THE families of those killed during the Ballymurphy Massacre met with Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald this afternoon after expressing their anger over a written apology from the Prime Minister.
An inquest found that ten people shot dead as the British Army’s notorious Parachute Regiment besieged the Ballymurphy estate in August 1971 were "entirely innocent".
On Thursday, the families received a letter from Boris Johnson where he said he was "truly sorry" for the atrocity.
John Teggart, whose father Daniel Teggart was amongst the victims, said they had the received the letter just minutes before the Secretary of State, Brandon Lewis, apologised for the events in parliament.
Speaking after the families met to discuss the apology, Mr Teggart criticised the timing and content of the letter.
"It's the manner of the apology, sending a letter two minutes before the Secretary of State went live on TV," he said.
"We hadn't asked for an apology. Even now, we haven't asked for an apology.
"In the contents of the letter, there was no mention of a massacre, no mentions of the Paras. The words he put forward meant nothing."
John Teggart holds the letter from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
Carmel Quinn, whose brother John Laverty was shot dead during the massacre, criticised the Tory government's plans to introduce an amnesty for those responsible for Troubles-related killings.
"He (Boris Johnson) thinks he can send a letter and then, through the back door, bring and amnesty in," she said.
"We have just got to the truth. We have campaigned for years and it has taken a toll on all our healths, and now, through the back door, he's going to bring an amnesty in – no.
"We are determined, we want accountability, and we want truth."
Ms Quinn dismissed the British State narrative around holding state killers to account, whereby they have been described as "old men".
"My brother died at 20 – he didn't have the luxury to live to be an old man," he stated.
"It's not about anyone going to prison. It's the simple fact that they have to be held to account for what they did.
"It was mass murder, it was carried out by the state, and the state have to take responsibility."
After meeting the Ballymurphy families at Newhill Youth Club in West Belfast, Mary Lou McDonald relayed their "great anger" at the Prime Minister's "botched" apology.
She said an apology was the "least that these families are entitled to".
John Laverty's family with Mary Lou McDonald at the spot where he was shot dead
"These families are heroic, that's the truth, nothing short of that," she said.
"They have shown a dignity, a courage, a resilience and stamina that is unmatched. And I think Boris Johnson could do well to borrow, from these families, some of that dignity, some of that sense of purpose."
Ms McDonald said the Prime Minister and the British State needed to recognise that the Ballymurphy Massacre was the "sharpest edge of Britain's dirty war in Ireland".
"But for the resilience and courage of these families that story would only have ever been partially told," she added.
The Sinn Féin leader said a "real" apology had to be coupled with a "recognition and acceptance of what happened in Ireland".
"So the very idea that Boris Johnson's government is thinking of closing the door to justice and introducing an amnesty for British troops, to cover up and ensure no accountability for their deeds here, is unthinkable.".
Ms McDonald called for British Government to fulfil commitments by ensuring the implementation of legacy mechanisms contained in the Stormont House Agreement.
She also stressed that the Irish Government, as co-guarantor of the Agreement, must "stand firm" in rejecting the proposed amnesty.
"It is very clear to me that the Dublin government needs to flex all of its diplomatic muscle that we have to ensure that it is made very clear, not just domestically, but internationally to Boris Johnson and his government that he cannot walk away from agreements, particularly the agreement has been cast to deal with the past," she stated.
John Teggart with Mary Lou McDonald
During her visit to West Belfast Ms McDonald was accompanied by the Ballymurphy families to the location where John Laverty and Joseph Corr were gunned down during the Massacre.
Their relatives described how, in the early hours of 11 August, the pair were shot on the Whiterock Road in an area known as the Mountain Loney. Mr Corr died from his injuries on 27 August that year.
The Ballymurphy Massacre was a series of incidents between 9 and 11 August 1971.
In addition to the shooting of Mr Corr and Mr Laverty, the inquest looked at a further four incidents.
The first shooting incident on August 9 resulted in the deaths of Father Hugh Mullan and Francis Quinn on waste ground that lay between Springfield Park and Moyard Park.
Moments later, a short distance away, a second incident saw Joan Connolly, Noel Phillips and Daniel Teggart shot dead in an area known as “the Manse”. Joseph Murphy, who was shot in the leg during the attack, died of his injuries on 22 August 1971.
Another shooting incident resulted in the death of Edward Doherty on the Whiterock Road in the late afternoon of 10 August.
The final incident included in the inquest was the shooting of John McKerr on Westrock Drive 11th of August 1971. Mr. McKerr died of his injuries on 20th August 1971.
The death of an eleventh victim, Paddy McCarthy, who died of a heart attack after being harassed and beaten by British soldiers on foot patrol, was not included in the inquest.
