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Jan 30, 2022 - World

In photos: Northern Ireland marks 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday

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Families of the victims and supporters hold crosses as they take part in Bloody Sunday March to Free Derry Corner, as they mark the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

Families of the victims and supporters take part in the Bloody Sunday March to Free Derry Corner, as they mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, on Jan. 30, in Londonderry, also known as Derry, Northern Ireland. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Hundreds of people gathered in the city of Derry in Northern Ireland on Sunday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the killing of 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers by British soldiers, the Guardian reported.

Why it matters: Known as "Bloody Sunday," it marked one of the deadliest days of the nearly three decades of violence between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland.

The big picture: Gatherers on Sunday participated in a remembrance walk retracing the route of the original march, before laying wreaths at the Bloody Sunday Monument in Derry, ABC News reported.

  • "There should be a route to justice," Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told local state media after laying a wreath at the monument, Reuters reported. None of the British soldiers responsible for the shootings have been held accountable.
  • Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin commended the families of those killed for their "dignified, persistent and courageous" campaign for justice, truth and accountability surrounding the events, per the BBC.

In Photos

Families of the victims and supporters hold a banner during the Bloody Sunday March
Families of the victims and supporters hold a banner during the Bloody Sunday March on Jan. 30. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
A member of a victim's family lays a wreath at a monument to those killed on Bloody Sunday
A member of a victim's family lays a wreath at a monument to those killed on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland, on Jan. 30. Photo: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images
Family members carry photographs of those killed on Bloody Sunday at a memorial march to the Bogside for a wreath laying ceremony at a monument to those killed on the day,
Family members carry photographs of those killed on Bloody Sunday at a memorial march, in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland, on Jan. 30. Photo: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images
Three young family members hold flowers as they walk commemorating the victims during a Walk of Remembrance to Memorial Garden to mark the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday
Three young family members hold flowers as they walk commemorating the victims on Jan. 30. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
people gathering for a memorial service to those killed on Bloody Sunday
People gather for a memorial service at a monument to those killed on Bloody Sunday. Photo: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images
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