UK Ex-Soldier's Lawyer Seeks Acquittal in Bloody Sunday, 50 Years After 'Apology'
In 1972, British paratroopers killed 13 unarmed civil rights marchers in Derry, Northern Ireland, in what became known as Bloody Sunday. The Saville Inquiry, a 12-year investigation, concluded in 2010 that the killings were 'unjustified and unjustifiable,' leading then-Prime Minister David Cameron to issue a formal apology. Now, ABC News highlights a lawyer's plea to acquit 'Soldier F,' charged
with two murders, arguing against prosecuting soldiers for historical events. (One wonders if this legal precedent will extend to colonial atrocities globally, or just those committed by 'our' allies.) The media narrative often frames these historical attempts at accountability as burdensome on veterans, conveniently omitting the decades-long fight for justice by victims and their families. This
renewed effort to exonerate 'Soldier F' half a century later raises uncomfortable questions about whose lives are deemed worthy of justice and whose suffering is simply an unfortunate historical footnote. How many 'apologies' by powerful nations are just temporary PR bandages, easily peeled off when convenience calls?