IAUC Statement on Bloody Sunday Verdict

The IAUC deeply admires the strength and dignity of the families of those murdered by British forces on Bloody Sunday in the face of the not-guilty verdict given by Belfast Crown Court on October 23rd. For over fifty years truth and accountability has been pursued by the families, and people worldwide, who saw the vicious attack on non-violent civil rights marchers in Derry who were protesting against the internment of Irish nationalists by the British government.

The British government has a long history of denying culpability, delaying justice and destroying evidence when it suits their agenda. Nothing has changed.

Despite the verdict, the facts are clear – the British Army opened fire on peaceful protesters in Derry on January 30, 1972, killing 14 unarmed civilians. No courtroom whitewash will change those facts. Even the judge singled out the quiet dignity “of those who attended the trial and listened to the
harrowing detail” of the events on Bloody Sunday.

The island of Ireland belongs to and should be governed by those who live there. Unification is incumbent and inevitable. Long live Ireland.