People gathered in Bogside at memorial to Bloody Sunday murder victims
Mr Eastwood said that words of support from politicians will ring hollow, however, if the British Government’s legacy proposals proceed, shutting down truth and justice for families across the North.
Speaking from Derry, the Foyle MP said: “The world knows what happened on the streets of Derry on 30th January 1972.
“The people of this city marched against institutional sectarianism, they took a stand against oppression and discrimination, they demanded their civil rights. And in return, the British Army murdered 14 innocent people.
“The world knows what happened here because the families of those murdered refused to be cowed by the institutions of the state.
“Without their integrity, determination and resolve, the British Government would have covered up what happened here fifty years ago.
“And without resolve from political leaders today – the British Government will shut down truth and justice for more victims.
“To mount the campaign that they have fought, to walk the road they have travelled and to face down a state determined to conceal the truth demands strength that most of us could never imagine.
“Their loved ones were murdered, then the state tried to blacken their names and erase their innocence.
“The struggle of the Bloody Sunday families has been immense, their strength and resilience has redefined our city and they have inspired people far beyond our shores.
“The people of Derry have stood with the Bloody Sunday families on every step of their long march toward justice, we’re with them today and we’ll be with them until the end of the line.”
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