Several thousand people yesterday took part in a parade to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Bloody Sunday killings in Derry.
Families of the majority of the 14 people shot dead by British paratroopers during the 1972 civil rights demonstration decided two years to stop holding an annual commemoration march.
However, relatives of some of the Bloody Sunday victims and some of those injured during the shootings said they wished the march to continue.
As a result a Bloody Sunday ‘March for Justice’ parade was held last year, with a similar event being held yesterday.
The march followed the same route of the original Bloody Sunday march, from Creggan shops through the Brandywell and Bogside before ending at Free Derry Corner.
Yesterday’s parade was led by people carrying white crosses in memory of those killed on Bloody Sunday.
Among the people who took part in the parade was a group calling for the creation of a detox centre in Derry to support young people battling drug addiction.
This issue has been debated publically in recent weeks following the suspected death of Galliagh teenager Andrew Quigley.
The 19 year-old has not been seen since January 18 when items belonging to him were found on the Foyle Bridge in Derry.
His family, who admitted that Andrew had suffered with drug addiction for several years, believe he jumped into the River Foyle.
In the wake of Andrew’s suspected death, a campaign has been launched calling for the establishment of a detox centre in Derry.
A range of other groups took part in yesterday’s parade.
At Free Derry Corner, the marchers were addressed by Stafford Scott, a member of the Justice for Mark Duggan campaign.
Mark Duggan, 29, was shot dead getting out of a taxi in London by armed members of the Metropolitan Police in 2011.
The police officer who shot him believed he was armed, an inquest was told.
The jury concluded that Mr Duggan had been ‘lawfully killed’ despite a majority also accepting he was unarmed when shot dead.
The incident is credited with precipitating the London riots of 2011.
Speaking in Derry yesterday, Mr Stafford (pictured above) paid tribute to the campaign of the Bloody Sunday since the 1972 shootings.
He said the campaign had given inspiration to his own community and other oppressed people.
The other speaker at Free Derry Corner was well-known campaigner Bernadette McAliskey who said she was honoured to share the stage with Mr Scott.
In relation to the new PSNI investigation into the events of Bloody Sunday, Mrs McAliskey said the police should start their investigation by interviewing the soldiers involved in the shootings.
“It would seem to me and this is a personal opinion that at this stage in proceedings if I were the PSNI I would start with the accused.
“I would actually start with the soldiers. That would save a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money.
“Because I have a sneaky suspicion that if you started with the foot soldiers who are currently carrying the blame and carrying the can for the whole British establishment, they might plead guilty on the spot and start to talk about who actually said what to who and who bears responsibility.”
However, Mrs McAliskey added that she was ‘not holding her breath’ in relation to justice for Bloody Sunday.

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