Relatives of the victims of Bloody Sunday are divided over plans for a march to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the event in Derry.
The majority have said they will not take part in the march planned to retrace the route of the ill-fated demonstration where British paratroopers killed 14 civil rights marchers in January 1972.
A public inquiry by Lord Saville declared all the victims to be innocent, prompting an apology from British prime minister David Cameron in 2010.
And while pressure has continued for the prosecution of the soldiers, the Saville findings led a majority of the families to call for an end to the annual commemoration march that they had held for 39 years.
Both sets of families deny a split over the issue and will attend a memorial service at a monument to the victims in Derry’s Bogside prior to Sunday’s march.
John Kelly, brother of Bloody Sunday victim Michael Kelly, said: “There is a difference of opinion, but the vast majority of families decided last year to end the march.”
The prominent campaigner said a small number had nevertheless decided to stage a march.
“That’s entirely up to them,” he said, though he added there would be no repeat of the image of earlier years when large numbers of relatives walked at the head of the event.
Mr Kelly said it was inevitable that differences of opinion emerged over a campaign that has lasted for decades, but he said the various families had always sought to respect each others’ views.
Kate Nash, whose teenage brother William died on Bloody Sunday and who backs this year’s march, said she was pleased with aspects of the Saville report but believed it should have gone further, especially in regards to the role of military leaders.
“David Cameron’s apology, I was so excited about that,” she said.
“I thought there would be prosecutions, but nothing really happened.” Ms Nash said the march would help press for prosecutions, but she added that the annual event had also taken on significance for other victims of the Troubles and had become an international beacon for those seeking justice.
“It is unique,” she said. “And it belongs to the people of Derry.” She added: “There is no division between the families. It is just that we have taken an alternative route, in the sense that we feel this must go on.” Mr Kelly said the Saville report had completely exonerated the victims of Bloody Sunday, and he described it as a major victory for the families.
“No one in their wildest dreams expected us to achieve what we achieved,” he said.
He said the report was a watershed moment, though the majority of families want to see the soldiers responsible for the shootings prosecuted.
Mr Kelly said the Public Prosecution Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland were currently considering the Saville findings.
PA