LONDON Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday apologized “unreservedly” on behalf of the British government for the deaths of 10 innocent people killed in…
The UK Government must apologise “as a bare minimum” to the families of 10 innocent civilians killed in west Belfast in 1971 in shootings involving the Army, Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister said.
Speaking the day after a coroner ruled that the 10 people killed in Ballymurphy nearly 50 years ago were “entirely innocent”, Michelle O’Neill said Tuesday had been “a day for truth for the Ballymurphy families … but not a day of justice, and that’s what the families now need to see”.
She added: “That’s for everybody – all families are entitled to truth, all families are entitled to justice, all families are entitled to know what happened to their loved ones.
Mr Johnson made apology during call with Arlene Foster and Michelle O Neill
PM said conclusions of Ballymurphy inquest were deeply sad , spokesman said
Ms Foster is Northern Ireland s First Minister, whilst Ms O Neill is deputy and leader of Sinn Fein
Son of one of people killed rejected what he called a third party apology
John Teggart questioned why Mr Johnson did not say sorry publicly
Top Story
May 12, 2021
BELFAST: Ten people killed in west Belfast 50 years ago in disputed shootings involving British soldiers were “entirely innocent”, a coroner has ruled.
The Army has been found to be responsible for nine of the 10 deaths in August 1971, which included a mother-of-eight and a Catholic priest. Presiding Coroner Mrs Justice Keegan said there was not enough evidence for her to determine where the shot that killed the 10th victim, John McKerr, came from, but branded it “shocking” that there was no adequate investigation of the killing afterwards.
The coroner acknowledged it was a chaotic time in Northern Ireland but ruled that the use of force by soldiers had been “disproportionate” in the nine deaths the Army was found as responsible for.