Publication of Saville Report welcomed

Memories of the Bloody Sunday dead boomed out across Derry's Guildhall Square as bereaved relatives read out the names of their loved ones to an audience of thousands who had packed into the space in front of the city's historic walls.

As each relative in turn came to the microphone on the steps of the venue, they read out a name of one of those killed by the Paras, before shouting the word: 'Innocent.'

John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother Michael was found by the report to have been shot by soldiers without justification, made an emotional address to the crowd that recalled the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

'We have overcome,' he declared, prompting cheers from the throng.

He said the report had vindicated the families and it would now be the verdict of history for all time.

Mr Kelly produced a copy of the shamed Widgery report, which had largely exonerated the soldiers only months after the killings.

The Widergy report was then torn to shreds.

Criminal charges considered

The North's Chief Constable Matt Baggott and Sir Alasdair Fraser, head of the Public Prosecution Service, are to have talks to consider whether any of the Paratroopers who opened fire on Bloody Sunday will face criminal charges.

Any decision is solely a matter for the PPS, acting independently in accordance with the Test for Prosecution, according to a statement from Sir Alasdair's office in Belfast.

It added: 'The Director of Public Prosecutions, together with the Chief Constable, will consider the report to determine the nature and extent of any police inquiries and investigations which may be required to enable informed decisions as to prosecution to be taken.

'The undertaking given by the Attorney General in 1999 to witnesses who provided evidence to the inquiry will also require to be considered.

'It is not practical, at this stage, to say when such decisions will be taken other than to indicate that the matter will be considered as expeditiously as possible.'

Commenting from Derry Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said;
'Today is a day for the families of those killed and those injured on Bloody Sunday.

'They have campaigned for 38 years for the truth and for justice. They have campaigned for the British government to end their policy of cover-up and concealment.

'The facts of what happened on Bloody Sunday are clear - the British Paras came to Derry and murdered 14 civil rights marchers and injured 13 others.

'They were unarmed, they posed no threat and they were completely innocent.

'Today Saville has put the lies of Widgery into the dustbin of history and with it the cover-up which was authorized of the highest levels within the British Establishment and lasted for almost four decades.

'Sinn Féin will continue to support the Bloody Sunday families in the time ahead.'

The Ulster Unionist leader Reg Empey said he hoped the report would give relief to the families who lost loved ones, and might help the families put the past behind them and move on.

'Clearly and rightly the onus will always be on Ministers of the Crown to account for the actions of the military, and today David Cameron shouldered that responsibility.

'However, while some families may have had a degree of closure today, very many others have not been so fortunate.

'In the days before Bloody Sunday, two RUC officers - Peter Gilgunn and David Montgomery - were shot dead in the Creggan area of the city.

'Their families have not received justice. Nobody has apologised to their families for their murders, despite the IRA having claimed responsibility for their killings.'

'This alone illustrates the divisiveness of the inquiry culture. With over 3,600 killed, some inquiries have been held or are underway, but most deaths appear to have been forgotten.

'This adds to the sense of grief felt by many victims' families. It unfortunately appears that some deaths are regarded as more significant than others. This is no way to build a shared future.

'Northern Ireland cannot endure an endless list of Saville-type inquiries. We cannot continually be dragged back to our darkest years.

'The question now facing Northern Ireland is whether we continue to pursue costly individual cases or are we, as a society, to concentrate on building a shared future, freed from the mistakes of the past?'