People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said,
“We share the bitter disappointment of families at the decision of the Public Prosecution Service not to proceed with cases against Soldier F and Soldier B.
Next year marks the 50th anniversaries of Bloody Sunday and the murder of 15-year-old Daniel Hegarty. Families have spent decades campaigning against cover-ups and this decision is a further insult to them – and also the people of Derry and beyond who have stood in solidarity with them.
The decision of the PPS not to pursue the attempt to hold anyone accountable for the murder of innocent people is a complete denial of justice but also reveals the truth about how the British state works.
The British government is determined to make sure no one is ever held accountable for state violence. Politicians, government officials and top military brass who bear ultimate responsibility for state violence and the actions of the British Army here have been protected and shielded from accountability for decades.
General Michael Jackson orchestrated the cover-up of the Parachute Regiment’s Shankill, Ballymurphy and Bloody Sunday murders was rewarded with decades of accolades and promotion to the top British Army position. The British government is determined to deny accountability for past army atrocities because it continued to commit atrocities in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere – and continues to act in the same way today.
We commend the efforts of all the families who have been relentless in the effort to win justice for their loved ones and will continue to stand with them.”
