Saville inquiry summons Paisley to appear

Rev Ian Paisley has been summoned to appear at the Bloody Sunday inquiry next week, it was announced today.

Rev Ian Paisley has been summoned to appear at the Bloody Sunday inquiry next week, it was announced today.

The Democratic Unionist Party leader will be questioned on Tuesday about why he called off a counter demonstration he had been due to hold in Derry on what became Bloody Sunday.

The inquiry wants to know what, if anything, he had been told in advance of the military operation against the nationalist civil rights march which resulted in the deaths of 13 civilians on January 30, 1972.

Mr Christopher Clarke, QC, told the inquiry chairman Lord Saville that Mr Paisley "attends on subpoena or witness summons".

READ MORE

He said it "had not been easy to secure his attendance". He told the inquiry that it had not been possible to serve the attendance order until recently, and until it was served no announcement could that Rev Paisley would be attending.

Rev Paisley has been called "on the short point as to whether, and if so to what extent, were assurances given and by whom leading to the counter demonstration or meeting being called off."

The DUP leader had given notice in January 1972 that he was to hold a rally outside the Guildhall in Derry - at the same time as the civil rights march was due to parade to the Guildhall.

A huge security operation was mounted in the city and the civil rights march was prevented from proceeding to the Guildhall.

Rev Paisley has supplied the inquiry with a brief statement - just two paragraphs - saying he had "no recollection" of matters raised in a letter from the inquiry back in December 1999.

The letter asked him for information on the circumstances surrounding the decision by the Democratic Unionist Association not to go ahead with the counter-demonstration in 1972.

The inquiry also wanted to know why the demonstration was to be held and when it was decided to call it off.

Mr Paisley was also sent a series of 16 written questions last December to which he has just replied with brief, non-committal answers.

PA