Bloody Sunday

[Rovers]

Jan 30 will mark 40 years since the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry Ireland. The first British inquiry said the use of extreme force was justified as ruled by some lacky English judge. The Queen eeven decorated the officers in charge of the events that unfolded that day. The families of the slain protesters refused to allow such an injustice to stand.

 

While the Saville Reort of 2010 vindicated all 14 who were murdered that day as innocent protesters, the Queen of England has not yet recinded the awards and decorations she had given to the English officers in charge of the massacre. The British never could produce any of the weapons they claimed to have seen that day, and virtually all of the victims were shot in the back or killed while attempting to help the wounded while waving white hankerchiefs. I will note that there were inded many rock throwing protesters at the fringes of the organized march, but the organizers pleadeed for none of that at the outset.

 

Bloody Sunday resulted in a large influx of IRA terrorists, who wanted to extract revenge and vindication. Many went from peaceful civil rights protesters to terrorists. The peaceful Ghandi and Martin Luther King approach had backfired on them they felt, under English rule. Not only where they fired upon, the officers responsible were actually decorated by the Queen of England. No soldier was ever discilplined, no officer even so much as admonished, they were decorated instead.

 

Finally, the truth came out in the Saville Hearings of 2010. The Irish victims of that day were innocent, and had been murdered without cause, as they were not a threat to the British Paratroopers. Here is a link to the comments of the slain:

 

http://www.bloodysundaytrust.org/bsundaybooklet-lowres.pdf

 

Here is another link that explains the events leading up to the Bloody Sunday protest march... it's about Irish being detained without due process and how the "Orangemen", the pro English terrorists in Northern Ireland were never detianed ot arrested for their crimes on innocent people, including children waiting at school bus stops.

 

http://www.bloodysundaytrust.org/bsundaybooklet-lowres.pdf

 

Didn't know that the native Northern Irish have also been victims of terrorism? Yes.... but when the pro Royal Orangemen set off a bomb that kills, the US press says it's a terrorist attack... and all assume it was the IRA.

 

I'm not defending the IRA, escpecially the fringe radicals. However, the miltary targets they went after were fair game after 1-30-72. That was rebellion over tyrants and an occupying military force who would murder innocents. There is only condemnation for attacks on any other targets for my part.

 

The Saville Report was the first step in the healing process. Now the Queen should strip the medals from the officers who gave the commands. Even better, they should be shamed somehow. They overlooked a massacre. Orchestrated it, and covered it up. That, and an official apolgy for her poor judgement and anti-Irish sentiment. It's hard to stop hating when it has been taught for so many centuries.

 

Fortunately the troubles are slowly disappearing, and not coincidentally, the Irish in Northern Ireland while still oppressed, are making steady gains in civil rights and social equality under English rule. The English are even going after the Orangemen, the pro-English rule terrorists now too. Too bad they didn't start that 70 years ago. Might have saved many innocent lives.

 

So, it is a somber anniversary, but it was an event that changed Northen Ireland, and started the very long, too long road to peace. It's easy to blame the IRA for all the violence, but it just isn't so cut and dry, so black and white. There were reasons for their violence. Sometimes justified, more often not so. Angry people do angry things.

 

Erin go bra!

[Big John]

Erin go bra!

Brings a different definition for bragh