WATCH: Bloody Sunday: Former soldier tells families to 'get over it'
A former soldier who served in Northern Ireland has told the families of Bloody Sunday victims to 'get over it and move on with their lives.'
Last updated 14th Mar 2019
Alan Barry, co-founder of Justice for Northern Ireland Veterans, spoke to Downtown Radio/Cool FM News ahead of a PPS announcement on whether former soldiers will face trial for the events of 30 January 1972.
Parachute Regiment soldiers opened fire on a civil rights demonstration in Derry, killing 13 people and wounding 15 more.
A 14th man died in hospital a few months later.
However, Mr Barry said it was time to "draw a line in the sand" over one of the darkest days of the Troubles.
"I accept that some innocent people died," he said.
"But we were fighting a war, we were in a war situation and innocent people die in wars.
"So get over it and let's all move on with our lives."
During the course of the interview, Mr Barry acknowledged that he was not holding back and that his words would cause hurt for victims and their families.
"Quite frankly, at the chance of upsetting someone or a group of people, I'm sick of hearing about it," he said.
"I'm sick of seeing these moaning faces going on about the way that they have suffered and how it has ruined their lives.
"The way I look at it and the way the veteran community look at it, we see veterans who served their country, who fought on the side of the law being hounded like lambs to the slaughter.
"Soldiers have split seconds to react to situations - did things get out of hand that day?
"Most definitely they did, as a former member of the security forces, I'm not going to sit here and condone that, but we have to move on.
"It is totally wrong to be dragging men, in their 70s, back into court.
"That is not justice, that is a warped sense of revenge as far as I am concerned."
He has led demonstrations calling for soldiers not to be subject to charges beyond the 10-year statutory limit.
Mr Barry has also accused the government of letting former soldiers down.
"If soldiers have committed wrong, yes, they should be investigated," he said.
"But you don't come after soldiers 40 plus years after the incident and think you're going to get some closure."