Independent MP Zarah Sultana to speak in Derry on Saville Report anniversary

The lecture will take place in Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, Gt James St, on Sunday, June 15 at 7pm.

Ms Sultana was first elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Coventry South in 2019. Coventry South is described as “a constituency that boasts a proud, vibrant, and historically significant Irish community and Ms Sultana is proud to represent them; having notably supported Margaret Keane's family in their high-profile legal battle to have the Irish language included on their mother’s headstone”.

The City of Coventry is internationally recognised as the 'City of Peace and Reconciliation,” and accordingly Ms Sultana has regularly used her platform to champion the global anti-war movement and the promotion of peace and dialogue to resolve conflicts.

She has been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, both before and during her parliamentary career, and is the British MP who has received the most death threats and online abuse.

She is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group and is widely regarded as ‘one of the most left-wing’ MPs in the House of Commons. One of her earliest interventions in the Commons was to publicly call on the British government to fulfill its commitment to hold a public inquiry into the murder of the Human Rights lawyer Patrick Finucane.

Zarah Sultana was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party in 2024, after opposing the continuation of the two-child benefit cap; a policy originally introduced by the Conservatives in 2015 that has been identified as a major contributing factor to child poverty.

Speaking ahead of her visit, Ms Sultana said: “It is a deep honour to be invited to deliver this lecture in Derry, marking 15 years since the publication of the Saville Report. The Bloody Sunday families' tireless pursuit of truth and justice in the face of state violence and denial is a testament to the power of dignity, courage and collective action.

“As the Member of Parliament for Coventry South — a city shaped by its own legacy of war, peacebuilding and a proud Irish diaspora — I carry with me the memory of communities that know too well the price of injustice and the importance of never forgetting.

“From Derry to Coventry to Gaza, we must insist on truth, accountability and human rights. Peace cannot be built on silence or impunity, it must be rooted in justice.”

Trust chairperson Tony Doherty stated: “We look forward to welcoming Zarah Sultana to Derry on the 15th anniversary of the publication of the Saville Report.

“She is an example of something which is vanishingly rare in the British parliament, a principled politician who holds genuine socialist views and lives and acts by those beliefs.

“Although still suspended from the Labour party, Zarah has continued to expose and challenge the British state’s complicity in the Gaza genocide which is actively enabled by Starmer who boasts that he supports ‘Zionism without qualification’.

“As we mark the anniversary of our success, and as the genocide in Palestine continues, it is fitting that we have someone who shares our commitment to equality, human rights and international solidarity to deliver this lecture.”

Admission to the lecture is free, but attendance must be booked through Eventbrite, with details expected to follow shortly.