» Peadar Whelan
The families of ten nationalist civilians shot and killed by the British army in Ballymurphy in August 1971 welcomed the findings of coroner Mrs Justice Siobhan Keegan who declared all of the dead innocent and found that the British army used disproportionate force when killing their loved ones in a series of shootings known as the Ballymurphy Massacre.
However their elation was “stolen” from them by the refusal of British Prime Minster Boris Johnston to apologise directly to the families for the actions of the British state and the British army.
A statement released by 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 12 May, after a meeting involving Michelle O’Neill and Arlene Foster, stated that Johnston had apologised during the meeting, a claim rejected by Sinn Féin.
Hardly a day goes past that you don’t see a post on social media from some group or other that begins with On this day or something similar recording the anniversary of the death of someone in the Troubles. It’s a constant reminder of the violent loss of life, across the years, across age groups, across all areas and across all sections of the community. It’s often said that the victims are forgotten; I don’t think that’s necessarily true. They’re not forgotten, it’s more that the shame of society is not knowing what to do about victims and survivors, or how to handle the legacy of conflict. We haven’t managed to agree or implement a process which is a victims-centred approach.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will write in person to the families of the Ballymurphy victims to express his apologies for their deaths 50 years ago.
Last modified on Thu 13 May 2021 10.50 EDT
Boris Johnson is to write letters of apology to the families of 10 people killed during a British army operation in Ballymurphy in 1971 after his initial attempt to apologise backfired and angered them.
The Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis, made a public apology on behalf of the UK government in the House of Commons on Thursday, two days after the conclusion of an inquest into the shootings, and said the prime minister would write to the families.
The families, however, are still requesting a public apology from Johnson as the head of the government, a spectacle Downing Streets appears to be trying to avoid.
Brandon Lewis has apologised for the Ballymurphy shootings in a parliamentary statement today, but Boris Johnson faces mounting criticism for not maki.