53 years on from the Bloody Sunday massacre on defenceless marchers in Derry in 1972, the British state has shamelessly absolved itself of any guilt for the slaughter. Soldier F – who pulled the trigger against five on Bloody Sunday – has been acquitted by the Belfast Crown Court on Thursday last week.
Editor’s note: since this article was published, it has been revealed that the British government spent over £4 million of taxpayers’ money for the legal defence of Soldier F. This is a slap in the face, both to those who have fought tirelessly for justice, as well as to workers and the poor, who are constantly told there’s “not enough money” for public services, while millions are spent defending and perpetrating imperialist war crimes, past and present.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that demonstrates the clearly criminal actions of the British state, its military command, and its foot soldiers in this appalling crime, the presiding judge ruled that “the evidence fell well short” of the “standard” needed to convict. This despite the fact the soldiers themselves admitted to the shootings shortly after the events – initially claiming self-defence, something was then exposed as a blatant lie even by an official British inquiry in the Saville Report.
And now the fact that these criminals have changed their version dozens of times and lied through their teeth for half a century and more is being used as the reason to exonerate them!
One could hardly make up such blatant and outrageous hypocrisy. The victims and their families – who had to go through countless obstacles and fight for 53 years to get to this point – have just been dealt another incredible injustice. Meanwhile these hired thugs scurry away, free from any repercussions.
The verdict exposes the whole edifice that is the British justice system for what it really is – a means of defending the rule of the British ruling class and their armed state thugs at home and in their occupied territories abroad.
To be sure, Soldier F was just a scapegoat for the crimes of the whole of the British establishment – but even bringing this single butcher to justice proved to be too much for these ladies and gentlemen. Indeed, ‘Labour’ leader Starmer is already promising even more protection to the ‘veterans’ that have committed horrible crimes against the Irish people.
The facts of Bloody Sunday are as clear as day. The soldiers – spurred on by their commanders – fired upon unarmed protestors without any provocation whatsoever. They murdered 14 innocent people and wounded another 13.
Many marchers were shot in the back while they fled for their lives. Many of them were teenagers. The full list of the victims that lost their lives at the hands of rampaging British soldiers are: Patrick Doherty (31) Gerald Donaghey (17) John Duddy (17) Hugh Gilmour (17) Michael Kelly (17) Michael McDaid (20) Kevin McElhinney (17) Bernard McGuigan (41) Gerald McKinney (35) William McKinney (26) William Nash (19) James Wray (22) John Young (17) John Johnston (59).
The presiding judge in his final summary of the case stated: “those responsible should hang their heads in shame”. The only ‘justice’ the victims and their families will receive is merely hypocritical verbiage. No action whatsoever will be taken against the perpetrators.
There is no such a thing as justice under imperialism. Stormont and Westminster need to be overthrown – imperialism and capitalism kicked out of Ireland. Only then will we be able to bring those criminals to justice.
Originally posted on communism.ie.
