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16 Oct 2025

Derry and Strabane Council to adjourn to allow councillors to commemorate Bloody Sunday

Today marks the 53rd anniversary of Bloody Sunday

Derry and Strabane Council to adjourn to allow councillors to commemorate Bloody Sunday

Bloody Sunday monument

Derry City and Strabane District Council is to adjourn on Thursday afternoon - the 53rd anniversary of Bloody Sunday -  to enable councillors to attend the minute’s silence dedicated to the children of Gaza at the Bloody Sunday monument in the Bogside.

Organised by the Bloody Sunday Trust, the event will take place at 4.00pm. 

Proposing the adjournment, Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr said it was important to remember the “innocent lives lost, their families forever changed and the justice still being sought”.

“I wanted us to honour their memory and stand with their loved ones who continue to seek accountability,” she added.

“As we reflect on this dark chapter of our history, we also turn out thoughts to those experiencing war and conflicts around the world today. 

“[The minute’s silence] is a solemn reminder that innocent lives are still being taken and families still grieving and justice is still being sought.

“May I also take this moment to remember all those innocent victims of violence and to pray for their families and to reaffirm our deepest hope that no community here or anywhere in the world should ever endure such atrocities again,” said Mayor Seenoi-Barr.

Supporting the proposal, Cllr Shaun Harkin (PBP) said his thoughts today were with “the families of the victims and the victims” of the Parachute regiment who “murdered 14 people and injured many others”.

He added: “Bloody Sunday had a massive impact on this city and right across this island and it continues to do so. 

“This is not just a commemoration because the struggle for truth and justice continues. The new British Government promised before it was elected it would get rid of the Legacy Act and allow victims to access truth and justice; it is clearly doing the same as the Tories by throwing all sorts of obstacles in the way, denying families access to truth and justice. The 53rd anniversary is also a protest and like last year, there will be a lot of people thinking about Palestine,” said Cllr Harkin.

Cllr Aisling Hutton (Sinn Féin) extended her party’s “warm wishes” to the families of Bloody Sunday.

“[We want to] remember those 14 men and boys who were murdered on our streets that day.”

Cllr Gary Donnelly (Independent) extended his solidarity to the families of the dead and those who were injured on Bloody Sunday.

“These were innocent people, these were non-combatants. There are families still struggling, still campaigning and it has to be mentioned that they are still being demonised,” he added.

“They attract the attention of the worst elements of the far right and reactionaries who actually gloat and I think it is an absolute shame. It is not only those malign types of people but recently we have seen a leaked email from An Garda Síochána where they engaged in the demonisation process of people who are attending the annual Bloody Sunday March. 

“Families, despite having had this injustice of having their loved ones murdered, and the cover up and then being blamed, when this happens it is still very raw,” said Cllr Donnelly.

On behalf of the SDLP, Cllr John Boyle said the memory of what happened on Bloody Sunday was “seared into the collective memory of the people of Derry”.

He added: “I want to remember today our people who died on our streets on that particular day and the suffering that was visited upon their families and still continues to be.”

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