Member's statement: Kingsmills Massacre: 50th Anniversary
Member's statement by Mr Gareth Wilson on .
- MLA
- Mr Gareth Wilson
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 12 January 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Kingsmills Massacre: 50th Anniversary
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5311205
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I take this important opportunity to pay tribute to the 10 innocent men so brutally and callously murdered by the IRA at Kingsmills on 5 January 1976. It is 50 years since that horrific attack, and, over recent days, there has been a series of important events to mark the tragic 50-year anniversary. It was a solemn privilege to attend those events and to stand in support of the families of those innocent men. The special anniversary service in Bessbrook town hall on 4 January was especially poignant. It saw hundreds of people gather together in solidarity with the Kingsmills families and show in a very warm and real fashion that those innocent, hard-working family men will never be forgotten. A special anniversary service was also held last night in Tullyallen Presbyterian Church, where family and friends of victim the late Mr Robert Walker gathered to pay tribute to him and the nine other victims. That was an especially important and moving service, and it was a solemn privilege to attend it. Each year on 5 January, a special roadside service at the scene of the attack is held. That is always a solemn, reflective and important event, and I know that it will continue for many years to come. The conducting of that annual special roadside service ensures that the innocent victims of the IRA attack at Kingsmills continue to be remembered. The story of Kingsmills will not be rewritten or airbrushed. The hurt and pain of that horrific night has not diminished with the passage of time, nor has the desire to see justice served against the ruthless IRA perpetrators of the attack. The families of the 10 innocent men who were murdered and, of course, the survivor of the attack, Mr Alan Black, continue to pursue justice and truth in a most dignified manner. I stand with them, as do many of my colleagues in the House. There must be renewed resolve from the Government, the police and the justice system and a renewed focus on bringing the perpetrators of the attack to justice. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families in the days ahead.
361 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Awaiting analysis
This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.