Rodbouy
Banned
The inquiry into Bloody Sunday has found the killing of civilians by members of the British army was "unjustified and unjustifiable".To view this content you need Flash and Javascript enabled in your browser.
Please download Flash from the Adobe download website.
Revealing the findings in a statement to the House of Commons, David Cameron said the soldiers were acting under an order they should not have been given.
The first shot was fired by the British Army, he said, but none of the casualities had had a firearm and there was absolutely no justification for the shooting of civilians.
"There are no ambiguities - it was unjustified and unjustifiable," he said.
"In no case was any warning given by soldiers before opening fire.
"They lost self control and forgot, or ignored, their instructions and training."
The inquiry found many of the soldiers gave false accounts of what happened in order to justifiy their actions.
"Some were killed or injured while clearly fleeing the scene or assisting others," the Prime Minister said.
"One person shot while crawling away from the soldiers."
He added: "You do not defend the British army by defending the indefensible.
"On behalf of the Government, and indeed the country, I am deeply sorry."
Tony Doherty, whose father Paddy died on Bloody Sunday, said the victims had been vindicated and the Parachute Regiment disgraced.
"It can now be proclaimed to the world that the dead and the wounded of Bloody Sunday, civil rights marchers, one and all, were innocent, one and all, gunned down on their own streets by soldiers who had been given to believe that they could kill with perfect impunity," he said.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is considering whether any police investigation will arise from the inquiry's findings.
On January 30 1972, British troops opened fire during an unauthorised march in the Bogside, a staunchly nationalist area of Londonderry.
They killed 13 people and wounded 14 others, one of whom died later. The victims were all unarmed Catholics.
source sky news
Please download Flash from the Adobe download website.
Revealing the findings in a statement to the House of Commons, David Cameron said the soldiers were acting under an order they should not have been given.
The first shot was fired by the British Army, he said, but none of the casualities had had a firearm and there was absolutely no justification for the shooting of civilians.
"There are no ambiguities - it was unjustified and unjustifiable," he said.
"In no case was any warning given by soldiers before opening fire.
"They lost self control and forgot, or ignored, their instructions and training."
The inquiry found many of the soldiers gave false accounts of what happened in order to justifiy their actions.
"Some were killed or injured while clearly fleeing the scene or assisting others," the Prime Minister said.
"One person shot while crawling away from the soldiers."
He added: "You do not defend the British army by defending the indefensible.
"On behalf of the Government, and indeed the country, I am deeply sorry."
Tony Doherty, whose father Paddy died on Bloody Sunday, said the victims had been vindicated and the Parachute Regiment disgraced.
"It can now be proclaimed to the world that the dead and the wounded of Bloody Sunday, civil rights marchers, one and all, were innocent, one and all, gunned down on their own streets by soldiers who had been given to believe that they could kill with perfect impunity," he said.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is considering whether any police investigation will arise from the inquiry's findings.
On January 30 1972, British troops opened fire during an unauthorised march in the Bogside, a staunchly nationalist area of Londonderry.
They killed 13 people and wounded 14 others, one of whom died later. The victims were all unarmed Catholics.
source sky news