Bloody Sunday 50th anniversary: ‘One World, One Struggle’

Relatives of those killed and some of the surviving wounded gathered in Guildhall Square on Tuesday to reveal that the programme will be centred around the theme of ‘One World, One Struggle’.

Thirteen men and boys were killed when the army opened fire during a Civil Rights march on January 30, 1972. Another man died later from his wounds. Seventeen more people were wounded on the day.

The Trust praised the long campaigns here and around the world by those who have been seeking truth and justice. A spokesperson said: “If the social and political history of the past 50 years is ever properly written, the role of struggling and campaigning families should feature prominent, front and centre.

“Campaigns for truth and justice, whether in Derry, Ireland or in other corners of the world, all bear the hallmark of dignity and determination as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands, mothers and fathers stand placarded outside ornate government buildings and palaces.

“The coming year will witness the commencement of a series of commemorative events marking the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry.

“The city of Derry fell quiet and the families of the dead suffered in silence for many years afterwards. That is, until 1992, twenty years later. On the 20th anniversary of Bloody Sunday the families said ‘never again’. Never again will we suffer in silence. Never again will we accept the status quo.”

The Trust also paid tribute to “the immense dignity with which the Ballymurphy families accepted the outcome of the fifty-year inquest” into the killings of their loved-ones in 1971, adding:

“Derry will be the place to be in 2022. Derry will again proclaim its place a world class city with a world class people. In doing so, we will remember the dead of 50 years ago with pride and joy in our hearts; all of them – men and boys: Paddy Doherty, Gerald Donaghey, Jackie Duddy, Hugh Gilmour, Michael Kelly, Michael McDaid, Kevin McElhinney, Barney McGuigan, Gerald McKinney, William McKinney, William Nash, Jim Wray, John Young.

“And we will remember all of the dead of our troubled times, no matter who they were and no matter at whose hand they died.

“If you’re a believer in freedom for struggling peoples in their right to peace, dignity and a decent future for their children, Derry is the place to be. No-one who struggles for truth and justice will be a stranger here.”