Michael McDowell: Atrocities require us to look forward, not back
Establishing criminal guilt for events of 40 or 50 years ago raises complex questions
Wed, May 12, 2021, 01:00
Michael McDowell
Relatives of people killed at Ballymurphy, at Corpus Christi Youth Centre in Belfast: The shootings in 1971 were unjustified and disproportionate killings of innocent people. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA
The British ambassador, Paul Johnston, wrote in The Irish Times on Tuesday that he agreed in one part with last Saturday’s editorial criticising indications from Downing Street of an intention to halt prosecutions in respect of crown forces’ involvement in historic killings during the Troubles as “a distressing and irresponsible move”.