Alliance Party spokesperson for East Londonderry, Alderman Richard Brown Stewart, pays tribute to the victims of the Greysteel massacre on the 33rd anniversary of the atrocity.
On 30 October 1993, eight people were killed by the UFF in the Rising Sun bar on the evening of October 30, 1993. The atrocity was part of a renewed spiral of violence in the wake of the Shankill bomb a week earlier.
Alderman Brown Stewart said: “Today, we remember the eight people who lost their lives in the Greysteel massacre 33 years ago. My thoughts are with their families, their loved ones and everyone who continues to carry the pain of that terrible night.
“The anniversary is a reminder that the Troubles inflicted unimaginable suffering across our society. Every victim was somebody’s loved one, somebody’s friend, and somebody whose life and future were cruelly taken away.
“Violence and sectarian hatred achieved nothing but heartbreak, suffering and division. We must never lose sight of the human cost of our past, nor forget the families who continue to live with the consequences.
“Thirty-three years on, remembering these atrocities is not about reopening old wounds, but about acknowledging the pain endured and ensuring future generations understand the importance of peace, reconciliation and mutual respect.”