Solidarity at the Bloody Sunday march

The 53rd anniversary of the British massacre of Irish civil rights demonstrators was commemorated in Derry on Sunday with the Bloody Sunday March for Justice.

After more than five decades of campaigning against the efforts of the British establishment to protect their killers, the families of the 14 people gunned down on January 30, 1972 have yet to see a prosecution.

Hopes have grown that after decades of legal and political struggle, one of the soldiers involved, whose anonymity is still being protected by the courts, may soon go on trial for two of the killings.

A number of republican groups supported the event in Derry, marching behind relatives who carried white crosses along the route of the parade 53 years ago.

At the end of the march, people gathered at Free Derry Corner, where the shooting began, to remember the atrocity.

A minute’s silence was introduced by Kate Nash, whose brother William was one of those killed, and whose father Alex was shot and wounded trying to reach his dying son.

The first speaker of the afternoon was Palestinian writer and journalist Farrah Kouteinneh. Ms Kouteinneh said she was honoured to speak at the event and praised the women of Derry.

“What an honour it is to speak here today protesting on the 53rd anniversary of Bloody Sunday, to speak alongside such strong Irish women – incredible Irish women, incredible Derry women, whose steadfastness, whose resilience, will be the reason for justice,” she said.

“I have only seen intersectional, inclusive, interconnected solidarity on this scale here at Bloody Sunday Marches, where we have the families of Bloody Sunday victims standing hand in hand with those from Hillsborough, with those from Palestine with those from anti-racist groups, feminist groups, to those from trade unions and with those from working-class communities.”

Derry politician, activist and journalist Eamon McCann was the last to speak at the event. Mr McCann spoke about the treatment of his friend, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.

“He has been treated in an abominable way because he dared to mention Gaza in commemoration of the Holocaust of the Jews. We are criticised all the time. We are told we are anti-Semitic because we stand by the Palestinian people.

“There are hundreds of thousands of Jewish people throughout the world who stand with us,” he said.

He declared Free Derry Corner as ‘Holy Grounds’: “Remember when you look at that wall (Free Derry Corner), what really made a difference in this country: it was not the rattle of machine guns or people making eloquent speeches in parliaments, it was the sound of marching feet.”

Urgent Appeal