Bloody Sunday March Committee unveils mural at Free Derry Wall

The Bloody Sunday March Committee has unveiled a mural at the city's iconic Free Derry Wall, titled: ‘England’s Bloody Empire - Coronation Special’.

The mural, which was unveiled on Thursday, depicts Britain’s King Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the British army’s Parachute Regiment, in full military uniform. Alongside him is General Sir Michael Jackson, another officer in the Parachute Regiment, described as “notorious for his role in Derry on Bloody Sunday”.

The Bloody Sunday March Committee said: “We were very proud to unveil our take on the Coronation of King Charles today at Free Derry Wall.

“Lest anyone forget, Charles Windsor is Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment, which has murdered countless numbers of innocents in the pursuit of England's bloody Empire.”

Introduced by Kate Nash, life-long civil rights activist, Eamon McCann, who spoke at the mural’s unveiling, said Prince Charles should be made to shoulder a major proportion of the blame for Bloody Sunday.

“It was the regiment of which he was the commander-in-chief. Anybody from this area, representing the people of this area, who trundles across to London, to express their reverent support, is betraying the place they came from.

“This is a working class area. We are not represented by Tories or by senior army officers and they shouldn’t dare, anybody claiming to represent an area like this, go over and, in effect, pledge their allegiance to Prince Charles, commander-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment.”

Speaking to Derry News, Eamon McCann said the way of imperialism the world over was to make the pious pronouncement, ‘We’ve said sorry, sort of, so say no more, else you’ll be fingered as an enemy of peace.’

He added: “It's an exact repetition of the excuses they offer when they scuttle from colonial crime-scenes across the world.

“It was the most high and mighty representatives of the ruling class who brought the blood-storm down on Derry. Kings and cabinet ministers, military chiefs, odds and sods with ribbons on their chests - guilty one and all.

“King Charles and Michael Jackson are the very personifications of the social evil that erupted in Derry on Bloody Sunday.