It's not 'us' and 'them', we are a people of 'we'" - Liam Wray tells Bloody Sunday march
The brother of one of the men and boys shot dead on Bloody Sunday has vowed that they will never be suppressed by the British government or anyone else.
Liam Wray, whose brother James was killed on January 30, 1972, said it had brought joy to his heart to see crowds of people gathering with the relatives for the annual Bloody Sunday March for Justice.
Addressing the attendees following the March, Mr Wray said: “It has been a privilege for me to work with this march today, 54 years after the British thought they would shoot us off our streets, and I walk this day with three of the surviving wounded. It was a pleasure and a pride.”
Mr Wray said the families and the people would “never lie down” despite those who had tried to suppress them.
He added: "We are here 54 years after Bloody Sunday and we are here to commemorate those who have died, and rightly so too. And we have come here for fraternity and brotherhood with all the other peoples who are suffering at this time in different countries in the world, particularly in our minds are the people of Ukraine and the people of Palestine.
Mr Wray condemned the criminalisation of activists on Palestine and contrasted this with the lack of action by the British government to arrest “the terrorists who came in here on Bloody Sunday” who were not charged.
"We are gathered together in brotherhood and solidarity with all the other peoples, and we say from here today never will be be off the streets, never will we coerce to your ways- you can bully us, you can imprison us, but we will march because we are brothers and sisters no matter what the colour of skin or denomination. These immigrants who are coming to our country for shelter, these are people too. They try to demonise them, put tags on them and names on them. And we wake up this day and it is not ‘us’ and ‘them’. We are a people of ‘we’.”
Gaza-born Saeb Shaath, former head of the Palestinian Delegation to Ireland, who has suffered the loss of 155 members of his extended family, told those gathered he was proud to be among the people in this “anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist, anti-Zionist” city.
Mr Shaath said the British had used Ireland as the “lab of genocide” which was then exported to Palestine.
He spoke of the atrocious treatment of Palestinians, including activists, the killing of civilians and journalists and urged people to support Palestine Aid, based in Belfast who were delivering much needed aid to people.