The vast majority of Irish News readers believe that the controversial Legacy Bill cannot help Northern Ireland to heal.
Some 80% of 603 respondents to a week-long poll said they did not think the Legacy Bill can help Northern Ireland to heal, while 16% said they thought it could. Four per cent were undecided.
The bill offers a conditional amnesty to those accused of killings and other Troubles-related crimes if they cooperate with the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
It would also prohibit future civil cases and inquests related to Troubles crimes.
Comments from poll respondents included:
- "No justice, no peace."
- "Let's move forward [and] learn from what happened. Create a new Ireland for the children. "
- "Why an amnesty? The people they killed, injured and terrorized get no amnesty."
- "It's not enough, victims need and deserve justice."
The Legacy Bill has been almost universally opposed by parties across the political divide in Northern Ireland as well as all victims' groups.
Some opponents of the bill believe it has been designed to protect British state actors from legal accountability.
The Irish News has been running a series of polls on our homepage - irishnews.com - where we have been asking for your thoughts on subjects such as household spending, the nurses' strike, Northern Ireland protocol, the pay cut for Stormont politicians, united Ireland and the prospect of a second Assembly election in a year.
The latest question is: Is the time right to call an Irish border poll?
