Massacre At Ballymurphy
Discussion
I watched that too, having had one son in the army from 1983 to 1989, who was deployed from Germany to N.Ireland for around 3 months, then back to Germany, and another son, who joined up in 1985, but spent almost all his time in Germany, I expected to watch the program thinking, “fu*k you, you saw my kids as legitimate targets, you asked for it.”
By halfway, and the more I heard from the relatives of those that died in Ballymurphy, I was thinking a little different, I still could never forgive anyone who targeted my sons, but I was starting to see that maybe people who’d been no threat to 1 Para, had been shot that day.
At the end of the program, it said that inquests will be held later this year, I hope that those relatives left behind, get some justice, and that the truth DOES come out.
By halfway, and the more I heard from the relatives of those that died in Ballymurphy, I was thinking a little different, I still could never forgive anyone who targeted my sons, but I was starting to see that maybe people who’d been no threat to 1 Para, had been shot that day.
At the end of the program, it said that inquests will be held later this year, I hope that those relatives left behind, get some justice, and that the truth DOES come out.
As expected it was a one sided version of events over those few days. During the internment operation, there was absolute mayham with both the Provisional IRA and the UVF both operating in the area. To say catgorically that the victims were all shot by 1 Para, is misleading at best. The UVF were using a sniper rifle at the time, which had been converted to fire 7.62mm, this gun was recovered by the RUC a few years later.
Whilst I agree that there should be no cover up, perhaps if the kind folks who oversaw the good friday agreement hadn't given the members of the IRA a free get out of jail card (the on the runs pass), then perhaps we would have got to the bottom of a number of unresolved murders (atrocities) commited by the IRA, and these men could face justice.
For me who served in the province back in 76 and 79-81, I only see a current witchhunt being conducted with some vigour, against the Security forces. I lost a good number of friends at Warrenpoint the bombers were never charged.
The Troubles were indeed a very nasty time in our history, a very complex and difficult period in which to navigate through to find the truth. The programme did not establish any real truth, never even attempted to provide a balanced view.
Whilst I agree that there should be no cover up, perhaps if the kind folks who oversaw the good friday agreement hadn't given the members of the IRA a free get out of jail card (the on the runs pass), then perhaps we would have got to the bottom of a number of unresolved murders (atrocities) commited by the IRA, and these men could face justice.
For me who served in the province back in 76 and 79-81, I only see a current witchhunt being conducted with some vigour, against the Security forces. I lost a good number of friends at Warrenpoint the bombers were never charged.
The Troubles were indeed a very nasty time in our history, a very complex and difficult period in which to navigate through to find the truth. The programme did not establish any real truth, never even attempted to provide a balanced view.
deltaevo16 said:
As expected it was a one sided version of events over those few days. During the internment operation, there was absolute mayham with both the Provisional IRA and the UVF both operating in the area. To say catgorically that the victims were all shot by 1 Para, is misleading at best. The UVF were using a sniper rifle at the time, which had been converted to fire 7.62mm, this gun was recovered by the RUC a few years later.
Whilst I agree that there should be no cover up, perhaps if the kind folks who oversaw the good friday agreement hadn't given the members of the IRA a free get out of jail card (the on the runs pass), then perhaps we would have got to the bottom of a number of unresolved murders (atrocities) commited by the IRA, and these men could face justice.
For me who served in the province back in 76 and 79-81, I only see a current witchhunt being conducted with some vigour, against the Security forces. I lost a good number of friends at Warrenpoint the bombers were never charged.
The Troubles were indeed a very nasty time in our history, a very complex and difficult period in which to navigate through to find the truth. The programme did not establish any real truth, never even attempted to provide a balanced view.
I agree, it was very one sided in how it was portrayed. Considering it was told from a backdrop of Nationalist residents, it's no surprise to see it was very much put across from their point of view. You've got to think the IRA were absolutely present at that time. We'll never know though.Whilst I agree that there should be no cover up, perhaps if the kind folks who oversaw the good friday agreement hadn't given the members of the IRA a free get out of jail card (the on the runs pass), then perhaps we would have got to the bottom of a number of unresolved murders (atrocities) commited by the IRA, and these men could face justice.
For me who served in the province back in 76 and 79-81, I only see a current witchhunt being conducted with some vigour, against the Security forces. I lost a good number of friends at Warrenpoint the bombers were never charged.
The Troubles were indeed a very nasty time in our history, a very complex and difficult period in which to navigate through to find the truth. The programme did not establish any real truth, never even attempted to provide a balanced view.
To get a balanced point of view, you need to strip it back to the bare bones of who did what. If you look at who carried weapons during the troubles, many carried them legally (army, police), many carried them illegally (paramilitaries). ALL parties committed acts of terrorism. ALL parties committed truly barbaric crimes, causing deep hurt, resentment, fear, anger....all those horrible emotions. What happened in the late 60's and early 70's created all the bitterness, which took decades to 'somewhat' get under control.
And for families who lost loved ones, their closure should be weighted equally important, regardless of whether they were killed by security forces or by the paramilitaries.
When you look at statistics, the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries (who at a time, were actually given arms by the security forces)...they actually killed more innocent civilians during the troubles than the IRA killed. So there will be a heavier weight of investigations towards security forces and loyalist paramilitaries, simply because they killed more civilians. But we also need to ensure equal priority is given to those families that lost loved ones from crimes of the IRA. Due to the nature of their covert operations and subsequent silence, that will always prove difficult.
As people get older, there is maybe hope that former paramilitaries will come clean about some of the past atrocities, giving the families some answers that they clearly deserve. You can never heal the hurt, but people deserve answers, they need to know the truth. It's horrible that they don't. And whether that's the Ballymurphy residents, or the families of your soldier friends at Warrenpoint, they all deserve the same truth, and the same efforts made to unearth that truth. It's the only way.
“Ten shot dead in Ballymurphy massacre entirely innocent, coroner finds“
https://news.sky.com/story/ballymurphy-inquest-10-...
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/ten-...
Ructions said:
There’s no other way to put it. Even Arlene Foster has acknowledged the verdict.I actually forgot that Ballymurphy Massacre predated Bloody Sunday.
Ructions said:
In 2010 David Cameron stood on the floor of the House of Commons and described the killings on Bloody Sunday as "unjustified and unjustifiable."
It is notable that there are no such words from Boris Johnson in response to the Ballymurphy inquest findings today. No words at all.
What inference re Boris's silence is rattling around that big old conspiratorial cerebral cortex of yours ?
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