Bloody Sunday march will ‘be the last’
THE Bloody Sunday march due take place at the end of this month will be the last one according to organisers.
The march which will take place on Sunday, January 30, 38-years exactly since Bloody Sunday itself, has been a mainstay of Londonderry’s political calendar since 1972.
The events of the day resulted in the deaths of 14 people, 13 on the day and another some months later-after soldiers from the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights protestors.
Now, a statement signed by the majority of the families of those killed on the day said it was no longer necessary after the Saville Report largely exonerated the dead and wounded.
In the statement, the families acknowledged a “huge debt of gratitude” to those who have supported them over the years.
Thousands are expected to take part in the final march on January 30. A number of options are now being considered to mark future anniversaries including gathering at the Bloody Sunday monument, remembrance Mass, a human rights weekend and an annual Bloody Sunday lecture.
The son of one of those killed on Bloody Sunday has said it is right that the tradition of a commemorative march come to an end. Tony Doherty, who father Patrick died on the day said: “The march has always been used as a tool for our campaign for truth and justice. It was used to keep the memory of the dead alive and to keep the injustice and the denial of truth in the public eye. We don’t expect and we can’t expect the people of Derry to keep marching on our behalf when the vast majority of us believe the campaign has been successfully concluded.”
However, Kate Nash, whose brother William also died on Bloody Sunday, said she felt the issue had not been properly discussed.
“We didn’t all come to any decision. The substance of what’s being said about what should happen, there’s nothing wrong with that because that would be there anyway, but why take the march away?
“That belongs to the people of this city and it would be extremely arrogant of my family to imagine we could make a decision to end a march that belongs to this city.
“We believe the people of Derry will speak and let their wishes be known on this and family will respect and abide by their wishes.”
