» 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.
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Ballymurphy inquests: Use of lethal force by British Army in 1971 shootings not justified , coroner rules
The shooting of 10 people over three days in west Belfast in 1971 has become known as the Ballymurphy Massacre. By Press Association Tuesday 11 May 2021, 2:40 PM Tue 2:02 PM 36,748 Views 28 Comments
Families arriving at the the International Convention Centre in Belfast.
Image: PA Images
Image: PA Images
Updated Tue 2:40 PM
AN INQUEST INTO the shooting dead of 10 people in west Belfast almost 50 years has found that the people killed were “entirely innocent”.
The events over three days in August 1971 have become known as the Ballymurphy Massacre.
Coroner Mrs Justice Siobhan Keegan attributed nine of the ten shootings to the British Army and said the use of lethal force by soldiers was not justified.
Nineteen more deaths from Covid in Northern Ireland, figures reveal The ICC, formerly Belfast s Waterfront Hall, has held its first hearing as a Nightingale court . Picture by Nick Patterson. Paul Ainsworth 19 January, 2021 01:00
THERE have been a further 19 deaths from coronavirus in Northern Ireland taking the death toll since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,625.
A total of 640 new cases of the virus were also identified, meaning there have been 96,001 total confirmed cases to date.
Of the 823 patients being treated for Covid-19, 65 are in intensive care units, with 51 receiving ventilation treatment.
In the Republic, the Department of Health said eight more people had died as a result of the virus. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 deaths in the region is now 2,616.