Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I take the opportunity to reflect on proceedings at the inquiry into the Ballymurphy massacre in the High Court in Belfast over recent months. I have commented on this, as have other Members, over the last number of months and, indeed, years and have indicated support for the families' campaign for the inquiry. What has come to pass as a result - which has been both expected and, in some ways, very unexpected - is that those families have been traumatised all over again. The details emerging from witness testimony at that inquiry, including testimony from former members of the British Parachute Regiment, have been chilling. I have got to know many of the families that are campaigning. I have been privileged to know them over my years as an elected representative. It is important that we take the opportunity in this House to reassert and reaffirm our solidarity with and our support for those families and their campaign for truth and justice.

In addition to the level of detail they have heard, which has been graphic and awful at times, the families are further traumatised, hurt and upset by the failure to report those stories. That is one of the real frustrations that has emerged over recent months. There has been a failure to focus on these stories in the way in which the press has focused on other legacy cases and news stories. I do not advocate remaining in the past; I simply advocate for people to listen, reflect on and absorb the stories of the families who are going through live trauma and live legacy cases. We should use this House as a platform to share their stories in order to assure them of our ongoing support but also to throw down a challenge to those in the media who spend an awful lot of their time reporting nonsense, fluff and rubbish and who do not take the opportunity to properly investigate the broader legal and criminal justice aspects of this inquiry which are coming to light every single day. I encourage Members to use their influence and to be champions for the Ballymurphy families and their stories. If possible, in the coming weeks before the inquiry ends, we should have a repeat visit from a cross-party delegation from this House, such as we had at the start of the inquiry.