Families of Troubles victims in Northern Ireland have pledged to “keep fighting” the British government’s controversial legacy Bill now that it has passed through Westminster and is set to become law.
Relatives and campaigners protested outside the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Wednesday, where an investment conference was attended by Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and US economic envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy.
Holding placards emblazoned with “RIP Truth”, “RIP Justice” and “Bill of Shame”, the protesters attempted to challenge Mr Heaton-Harris about the impact of the legislation, which they say has “retraumatised” families.
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill completed its last stage in the British Parliament on Tuesday and will now go for royal assent before being enacted into law.
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Fiercely opposed by the North’s five main political parties, the Irish Government, US politicians and human rights groups, the proposed legislation will effectively provide a conditional amnesty for perpetrators of Troubles-related crimes and end all inquests and civil cases. It is supported by veterans’ groups.
A new independent body is to be created by the British government to promote reconciliation and “information recovery” in its aim to “draw a line” under 30 years of conflict.
Patricia Burns was six years old when her father, Thomas Burns (32), a Catholic who served in the British naval service for 10 years, was shot dead by the British Army as he left a social club in north Belfast in 1972.
Wearing a black sweater with her father’s photograph in the centre, Ms Burns said her life has been consumed with “campaigning, courts and fighting the system”.
“I took on this fight for my daddy and we were finally granted an inquest earlier this year. It hasn’t started yet so it’s highly likely it won’t go ahead with this Bill going through. It’s as if my whole life has been this waste of time. It’s soul-destroying,” she told The Irish Times.
“But we’ll keep fighting because I don’t want to go to my grave and leave this unfinished. I don’t want my children to have to continue this because my life’s been taken up with it. I don’t want a line drawn under it, I want it dealt with properly.”
Defending the legislation in the Commons last week, Mr Heaton-Harris said he hoped “lots of information” would be recovered in “quick time” for families.
The law is expected to face significant challenge in the courts from victims’ families and human rights groups in Northern Ireland. The Irish Government is currently taking legal advice about the possibility of taking the British government to the European Court of Human Rights over its concerns that the Bill is in breach of international human rights law.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said discussion of the Bill was among the issues on the agenda for that day’s Cabinet meeting.
“We are obviously very concerned that the legacy Bill has now passed through the British parliamentary system, and we are very disappointed with that and we are very concerned with that,” he said, adding that legal opinions and options were being finalised and would be presented to the Government.
“We will then consider our response in terms of making sure that anything in the legacy area is victim-centred and has victims at the core of what we do.”
The Government had “ruled nothing out” and “all options are on the table”, Mr Martin added.
[ Northern Ireland legacy Bill: can it ‘draw a line’ under the Troubles?Opens in new window ]
Mark Thompson, of victims and survivors group Relatives for Justice, also attended Wednesday’s protest and said the Irish Government’s legal challenge “has to happen”.
“It’s the only way,” he said. “Every diplomatic channel has been tried but ignored by the British government.
“This is the only civilisation now in the western democratic world in which, if you have a loved one murdered, you are not allowed to have a criminal investigation, not allowed to have an inquest and not allowed to take a civil case.”
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was among those who offered his support to protesters as he left the investment conference.
Earlier, he accused Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of using unhelpful “megaphone diplomacy” over Northern Ireland while negotiations continue to restore the deadlocked Stormont Assembly.
During a visit to Belfast on Monday, Mr Varadkar said progress to restore Stormont was moving at a “snail’s pace” and said that alternative arrangements may need to be considered. The Taoiseach also defended saying that he believed there will be a united Ireland in his lifetime.
Mr Donaldson told reporters: “My advice to the Taoiseach is very clear. His interventions recently have not been helpful. He is planning for failure, I am not.
“He talks about a plan B, I am focused on plan A, which is getting this right for the people of Northern Ireland.
“Unlike the Taoiseach, I have a mandate from the people to do this, to pursue the solutions that we need, and then we’ll get the institutions up and running. This megaphone diplomacy by Leo Varadkar is not helpful and I think he should reflect on the harm he is doing.”
