The brother of a Bloody Sunday victim has described Northern Secretary Karen Bradley’s comments about killings by the British army as “like a statement from a colonial governor of the past, lording over people.”
Yesterday in the House of Commons, Ms Bradley said killings by the British army and police during the Troubles were “not crimes”.
Liam Wray, brother of 22-year-old Jim Wray who was shot by a British paratrooper on Bloody Sunday, told RTE radio’s Morning Ireland that he wasn't surprised at what she said.
“I was more surprised that she was so blatant and open about it, and it certainly was not a slip of the tongue.
"It wasn't a word out of place, it was a clear statement, like some colonial governor of the past lording over people to say it was not a crime for British soldiers to kill people here in Northern Ireland.
“It is horrendous that anybody could have an attitude like that in public life in the 21st century.”
When asked about Ms Bradley’s later clarification when she used a point of order to say that she was expressing a general view rather than referring to any particular case, Mr Wray said: “it sounded like a worm getting off the hook, she had pushed it too far and she realised that from the response she got.
“She thought she could get away with it, to say it was a slip of the tongue.
"It was certainly not a misunderstood statement, it was a clear statement that British soldiers did not commit crimes when they murdered people.
“Karen get honest, you meant what you said, it was clear, it was unambiguous, you came back then with a statement saying you were misunderstood, you were heard clearly.
It's not up for me to tell Karen Bradley to resign, if she was a woman of substance and a woman of dignity she would know what she should do herself.
Mr Wray described his brother’s death as “very savage. It was a very sad day for the family obviously and it's affected us for a long time.”
