Letter: We need a graceful and inclusive memorial to all the people who died in the Northern Ireland Troubles

By Letter
Published 11th Jun 2023, 22:48 BST
One of the blasts on Bloody Friday in Belfast in July 1972. ​After the atrocity, crosses were planted in Belfast City Hall to mark all the people who had died in the Troubles to date. But most memorial events since then have glorified combatants and rarely are respectful to victimsOne of the blasts on Bloody Friday in Belfast in July 1972. ​After the atrocity, crosses were planted in Belfast City Hall to mark all the people who had died in the Troubles to date. But most memorial events since then have glorified combatants and rarely are respectful to victims
One of the blasts on Bloody Friday in Belfast in July 1972. ​After the atrocity, crosses were planted in Belfast City Hall to mark all the people who had died in the Troubles to date. But most memorial events since then have glorified combatants and rarely are respectful to victims
A letter from the former SDLP councillor Tim Attwood:

In 1972, in the wake of Bloody Friday, I recall my lovely mum bringing me to the grounds of Belfast City Hall. Reverend Joe Parker, whose 14-year-old son Stephen was murdered in Bloody Friday, along with the organisation, Witness for Peace, planted 436 crosses on the grounds of Belfast City Hall to represent all the lives that had been lost up until that point in the Troubles. The crosses represented all loss of life, including civilians, combatants, and soldiers up to that point. To this day, this event stands out for me as one of the few inclusive commemorations of the history of the Troubles.

Over 50 years later, we regularly witness tensions over the latest memorial, commemoration or erection of flags. The organisers say they have the right to remember their dead in a dignified and respectful way. Too often their events glorify the actions of their combatants and rarely if ever are respectful to victims and survivors. Surely there are lessons to be learnt from the Decades of Centenaries, by adopting the principles of inclusive ethical remembering, most of the centenary events went off peacefully and without rancour.

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On the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, is it not time that we showed the courage of Rev Joe Parker and collectively organised a graceful and inclusive memorial to everyone who died during the Troubles. No names just simple crosses. Everyone can honour their lost loved ones by remembering what happened in a way that builds a better future for us all.

Tim Attwood, Ex SDLP councillor, Belfast

Related topics:SDLP