The only British soldier to ever be prosecuted in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Northern Ireland went on trial Monday in Belfast on murder charges in a case that has come to symbolize the three decades of sectarian violence known as "The Troubles." The ex-paratrooper, a lance corporal identified only as "Soldier F," appeared in court behind a blue curtain that shielded him from view of the families of some of the 13 people killed and 15 wounded when troops opened fire on unarmed civil rights demonstrators on Jan. 30, 1972, in Londonderry, also known as Derry, the AP reports.
"The civilians ... did not pose a threat to the soldiers and nor could the soldiers have believed that they did," prosecutor Louis Mably said in an opening statement in Belfast Crown Court. "The civilians were unarmed and they were simply shot as they ran away." The Army veteran pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder in what was the deadliest shooting of the long-running conflict between mainly Catholic supporters of a united Ireland and predominantly Protestant forces that wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.
While the conflict largely ended with the 1998 Good Friday peace accord that created a system for Republican and Unionist parties to share power in Northern Ireland, tensions remain. Families of civilians killed continue to press for justice, and supporters of army veterans complain that their losses have been downplayed and that they have been unfairly targeted in investigations. Families of the victims that have campaigned for accountability marched to the courthouse before the trial carrying photos of the dead and walking behind a banner reading "Towards Justice." John McKinney called it a momentous day. "It has taken 53 years to get to this point, and we have battled all the odds to get here," said McKinney, whose brother, William, was killed in the shooting.
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