Republicans urged to call off protest against Londonderry veterans march

That is according to Foyle DUP candidate Gary Middleton, who plans to attend the veterans’ protest march.

Around 100 military veterans will march through Londonderry next month to protest against the ongoing “vindictive” criminal investigations involving former soldiers.

Organised by Justice for Veterans UK (JFV), the march is one of a number taking place across Northern Ireland during 2017.

The former troops will make their way from the Royal British Legion (RBL) building in the Waterside on March 4, to the Diamond in Londonderry’s city centre, where a wreath will be laid at the cenotaph.

Dissident republican groups have expressed opposition to the protest march, with the organisation known as ‘Saoradh’ planning a counter-demonstration.

The group known as Éirígí have also voiced their opposition, with spokesperson Pól Torbóid describing the veterans’ march as “nothing less than a calculated insult to the dead of Bloody Sunday and their families, as well as all the other victims of British brutality in Ireland”.

Mr Middleton said opposition to the march risks undoing years of progress on the parading issue in Londonderry.

He told the News Letter: “The veterans are well within their rights to raise their concerns and for tensions to be deliberately heightened around that is deeply unhelpful.

“I think anybody who holds any sway with the organisation planning to protest should encourage them to reflect on this and to call it off.

“These veterans that will be out, the majority of them, will have some experience of hurt or heartache and will have perhaps lost people close to them so there is already going to be a deep display of hurt on that day.

“The last thing we want is a scene and a confrontation and heightened tensions around it.

“I think as a city we have shown the way in terms of how we handle parades.

“Fantastic work has been done on parades here and we enjoy that on a yearly basis. Unfortunately, what could happen with the upcoming veterans’ march is that if there are going to be counter-marches, what it might do is heighten tensions and it could actually harm other parades as a result of that.”

He added: “It could be a dangerous place to go into. The parade is due for the 4th of March and that is just prior to a lot of other parades that will be happening throughout the year.”