[News] Bloody Sunday - Soldier to be prosecuted

[Johnnyboy]

Those murdered by the British Army that day were not members of the IRA.

And the 7 civilians killed in the Aldershot bombing in 1972 were mainly cleaners. I’m afraid 2 wrongs never make a right.


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[The Rivet]

Ooh that’s waspish love. What I’m saying, to be clear, is this.

You are wrong.

Thank you.

I'm tempted to employ the old 'laugh out loud' emoji but na, not this time. Not warranted.

 

[JCL666]

But how long has this been going on for? Presumably he is the Irish Republic?

It's a complex case as it is actually linked to the validity of OTR letters.

The extradition process has only recently been started.

 

[maltaseagull]

A mate of mine, an ex Para, served in the Falklands, Ireland and other theatres, is quite open in admitting that atrocities were committed by both sides. But to judge him or anyone else by the standards of 2019 when this incident was played out in the 1970s is ridiculous.

He was 17 when he joined, 18 when he did his first tour and was shot at several times by IRA gunmen hiding in family areas of Belfast.

Sending kids with automatic weapons to police a demo where the protestors hate you and would gladly chop your bollocks off if they caught you, was asking for trouble.

Murray points out that the soldiers lied to try and evade prosecution and imprisonment...hardly a surprise...so what? If we have to send this individual to jail to maintain peace...again...so what? If he hadn’t been sent there with an SLR by HM Govt. then no one would have died. Give him a community service order and just move the **** on.

Perhaps they should sentence him to 20 years and then release him as part of the GFA part 2?

 

[JCL666]

And many murdered by the IRA were not military members! You stupid fella.

Are you putting terrorists and members of the military on an equal footing in the eyes of the law?

This is actually where the problem lies.

Soldiers are bound by laws and conventions regarding how they operate, this equates to a different code of conduct.

 

[Hastings gull]

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...extradition-to-northern-ireland-37885955.html

Fascinating that on the other side of the Irish Sea, they talk of how the public interest is served by charging a 67 year old for historic crimes . .

 

[wellquickwoody]

Fascinating that on the other side of the Irish Sea, they talk of how the public interest is served by charging a 67 year old for historic crimes . .

Bewildering how differently people are treated.

 

[kjgood]

Serving soldiers should never be immune from prosecution for firing into a group of civilians. Else where do you draw the line?

On the face of it your comment seems reasonable and sensible and any law abiding person would and should probably agree with you. But now add a crowd who are trying to tear you apart, throwing bricks and Molatov Cocktails at you, shouting, spitting, swearing at you and some **** or twats are shooting at you, your hyped up, scared, under pressure............. what do you do now? unfortunately I know the answer to that question, do you?.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

On the face of it your comment seems reasonable and sensible and any law abiding person would and should probably agree with you. But now add a crowd who are trying to tear you apart, throwing bricks and Molatov Cocktails at you, shouting, spitting, swearing at you and some **** or twats are shooting at you, your hyped up, scared, under pressure............. what do you do now? unfortunately I know the answer to that question, do you?.

I take your point completely. Beyond that, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[Mellotron]

I remember that .. painfully funny. They wrote Father Ted (I think?)

Chap on the right is Graham Linehan - writer of Father Ted and (for my money) the far funnier Black Books.

 

[pearl]

Chap on the right is Graham Linehan - writer of Father Ted and (for my money) the far funnier Black Books.

Dylan Moran ....

 

[vegster]

I’m done with this country now, is there no end to the betrayal?
I am politically homeless and really starting to loathe the nation I once served and loved.


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On your way then, tara

 

[Baker lite]

On your way then, tara

Who’s Tara?


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[hans kraay fan club]

Serving soldiers should never be immune from prosecution for firing into a group of civilians. Else where do you draw the line?

On the face of it your comment seems reasonable and sensible and any law abiding person would and should probably agree with you. But now add a crowd who are trying to tear you apart, throwing bricks and Molatov Cocktails at you, shouting, spitting, swearing at you and some **** or twats are shooting at you, your hyped up, scared, under pressure............. what do you do now? unfortunately I know the answer to that question, do you?.

All fair points, and all factors that you would absolutely expect to be considered as evidence / mitigation in any due process. They don't preclude the process taking place though.

 

[kjgood]

All fair points, and all factors that you would absolutely expect to be considered as evidence / mitigation in any due process. They don't preclude the process taking place though.

Apart from the inequality of the GFA. How can people who our Government know committed awful acts of violence , far worse than these Para's have a letter to say its OK that you did this don't worry we will forget it all to make it easier to settle the Province down. Now we say to soldiers who were sent there under stupid conditions ''Oh well we don't include you in this'' only the real terrorists. Isnt our Government the Government of Northern Ireland as well. Talk about hanging our guys out to dry!

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Apart from the inequality of the GFA. How can people who our Government know committed awful acts of violence , far worse than these Para's have a letter to say its OK that you did this don't worry we will forget it all to make it easier to settle the Province down. Now we say to soldiers who were sent there under stupid conditions ''Oh well we don't include you in this'' only the real terrorists. Isnt our Government the Government of Northern Ireland as well. Talk about hanging our guys out to dry!

Its inequitable, I agree.

But two wrongs don't make a right, and I think we can justifiably expect our servicemen to be held to a higher standard of behaviour than a gang of rabid paramilitary criminals.

 

[kjgood]

Its inequitable, I agree.

But two wrongs don't make a right, and I think we can justifiably expect our servicemen to be held to a higher standard of behaviour than a gang of rabid paramilitary criminals.

I think that we should demand not expect our servicemen and women to be held to a higher standard than the bog standard terrorist. As a 22 year serving WO1, I would demand that from my guys not expect it. However we have wiped the slate clean for one side who in some cases commited, funded and planned far worse crimes both against civilians and military targets alike as it wasnt in the public interest. Why is dragging these guys through that circus in the public interest?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I think that we should demand not expect our servicemen and women to be held to a higher standard than the bog standard terrorist. As a 22 year serving WO1, I would demand that from my guys not expect it. However we have wiped the slate clean for one side who in some cases commited, funded and planned far worse crimes both against civilians and military targets alike as it wasnt in the public interest. Why is dragging these guys through that circus in the public interest?

I've not the time for a long debate on the rights and wrongs of the GFA - suffice to say there are plenty of unpalatable decisions within the agreements, made for the greater good. I don't agree with all of them.

But, IF the evidence is there and clear, that this soldier deliberately shot unarmed civilians, posing no immediate threat to himself or others, then yes, it is in the public interest for our justice system to be seen to run its full and proper course. If the evidence and mitigating factors do not support that, then hopefully justice would be done and an appropriate verdict would be returned.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

Looking forward now to Tony Blair being charged for Historical War Crimes

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[Machiavelli]

While I have every sympathy with the families of those killed it does seem to be one rule for the IRA and one for the British military. I thought the GFA effectively wiped the slate clean for both sides ?

Eh? I'm aware that it's big and clever to have a pop at the IRA, but perhaps you could inform us all:
-- how many IRA murderers have been prosecuted and imprisoned, and
-- how many British forces that killed their own citizens on Bloody Sunday and surrounding events have been prosecuted and imprisoned.
Once you ask those questions, you might just find that there is indeed one rule for the IRA and another for the British military, but I suspect that all sorts of people will avoid these questions and start kicking off about an entirely different issue. Social meeja innit.