Bloody Friday

EDM number 1644 in 2001-02, proposed by Kevin McNamara on 16/07/2002.

That this House notes that Sunday 21st July marks the 30th anniversary of Bloody Friday 1972 in Belfast when the IRA planted and exploded 22 bombs that killed nine people and seriously injured 130 others, issuing further hoax warnings that reduced the effective response of the police and emergency services; welcomes the statement of the IRA that attempts to address the suffering inflicted upon its victims and their families by offering apologies and condolences on this occasion; further welcomes the acceptance by the IRA that the future will not be found in denying collective failures and mistakes or in closing minds and hearts to the plight of each victim of the conflict without exception; further welcomes the agreement by the IRA that the process of conflict resolution requires the equal acknowledgement of the grief and loss of others; further welcomes the stated commitment of the IRA to the peace process and its statement of determination to deal with the challenges and difficulties that this presents; and urges the Government to do all it can to assist all those who wish to complete the path away from the pursuit of terror and violence and towards the promotion of change through exclusively peaceful and democratic means.

This motion has been signed by a total of 36 MPs.