Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Yesterday, I joined thousands of people in Derry, in Roosevelt Street, to complete the march that was due to complete 38 years ago from Roosevelt Flats to the Guildhall. It was an experience that will be etched on my memory for many years. As we gathered , there was the tension and anticipation of not knowing whether the findings of the Saville report would exonerate the civil rights marchers on that day. There were the scenes in the Guildhall Square as we got information coming from the families that, indeed, the Saville report had justified the claims that have been made for the families for the past 38 years and have proven for once and for all that those civil rights marchers were innocent and that on 30 January 1972 the British Army did, indeed, murder 14 innocent civilians on the streets of Derry and injure 13 others. It was an important day for Derry. It was an important day for the whole of the island of Ireland.

There has been much talk since about whether there should be prosecutions, what about other victims and what about victims from the Protestant community. When we have a debate — I am sure we will have a debate in this House and the findings of the Saville report deserve a full and lengthy debate — we also need to look at the issue of all victims. My party has always stated there can never be a hierarchy of victims——