UK apologizes for 1971 Belfast deaths; families want more

A U.K. government minister has stood before lawmakers and formally apologized for the killing of 10 civilians during unrest in Belfast half a century ago, as Britain and Northern Ireland struggle to come to terms with the events of the past

LONDON -- A U.K. government minister stood before lawmakers Thursday and formally apologized for the killing of 10 civilians during unrest in Belfast half a century ago, as Britain and Northern Ireland struggle to come to terms with the events of the past. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told the House of Commons that the government “profoundly regrets and is truly sorry’’ for the events in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast in 1971. A coroner’s court ruled Tuesday that the nine men and one women killed by British troops were innocent victims who weren’t threatening soldiers at the time they were shot. “The events of Ballymurphy should never have happened, the families of those who were killed should never have had to experience the grief and trauma of that loss,’’ Lewis said. “They should have not had to wait nearly five decades for the judgment this week, nor have been compelled to relive that terrible time in August 1971 again and again in their long, distressing quest for truth.” Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized Wednesday in a telephone call with the leaders of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, which includes representatives of both sides of the region’s sectarian divide.