NORTH Belfast MP John Finucane has called on the British Government to grant an inquest into the killings of six men in North Belfast 53 years ago.
The New Lodge Six: Jim McCann, Jim Sloan, Tony Campbell, Brendan Maguire, John Loughran and Ambrose Hardy, were unarmed when they were fatally shot by the British Army within hours of each other between the evening and early hours of 3-4 February 1973.
Speaking at the commemoration on Tuesday night, John Finucane MP said: “Fifty-three years on, the days of the 3rd and 4th of February remain imprinted on the psyche and fabric of the New Lodge community.
“Six men, unarmed and innocent, were brutally murdered by British gunfire, as they tried in vain to save each other.
“Their memory lives on through their families who have shamefully been denied justice and accountability for decades, despite their brave and dignified campaign.
“I again call on Hilary Benn to do what the New Lodge Six families have been asking for decades and grant them their basic right to an inquest. Anything less, including referral to a process controlled by the British government, would be wholly unacceptable.
“If the British government is serious about dealing with the past, it cannot be on its own partisan terms. It must be centred on families and be fully compliant with human rights.
“Sinn Féin will continue to stand with families seeking truth and justice, and against any legacy process that puts British state forces above the rights of victims.”
