Ballymurphy Massacre families protest Prince Charles's visit

THE FAMILIES of 11 nationalists killed by the British Army's Parachute Regiment in what is known as the Ballymurphy Massacre staged a protest at Belfast City Hall on Tuesday 19 May against the impending visit to the city of British royal Prince Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Paras.

Those killed, including a Catholic priest, were gunned down by the paratroopers in the three days after the introduction of internment without charge or trial in the North in August 1971.

The families' protest was supported by Sinn Féin West Belfast MP Paul Maskey, who said the families of the dead and wounded of Ballymurphy deserve justice.

The media have almost exclusively focused on the killing of Charles's uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, by the IRA in advance of his visit to Mullaghmore in County Sligo on Wednesday. Relatives of the Ballymurphy dead say reconciliation and remorse is a two-way street and are calling on Prince Charles to acknowledge their loss “and the injustice carried out by the Parachute Regiment”.

◼︎ Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey (pictured) was on the protest and he said Sinn Féin will continue to support the Ballymurphy families in their campaign for justice. 

"I joined the Ballymurphy families in their protest today to show Sinn Féin's ongoing support for their long campaign for truth and justice. 

"Sinn Féin have long supported the Ballymurphy families and will continue to do so. 

"Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and other Sinn Féin representatives met today with Prince Charles. This is part of a larger process of peace and reconciliation and moving society forward. 

"Reconciliation is a difficult but necessary step in the peace process. 

"I and other Sinn Féin representatives will continue to support the Ballymurphy families and other victims of state violence in their search for truth."

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