel vigil.

"The assertion was that the soldiers acted in self-defence upon being fired on by the crowd. The Widgery report (1972) was commissioned in the immediate aftermath of the events and stated that the soldiers had acted for their own protection.

"In 2010, the families were finally given truth about the events that occurred, their loved ones were innocent of all allegations and victims of a smear campaign by the British Army. An apology on behalf of the British government for the massacre came from Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010, who acknowledged what the soldiers had done was 'unjustified, unjustifiable and wrong'. 

"The verdict was clear, on that day in Derry in 1972, the paratroopers murdered innocent civilians who posed no threat to them. 

"Now the families call for those who murdered their loved ones to face criminal charges, to finally give them a modicum of justice. The British Government is attempting to grant army veterans immunity from prosecution for the events that occurred on the banks of the River Foyle 50 years ago.

"For 50 years the families have campaigned for truth, justice and accountability. 

The least we can do as a town, county and nation is to support their cries for accountability, stand in solidarity with them on January 30 2022 and back their calls for justice to be done for the victims," he added.

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