The Government has been accused of “selectively” targeting veterans of campaigns in Northern Ireland as a former paratrooper prepared to go on trial over the Bloody Sunday shootings. The veteran, who cannot be identified and is known as Soldier F, is accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney, and five attempted murders, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to.
Police maintained a presence outside Belfast Crown Court as families of those killed in Londonderry on January 30 1972 and a large number of supporters walked to the courts complex in the city centre holding pictures of the 13 people who were killed. Supporters of Soldier F also gathered and accused authorities of prosecuting those tasked with maintaining the peace whilst failing to do the same to members of terrorist organisations. TUV leader Jim Allister said veterans generally have “selectively been picked upon for investigation and for prosecution”.
“While meantime multiple terrorists continue to walk our streets effectively exercising immunity from prosecution,” he added.
“It’s to call out that disparity in treatment that I as a politician wish to be here to associate myself with the cause of victims who have been so picked upon in recent years, and which this Government intends to pick upon, both in terms of inquests, investigations and prosecutions in the years going forward.”
The trial comes as the government in Westminster continues to press ahead with plans to repeal the Legacy Act, a piece of legislation designed to protect veterans from vexatious prosecutions.
The plans have led to protests in Westminster and accusations that veterans are being subjected to “two tier justice”.
A petition calling on the government to abandon the plans has so far gathered nearly 200,000 signatures and triggered a debate in parliament.
The trial comes 53 years after the shootings, two public inquiries, a fight to have to have those killed acknowledged as innocent civilians, an apology from a prime minister and the judicial ruling that prevented the Public Prosecution Service from halting the prosecution.
“Everything that we have achieved to this point has been through relentless commitment and a refusal to lie down,” Mr McKinney said.
“Today, our message is simple: towards justice, we shall overcome.”
Nearby, Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner David Johnstone pointed out that 130 soldiers were killed in Northern Ireland in 1972, as he highlighted the murder of Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers Peter Gilgun, 26, and David Montgomery, 20, who were shot dead in an attack on their patrol car in Derry days before Bloody Sunday.
He added: “As the Veterans Commissioner it is my responsibility to represent and speak on behalf of the Northern Ireland veterans who served during Operation Banner and I will not shy away from that.
“Many veterans today are frustrated, angry and feel betrayed at how legacy has been handled since 1998.”