THE head of Derry’s Bloody Sunday Trust has called on people not to use Free Derry wall to raise personal “grievances” after graffiti was painted on the iconic monument.
Tony Doherty was speaking after graffiti attacking the area’s Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum was painted on the wall.
Free Derry Corner has become a major tourist attraction in the city’s Bogside. The words “You Are Now Entering Free Derry” were painted on the gable wall of a house at Lecky Road after police and B Specials - who were attacking local houses - were driven from the area on the night of January 5 1969.
The wall, which has become a monument to civil rights all over the world, also marked the start of the `no-go' area after the RUC was driven out during the Battle of the Bogside later in 1969. The area was managed by local people to the exclusion of British rule up until Operation Motorman in 1972.
Each year, Free Derry Corner remains the focus of protest marches and rallies, including the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration march, organised by a number of victims’ relatives.
Criticising the graffiti, Mr Doherty said those responsible had defaced “one of the most famous monuments to civil rights’ struggle”.
Mr Doherty, whose father Paddy was shot dead on Bloody Sunday, said: “This is no place for personal angst or grievance. It never has been. Please come back and remove it. Leave the wall alone.”
The Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum was established to promote a healthy lifestyle in the area through a number of initiatives.
