FAMILIES of victims of the conflict are to protest in Belfast city centre this morning– one year on from the introduction of the controversial Legacy Act.
Relatives of those who were killed during the Troubles, along with supporters, will protest outside the offices of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), which was controversially established under the previous British government.
Organised by Relatives for Justice (RFJ), the Pat Finucane Centre, the Administration of Justice, Time for Truth and Amnesty International, those who have fought campaigns for truth and justice down through the years will gather at 11am.
Irati Oliega, Relatives for Justice Advocacy Director, said the demonstration marks one year since the introduction “of the shameful Legacy Act". A legislation, she says, "that guillotined truth and justice in order to perpetuate state impunity”.
“The Legacy Act and the ICRIR it created have been firmly rejected by victims' families,” said Irati. “Domestic courts have already found key parts of the legislation incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. It is now facing an interstate challenge at the European Court of Human Rights.
“The ICRIR, established under this discredited framework, lacks independence, impartiality and public confidence. The Secretary of State retains sweeping veto powers over disclosure, including the ability to block the release of sensitive information – a power ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal. Victims cannot be expected to engage with a process where the state controls what truth can and cannot be told.”
Irati said that despite all this “families are being subjected to emotional blackmail”.
She added: “They are told the ICRIR is their only option, forced to choose between silence and an untrusted body with no legal powers to deliver truth and justice. This is not support – it’s coercion.”
Chris Moran, whose family had been pursuing an inquest for years, had their case shut down just one day before the Legacy Act’s guillotine date in 2024. Chris' brother John was one of three people who died as a result of a loyalist gun and bomb attack on Kelly’s Bar on the Springfield Road on May 13 1972.
He said: “My family waited decades for an inquest, only to have it ripped away at the last moment by a government more interested in protecting itself than supporting victims. The Legacy Act is not reconciliation, it’s cover-up. We plan to protest on Thursday, and we encourage everyone to join us.”
Irati added: “The ICRIR cannot proceed with its work without the trust of those it claims to serve, and that trust simply does not exist. We call on the UK government to listen to the clear voices of victims and survivors, and to replace the ICRIR in full.”
Thursday’s protest takes place on Thursday at 11 am outside the offices of the ICRIR in Great Victoria Street, Belfast.
