On October 24, 2025, the long and painful shadow of Bloody Sunday returned to center stage in Northern Ireland. The acquittal of Soldier F, a former British paratrooper charged with two murders and five attempted murders from that infamous day in 1972, has reignited fierce debate—both in the streets of Derry and across the wider community—about justice, accountability, and the very nature of reconciliation in a society still scarred by its past.
Bloody Sunday, which unfolded on January 30, 1972, remains one of the darkest chapters in Northern Ireland’s history. During a civil rights protest in the Bogside area of Derry, British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians, ultimately killing 13 people. The event became a flashpoint in the Troubles, fueling decades of mistrust and violence between communities and the authorities. Now, more than half a century later, the pursuit of justice for those lost on that day has proven to be both a rallying cry and a source of anguish for many.
The recent verdict in Belfast Crown Court, delivered by Judge Patrick Lynch, saw Soldier F acquitted of all charges relating to the deaths of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 26, as well as five counts of attempted murder. Lynch made it clear that the evidence against the former soldier “fell well short of what was required for conviction,” but he did not mince words about the actions of the Parachute Regiment. According to Channel 4 News, the judge condemned the conduct of the soldiers, stating that they had "lost all sense of military discipline and had shot unarmed civilians as they ran away" and that those involved should "hang their heads in shame."
For the families of the victims, the verdict was bittersweet. Colum Eastwood, the Social Democratic and Labour Party MP for Derry, was in Belfast to support them. He told Channel 4 News, “They have put the British government in the dock… and once again they have proven the case that members of the British army went into the streets of the Bogside and shot and killed unarmed civilians.” Eastwood emphasized that even though Soldier F was cleared, there was a kind of victory in having the truth recognized publicly. “Even by his own admission in the Saville Inquiry, Soldier F was one of those people who shot and killed a number of innocent civilians. There’s a victory in that, it’s been very difficult but there’s a victory in the world now knowing the truth about what happened on Bloody Sunday.”
But the sense of victory is tempered by frustration and grief. John Kelly, whose brother was among those killed, reiterated the families’ determination to keep fighting. "My young brother was shot dead, where that girl sits maybe 40 meters from us. We had a massive victory here. We brought this nearly 54 years later, the fact we did get a paratrooper in the dock," he said, as reported by BBC News. For Kelly and others, the struggle is not about vengeance. "This is not about vengeance, it's what we're entitled to. It's what my brother is entitled to. It's for everyone who lost their lives on Bloody Sunday. They're entitled to truth and justice."
The verdict has also reopened the question of perjury. Judge Lynch noted that some soldiers may have lied in their statements about the shootings, and families are now urging the Public Prosecution Service to reconsider prosecuting soldiers for perjury. Last year, a decision was made not to prosecute 16 soldiers for allegedly lying under oath, but that decision is now under review. As John Kelly put it, "Judge Lynch says soldiers may have perjured themselves in statements made about the shootings, an avenue for possible prosecutions families want explored."
Yet, the pursuit of legal accountability for historical events like Bloody Sunday is fraught with challenges. Decades have passed since the shootings, and evidence has grown cold. Eastwood was blunt about the obstacles: “The very fact that the RUC, the police, the British Army and the government colluded over many decades to deny a proper investigation at a time when it would have been useful, not this long after the fact. That was deliberately done to protect soldiers and deliberately done to deny justice to people who were murdered, as the judge said today, on a British street.”
The debate over how best to address the legacy of the Troubles is far from settled. Some, like former Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, argue that pursuing individuals so many years after the events is flawed and unlikely to succeed. Mercer told Sky News, "The idea of going after individual soldiers I think is flawed… for many reasons… but also I don't think it will be successful." Supporters of veterans have vowed to continue campaigning to keep former soldiers out of the dock in legacy cases, warning that such prosecutions risk reopening old wounds rather than healing them.
On the other hand, for families and survivors, the quest for justice is inseparable from the quest for peace. As Eastwood noted, "These people have wanted to move on for 53 years. They have been denied that right. They’ve been denied that peace by a state and a system that wanted to do everything to block them. Just a simple access to truth and justice that any citizen of any country should be entitled to." The verdict has, if nothing else, brought renewed attention to the need for truth and accountability, not only for the sake of history but for the future of community relations in Northern Ireland.
The reverberations of the Soldier F verdict extend beyond the courtroom. Social media has been awash with impassioned responses, from those who see the acquittal as a miscarriage of justice to others who fear that continued prosecutions will only deepen divisions. The verdict underscores the delicate balance Northern Ireland must maintain between remembering its troubled past and forging a more peaceful future. As highlighted by The Irish Times, unresolved grievances remain a significant barrier to reconciliation, but some experts and community leaders are urging a greater focus on restorative justice and dialogue as a path forward.
The story of Bloody Sunday is, at its core, about ordinary people—families who have waited more than five decades for answers, and a community that continues to wrestle with the legacy of violence and mistrust. While the legal process may not have delivered the closure many hoped for, the determination of those left behind remains undimmed. As Colum Eastwood observed, "I think the world now sees that and I think there’s lessons all around the world for those people striving for truth and justice that if they keep going they can achieve momentous things."
In Northern Ireland, the road to reconciliation is long and uneven. The verdict in the Soldier F trial is yet another reminder that the past is never truly past—and that the pursuit of truth, however painful, is essential if old wounds are ever to heal.
