British State Violence in Ireland - State the Truth

12th June 2010

This Tuesday the publication of the Saville Report into the shooting dead of 14 unarmed civilians, and the wounding of scores of others, by the British army's Parachute regiment in Derry on January 30th 1972 will be published.

Known as Bloody Sunday these events marked a watershed and critical turning point in the conflict in the North. In the following three decades the British Army would go on to shoot dead approximately 300 citizens the vast majority of whom were unarmed civilians.

These included scores of children, women and mothers. These families affected by British State violence have supported, marched with, and stood in solidarity with the Bloody Sunday families in their fight for truth and justice. On Tuesday many will again travel to Derry in an act of solidarity.

As Tuesday approaches these families will be reflecting on their own loss and the massive systemic injustice that they too have experienced at the hands of the British State.

Today Relatives for Justice, which represents many of these families, have erected their names on the road to Derry lest we forget their loss. The media and commentators often seek to define British army violence in our country as solely being what occurred in Derry on Bloody Sunday. This is not the case.

Director of Relatives for Justice Mark Thompson said:

"The 300 names on the road to Derry, just outside Dungiven, bears testimony to the terrible legacy that is the true human cost of British military violence in our country. We remember all victims of state violence and repledge ourselves to the struggle for truth for all families.

"We expect this poignant reminder will impact on the visiting media who will all be making the journey to Derry tomorrow and on Tuesday - and will remind them that there are many many families beyond Derry who all have a vested interest in truth and justice."ENDS
 

Editors Notes

Throughout the conflict the British army and the RUC acted with impunity regarding its actions. In particular the provision of impunity surrounded virtually all of the 367 direct killings by the State – most of these perpetrated by the British army. These were predominantly, yet not exclusively, perpetrated against the nationalist/republican and Catholic community. The vast majority of those targeted and killed were uninvolved civilians – men, women and children.

Of those non-State combatants killed many were killed in preplanned premeditated circumstances in which safe and effective arrests were possible yet political and military decisions were taken to act outside of the rule of law and to kill people rather than to act and adhere to international and domestic legal requirements.

The overall criminal justice system tasked to examine all of these killings and hold to account those responsible was deliberately circumvented beyond recognition and comparability to criminal justice systems (a) functioning within the same jurisdiction such as England, Scotland and Wales or (b) of any other functioning democracy within the European Union. 

The deliberate corruption of the rule of law included partial 'investigations' by the Royal Military Police, the RUC, the role of the then DPP, and the inquests courts in which the objective was to provide the cosmetic appearance that ‘justice’ processes were at work whilst in reality these were routinely perfunctory and thus wholly ineffective.

Added to this was the systemic policy of misinformation concerning events surrounding killings by the State and the practice of character assassination of their victims as the propaganda machine of the establishment sought to both justify killings.

Many of those killed were deliberately and wrongly labeled ‘gunmen and gunwomen’.

In many instances these same bereaved relatives have been publicly vilified, harassed, threatened and even targeted. Two lawyers, Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, representing families bereaved by British State violence were themselves murdered through State collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.

Above all else there must be effective, demonstrable and tangible mechanisms to redress the legacy of British State impunity.

The argument that dealing with these issues is somehow ‘one-sided’ merely negates the fact that the State abused its power and corrupted the rule of law and due process by providing impunity for its political and military objectives. Whilst all the issues concerning the past must be addressed particular focus must be concentrated on State actions for which there was/is total impunity.
 

Relative for Jusitce remembering all victims of British Army - please click on the link below to view video footabe from Staurday 12th June 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Mpgm6hU7U