Hundreds of people marched to mark the 50th anniversary of the Springhill-Westrock Massacre on Saturday.
On July 9 1972, five innocent people – including three teenagers – were shot dead by the British Army between the Springhill and Westrock estates in West Belfast.
The onslaught, known as the Springhill-Westrock Massacre, resulted in the deaths of Margaret Gargan (13), John Dougal (16), David McCafferty (15), father-of-six Patrick Butler (38), and local parish priest Fr Noel Fitzpatrick (42). Their murders were never properly investigated.
The Springhill/Westrock Massacre families cannot thank everyone who came far and wide to show their support as we commemorated the 50th anniversary of our loved ones murders. It was a poignant event as we remembered their selfless acts on this horrific day 50 years ago 💕 pic.twitter.com/xl30c7LskQ
— SpringhillWestrock72 (@SprinWestrock72) July 9, 2022
A new inquest into the massacre has since been ordered with a preliminary hearing slated for September 7. However, the British Government is attempting through it's so-called Legacy and Reconciliation Bill to shut down campaigns for truth and justice.
Speaking at Saturday's commemoration, Sinn Féin MP John Finucane branded the proposals as a "a fundamental attack on the rule of law".
"They seek to introduce a formal amnesty for their soldiers and agents, blocking families’ right to due legal process. They seek to shut down the ability for families to take civil proceedings, to seek an inquest, and the speed at which they have introduced this legislation shows clearly that they want to deny the inquests already in our legal system from taking place at all," he said.
"These actions are unilateral, deliberately cruel, and show that the British Government care not for the lives of our loved ones, nor do they care about the rule of law, truth or justice. And that they couch this legislation in the language of reconciliation is truly shameful."
John Finucane MP
Mr Finucane hailed the campaigning families of the victims for "asking questions and uncovering exactly what it was that happened."
"I have my own experience of this," he said, "of seeing a loved one murdered only to be told that there was nothing to see here, and of course the British state would have nothing to do with the murder of a man sitting down having dinner with his family.
"For years upon years the British Government used every resource they had: legally; the media; the ability to break the law and change the law; all to prevent the truth emerging.
"But that is an incredibly difficult thing to do, to prevent and deny truth. You can try, but ultimately you will only be successful in delaying the truth, not in denying it. And the British Government know this.
"They know this when they see the strength of the families here today remembering their loved ones 50 years after they were killed. They see the determination they have, and make no mistake about it, they fear that."
