Derry Journal Editorial: Bloody Sunday campaign a beacon of light in a dark world

That was very evident on the streets and in venues across the city at the weekend as people came from near and far to be part of the 52nd commemorative events.

That campaign stands today as a beacon of light in a dark world. Five decades on, it continues to inspire hope in communities laid low and under oppression. Its ability to effect change, to mobilise people to fight for justice and equality in a world full of inequality and injustice remains as powerful as ever.

Covering the events at the weekend, you couldn’t help but be struck by how Derry itself has evolved into a global focal point of resistance and a force for good. The message writ large on Free Derry Corner over recent days, the words of Palestinian poet Rafaat Alareer, who was killed alongside several relatives in an Israeli airstrike last month, bear testament to how much people here see their struggle in an international context.

It is symbolic of how people here have stood up for people elsewhere around the world.

The war on Gaza has galvanised this city and this region into taking a stand.

We have seen some of the largest marches and gatherings witnessed here in over a decade taking place over recent months.

So it is no surprise that much of the weekend Bloody Sunday commemorations focused heavily on the horrific situation in the Middle East. It is in our DNA to call out injustice and oppression wherever we see it, and this weekend showed that when victims of such injustice and such oppression plead for help, Derry will always answer their cries.