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Kemi Badenoch apologises after Bloody Sunday footage used in video
TL;DR
Kemi Badenoch has apologized for a video posted on her social media that included footage from the Bloody Sunday incident. The Conservative Party removed the video after realizing the error.
Key points
- Kemi Badenoch is the Conservative leader
- Video featured Bloody Sunday footage
- Thirteen people were killed by the Army
- The video was removed after the party was informed
- Badenoch stated it was posted in error
Mentioned in this story
Kemi BadenochLondonderry
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has apologised after a video opposing reforms to the Legacy Act that featured footage of soldiers on Bloody Sunday was posted to her social media account.
The video was shared on Tuesday and shows soldiers entering the Bogside area of Londonderry on 30 January 1972.
Thirteen people were shot dead when the Army opened fire on civil rights demonstrators. Last year a former Paratrooper was found not guilty of murder and attempted murder that day.
The Conservative Party had issued an apology on Friday and said it was removed "as soon as we were made aware of the footage".
Speaking to PA News on Saturday, Badenoch said it had gone out "in error".
Asked about the clip by the news agency when she was in south-east London, Badenoch said: "I have apologised. I did not sign off the video.
"It was about a vote in parliament where Labour are putting in legislation that is hounding the very elderly veterans for things that happened decades ago, often under the instruction of political leaders who are no longer around.
"We support our veterans, but the video was done by very young people who did not recognise the footage as being from Bloody Sunday.
"So I apologise as well that that video went out in error.
"It was removed as soon as the party understood that that was what had been put out."
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said use of the footage was "disgusting and disgraceful".
Eastwood said he welcomed the apology but called on Badenoch to apology personally to the survivors and families of victims of Bloody Sunday.
The video was published on several Conservative Party social platforms and on Badenoch's X account before it was removed on Friday.
On Friday The Conservative Party, whose former leader David Cameron issued a public apology for the soldiers' actions, said the video was removed "as soon as we were made aware of the footage".
"We apologise for the inclusion of this material, which should not have been used and will not be used again," a spokesman told BBC News NI.
In 2010 the Saville Inquiry into the shootings found that none of the casualties were posing a threat or doing anything that would justify their shooting.
The Prime Minister at the time, Cameron, described the killings as "unjustified and unjustifiable".
Q&A
What was the content of the video posted by Kemi Badenoch?
The video featured footage of soldiers entering the Bogside area during the Bloody Sunday incident in 1972.
Why did Kemi Badenoch apologize regarding the video?
Badenoch apologized because the video included sensitive footage related to the Bloody Sunday tragedy, which was posted in error.
What happened during Bloody Sunday in 1972?
On Bloody Sunday, thirteen civil rights demonstrators were shot dead by the Army during a protest in Londonderry.
How did the Conservative Party respond to the video controversy?
The Conservative Party issued an apology and stated that the video was removed as soon as they were made aware of the footage.
