Starmer apologises to families of Springhill/Westrock families
Keir Starmer has apologised unreservedly to the families of the victims of the Springhill massacre in Belfast in 1972.
John Joseph Dougal (aged 16), Father John Noel Fitzpatrick (aged 42), Patrick Joseph Butler (aged 37), David McCafferty (aged 15) and Margaret Gargan (aged 13) were shot dead by British soldiers in the Springhill and Westrock area of West Belfast on July 9, 1972.
Last month Mr. Justice Scoffield ruled that the force used by the British soldiers responsible for the killings was ‘not reasonable’.
Speaking in the British House of Commons on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said: “The findings of the recent Springhill inquest into the tragic deaths, in July 1972, of Father Noel Fitzpatrick, Patrick Butler, Margaret Gargan, David McCafferty and John Dougal are sobering.
"While the circumstances in which the events occurred were undoubtedly challenging, it is the duty of the state to hold itself to the highest standard. The Government accept and deeply regret these findings, and recognise their gravity.
"On behalf of the Government, I apologise unreservedly to the families for what happened and for the grief and trauma they have endured since the tragic deaths of their loved ones.”
The Bloody Sunday Trust welcomed the ‘long-overdue acknowledgment of the truth established by the inquest’.
“We welcome today's apology and pay tribute to the families' courage, determination and perseverance over 54 years in their pursuit of truth and justice,” the Trust stated.
Sinn Féin Vice-President Michelle O’Neill remarked: "Nothing can undo the pain and loss experienced by those who lost loved ones that day. But acknowledgment matters. The Springhill families deserve the truth, and they deserve to have that truth publicly recognised.
"The Springhill families now join the families of Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy, whose determined campaigns secured official findings and public acknowledgement of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones.
"These moments matter not only because they recognise individual loss, but because they affirm and expose the actions of the British army against the Springhill community
"While today marks an important and significant moment for the Springhill Families, there remain many families who continue to wait for truth, accountability and acknowledgement where their loved ones were killed as in a manner similar to Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy and Springhill,” she said.