Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At the weekend, this island marked the 50th anniversary of the murder of civilians in Derry on Bloody Sunday. The families and the people of Derry endured too long a campaign for the acknowledgement of truth about what happened in the name of the British Government but full justice and accountability have never been secured. This is true of most victims of the Troubles and I am today mindful of the Birmingham bombing families and the Reavey family, some of whom I have met. They and all victims are being re-traumatised by the British Government's proposed amnesty and the ending of all Troubles-related legal routes to justice and truth. This is a breach of the Stormont House Agreement, plain and simple. It undermines the entire peace process, which relies on the British Government not acting unilaterally.

The British Government must recognise that soldiers sent to the North in the name of protecting civilians must be held to a higher standard of accountability, particularly where devastating breaches of human rights occurred. The failure of the British State and its agents to accept responsibility and to deliver justice means that true reconciliation will be difficult to achieve on this island. Like others, I call on the British Government to acknowledge and correct the wrongs perpetrated by its forces and to abandon the proposed amnesty.

It is also important to remember the victims of paramilitaries and they too must be supported. They do not have a democratic or governmental institution to pursue. Those who murdered their relatives had no democratic mandate but they are equally guilty of committing atrocities. There is a responsibility on the people who represented those paramilitaries to bring forward solutions on how truth can be delivered. Opposing a British amnesty is not enough when there are people out there and in here who have it in their gift to give victims truth and closure. If you served in a paramilitary organisation, you have a role to play in delivering justice. We in Fianna Fáil and many others who truly believe in a united and shared island can see it is obvious that a major blockage to achieving this is the unresolved hurt and carnage caused by both paramilitary and state atrocities. As time passes and victims get older, and the risk of another generation having to dedicate their lives to seeking justice looms, we need to achieve real progress.

To conclude, for the idea of a united Ireland, we need progress, yes, but more importantly for the families and those who have been left behind, we need justice.

See this speech in context