It was never a good idea to send paratroopers into the situation, as various officers had argued before the decision was made. In my experience, most soldiers behaved relatively well, were reluctant to be there in the first place, had little sympathy with either side, and were ashamed of what happened in Derry in 1972. Partly out of sheer fatigue, but also because a new generation began to emerge that simply didn’t hold to the old, often atavistic hatred that infected so much of the culture of the otherwise vibrant and fascinating place. It was a dangerous, volatile time, with hunger strikes, deadly violence, and a sectarian insularity and animosity that most of us assumed would never end. I reported from Northern Ireland in the 1980s. How, they ask, can former members of republican and loyalist paramilitary groups escape prosecution yet British soldiers face trial? In fact, former terrorists have indeed been prosecuted and convicted, and whatever their actions, the British army – representing the state – has to be held to a higher standard.

There has been predictable outrage from tabloids, talk radio, and Tories. This comes after years of inquiries and hearings. Soldier F (military personnel are granted anonymity) will stand trial for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney. It also concluded that the evidence against 16 other soldiers, and two members of the Official IRA, was not strong enough to proceed. On Thursday, the Public Prosecution Service in London ruled that there is sufficient evidence for one of the soldiers to be charged with murder. One former British soldier to face murder charges in 1972 Bloody Sunday killings From then on, Northern Ireland would be devastated by violence and terror. The massacre tarnished Britain’s reputation internationally, but more importantly became a major recruiting tool for the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and also destroyed what were still some tenuous (if encouraging) links between the British military and the Roman Catholic population. Some of the dead were fleeing the situation or helping the wounded.

Thirteen were killed, and one died four months later. civil right campaigns and which included both Protestants and Catholics in its ranks. 30, 1972 in Derry, Northern Ireland, soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment shot 28 unarmed civilians, at a peaceful demonstration by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, a group inspired by U.S. His next book is Reclaiming Faith, to be published in October Michael Coren is the author of Epiphany: A Christian’s Change of Heart and Mind Over Same-Sex Marriage.

Bloody Sunday by Douglas Murray