Tories apologise for ‘disgusting, disgraceful and insulting’ Bloody Sunday video
Kemi Badenoch posted the video on Tuesday, criticising the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, only to delete it after a furious backlash over its contents on Friday
Kemi Badenoch has now deleted the post(Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
The Tories have been forced to apologise for a “disgusting, disgraceful and insulting” social media video which appeared to include footage of Bloody Sunday.
Kemi Badenoch posted the video on Tuesday, criticising the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, only to delete it after a furious backlash on Friday.
The footage included the Tory leader criticising the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, with archive clips of British soldiers.
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Bloody Sunday, also known as the Bogside Massacre, was a massacre which took place in Derry, Northern Ireland on January 30, 1972. The horrific event saw British troops open fire on a group of protestors, killing 13 unarmed people and injuring 26 more.
At least one of the clips was identified by Foyle MP Colum Eastwood as having been filmed on Bloody Sunday, who branded its use as “disgusting” and “disgraceful”. Mr Eastwood claimed the video is “entirely about elevating the interests of British soldiers over the needs of victims and survivors who have been forced to fight against the power and might of the British state for decades seeking truth, justice and accountability for their loved ones”.
The SDLP MP said in a statement: “I am shocked, frankly, that Kemi Badenoch has posted a video trumpeting the service of British soldiers in Northern Ireland using footage from Bloody Sunday. It is disgusting, disgraceful and it is an insult to the innocent civil rights protesters who were murdered in Derry in January 1972.”
In an apology, a Conservative spokesman said: “As soon as we were made aware of the footage, the video was taken down. We apologise for the inclusion of this material, which should not have been used and will not be used again.”
In the video, Mrs Badenoch said Labour ’s Bill will “drag” Troubles veterans back to court. It will put elderly veterans through fresh legal battles at the end of their lives,” she said. Mrs Badenoch had claimed her party will “vote to block” the legislation and “a future Conservative government will repeal it” and posted a link to a petition to stop the Bill.
The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill was designed to replace the controversial Legacy Act introduced by the previous Conservative government, ending the immunity scheme brought in under the law, which was ruled unlawful in the courts.
In 2010, then Conservative prime minister David Cameron apologised to the families of the civil rights marchers killed on Bloody Sunday after the Saville Inquiry found all were innocent.
