A sister of a teenager shot dead on Bloody Sunday has criticised Sinn Féin’s decision to attend events marking Prince Charles’ visit to Ireland.
Kate Nash, whose brother, William (19) was one of 13 people shot dead on Bloody Sunday, said the party’s decision was a "stab in the back" for relatives of the dead. Ms Nash’s father, Alex was also shot and wounded on Bloody Sunday as he tried to reach his dying son.
Prince Charles, who will visit both the Republic and Northern Ireland this week, is the colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment. It was members of the regiment who carried out the Bloody Sunday killings in 1972. The regiment was also behind the killing of two civilians on Belfast’s Shankill Road and the Ballymurphy killings in 1972.
In a four-day visit starting today, Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the duchess of Cornwall, will visit Mullaghmore in County Sligo where his great-uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA in 1979.
Following a meeting of the Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle, party president, Gerry Adams announced that party representatives would attend a number of events during the visit.
Mr Adams said: "Thankfully the conflict is over. But there remains unresolved injustices. These must be rectified and a healing process developed. There is a responsibility on us all to promote reconciliation and seek to promote healing."
However, Ms Nash said she was furious at the Sinn Féin stance.
"It is indefensible. They (police) haven’t even interviewed the soldiers responsible and this man is colonel-in-chief of the Parachute regiment. I would have expected him to use his influence to ensure those responsible were brought to justice," she said.
And she added: "It’s like Sinn Féin is wiping their feet on victims."
Sinn Féin declined to respond.
