Hope for Bloody Sunday families as ex-soldier questioned

Posted by Jim on November 13, 2015

Relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims say they feel “a flicker of hope”
following the questioning of a former British soldier involved in the
1972 massacre, despite renewed efforts to block their justice campaign.

Thirteen people were killed when British paratroopers opened fire on a
civil rights march through the city in January 1972. A fourteenth died
later.

‘Soldier J’, who appeared before the Saville Inquiry in 2002, was
questioned and released by detectives from the PSNI’s new Legacy
Investigations Branch, which replaced the discredited Historical
Enquiries Team (HET).

Kate Nash, whose 19-year-old brother, William, was killed on Bloody
Sunday, said she welcomed the news.

“I started to shake. I couldn’t believe it. I became very emotional. To
see a soldier even being questioned has truly shocked me. I never
thought it would get to this. There is a flicker of hope. It’s a very
positive step.”

The 66-year-old, who lives in County Antrim, is the first person to ever
be arrested as part of the Bloody Sunday investigation.

The PSNI man leading the investigation said the arrest “marked a new
phase in the overall investigation which would continue for some time”.

Family members have expressed their hope that murder charges against the
soldiers could finally reveal who ordered the massacre. But there were
signs that powerful forces in the British establishment remain
determined to maintain a cover-up.

Former British defence minister Gerald Howarth described the arrest of
ex-soldiers over Bloody Sunday as “not in the public interest”. The Tory
MP for Aldershot, where the Bloody Sunday paratroopers were based, said
the British prime minister David Cameron had intended the Saville
Inquiry and his apology to close a “painful chapter”. “Matters should
not be re-opened”, he declared.

Former British Direct Ruler Lord Mandelson also said the investigation
should be stopped. He told Channel 4 News: “There are perils in going
back so far into history. Perils over the evidence that is available,
people’s memories, people’s ability to produce their own evidence and
facts so long ago.”

Seven former soldiers have now begun legal action against the PSNI in
the High Court, demanding a judicial review of the way the PSNI is
conducting its inquiry.

According to reports, lawyers for the soldiers have questioned the
legality of the investigation and claim it is being pursued for
political reasons. They also claim it would be illegal to arrest any of
the soldiers in their homes without 24 hours prior notice.

The Bloody Sunday families have demanded that the PSNI treat former
paratroopers the same as any other suspect in a murder investigation.

John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother Michael was shot dead on Bloody
Sunday, said the legal move was an indication that former soldiers
realise they could be receiving the “same knock on the door as Soldier
J.”

“As far as I am concerned it should be business as usual for the PSNI
investigation. Why should they be treated any differently; what sort of
a society would we live in if that was to happen?” he said.