Thousands mark Bloody Sunday anniversary
Sunday, 3 February 2002 21:46
More than 20,000 people gathered this afternoon in Derry to mark the 30th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. People from Derry, as well as participants from Ireland, Britain, and the United States, were among those present.
The rally, which got underway at 3pm, retraced the route of the civil rights march of January 1972, when 13 people were shot dead by British soldiers.
Those travelling from other parts of the world joined locals, including relatives of the victims, for the march from the Creggan shops. The march finished with a rally at Free Derry corner.
This was one of the largest turnouts for a Bloody Sunday anniversary. Two recent television documentaries, and the ongoing Saville Inquiry into the shootings, have helped to focus public interest on this year's anniversary.
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, now Education Minister, has admitted his role as second-in command of the Provisional IRA in the city at the time and will give evidence later this year to the Saville Inquiry.
"Republicans are not running away from the truth," he said at today's march. "We're quite prepared to face up to the truth. The people who need to face the truth now are those who were responsible for events like Bloody Sunday," said Mr McGuinness.
