eight years and four months seems like an awfully long time to wait for justice, but that is exactly what happened to the families of the 14 unarmed demonstrators shot and killed by British troops in Northern Ireland in 1972 in what came to be known as “Bloody Sunday”. The incident is generally considered the spark that led to decades of sectarian dispute that left some 3,600 dead. It is a testament to the perseverance of the victims' families that a final verdict on the incident was finally produced in the form of a massive report by the British government that took 12 years, 1,400 witnesses and $280 million to complete. The verdict? Absolutely no justification behind the military attack on unarmed civilians protesting the deployment of heavily armed British troops in Northern Ireland. It viscerally gratifying to see the blame fall where it should in this case, but the apology issued by the newly installed prime minister, David Cameron, displays a welcome maturity and a distinct courage on the part of the newly minted world leader. In his apology, Cameron endorsed nearly every one of the claims made by families over the years, including that there was no justification for opening fire, no warning given and that none of those killed were armed. Most poignantly, Cameron defended the condemnatory report itself by saying, “We do not honor all those who have served with distinction in keeping the peace and upholding the rule of law in Northern Ireland by hiding from the truth.” That is a statement that dictates a truth which applies not only to Bloody Sunday but to countless other abuses of military power by otherwise responsible nations. Without the courage to dig for and respect the truth, be it good or bad, they lose their mantle of civilized societies and descend into abuse and demagoguery. Cameron has shown admirably that Britain does not fit this mold. __
