Letter: Grief hijacked

As a young boy growing up in Ireland one of my earliest recollections was Bloody Sunday. I recall groups of adults in our street standing, shocked, scared, and in whispering huddled groups. I remember my father telling me that something awful had happened and, although very young, understanding from his face that indeed something undoubtedly had. The IRA has hijacked this event and nailed it to its propaganda mast. However the sense of shock, anger, and bitterness was then and is now still felt by many who would otherwise hold no support for the provisionals. The inescapable issue of Bloody Sunday is that the legitimate and lawful army of a legitimate and lawful state killed, perhaps murdered, with impunity.

It is not for the perpetrator's to judge the worthiness or appropriateness of an apology, rather the victims.

E O'MEARA

Buckhurst Hill, Essex