Carol Nolan on Bloody Sunday: Demanding Answers, Rejecting Amnesty
Carol Nolan recalled the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and detailed how British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a peaceful protest in the Bogside area of Derry. She condemned the killings, rejected any amnesty and urged the government to press the British government for answers and accountability.
Incident overview
Just a few short weeks ago marked the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, which occurred on 30 January 1972. Nolan described British soldiers firing on a peaceful protest march in the Bogside, noting the event is etched in many people's minds alongside other tragic incidents from that period.
Casualties and injuries
Nolan stated that 26 unarmed civilians were shot, and that 14 people died in Derry - 13 were killed outright while the death of another man four months later was attributed to his injuries. She recounted that many victims were shot while fleeing or while trying to help the wounded, others were injured by rubber bullets or batons, two were run down by British Army vehicles and some were beaten.
Protest context
The march had been organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association to protest against internment without trial. Nolan emphasised that the marchers had the absolute right to hold a peaceful protest while suffering under what she described as a harsh regime at the time.
Ballymurphy and Parachute Regiment
She said the soldiers involved were from the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, the same battalion implicated in the Ballymurphy massacre earlier that year. Nolan described watching a documentary on Ballymurphy, recalling the shocking image of a priest who ran across the green and was gunned down, and highlighted the many unanswered questions and the suffering of families.
Calls for accountability
Nolan insisted that questions must be answered and that the British government should be held accountable, arguing that an amnesty is not acceptable and would deepen the wounds of suffering families. She urged that this government must ask the questions and get answers from the British government.
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Just a few short weeks ago marked the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. As we know, Bloody Sunday occurred on the 30th of January 1972 and we know that British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a peaceful protest march in the bog side area of Derry, a great community, a community which has shown true resilience despite the darkest of times and great suffering, a community and the bog side I have visited on a number of occasions and I just want to add, you know, the atrocity of all of the killings in the north but this one stands out in many ways for the wrong reasons because it was a normal day and a peaceful protest and I think, you know, the visions of what we've seen in documentaries about Bloody Sunday are certainly, you know, etched in many, many people's minds along with many other events, you know, that that we remember unfortunately for the wrong reasons, but we know that 14 people died in Derry, 13 were killed outright while the death of another man four months later was attributed to his injuries. Many of the victims were shot while fleeing from the soldiers and some were shot while trying to help the wounded. Other protesters injured also by rubber bullets or battens and two were run down by British Army vehicles while some were beaten. The march had been organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association to protest against internment without trial and it was their absolute right, as is the right of any group to hold a peaceful protest, particularly when they were suffering under such injustice and such really, really harsh regime at the time. The soldiers in question that carried out the atrocity from the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment was the same battalion implicated in the Ballymurphy massacre several months earlier. And I actually watched the documentary on that very recently and it was absolutely horrendous and what has happened there and the many, many unanswered questions and indeed the suffering of so many families involved and caught up in that. I mean, I just remember at one point where the priest ran across the green in Ballymurphy and was gunned down and it was shocking what happened. There are questions and those questions need to be answered and we need to ensure that the British government is held accountable and an amnesty is not the answer, it's not acceptable. It will deepen the wounds of so many suffering families. We need questions and we need to make sure this government asks the questions and gets answers from the British government. Thank you. Thank you.
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