A DUP MLA has called on the city of Londonderry to unite against dissident republican group Saoradh ahead of this year's annual Bloody Sunday March for Justice.

Foyle MLA Gary Middleton made the comments after it emerged yesterday that the political wing of the New IRA would be attending the march on Sunday afternoon in the Creggan.

The group's Facebook post confirmed they would be attending the event and called on people to "join with us as we stand with those who continue to fight British imperialism in occupied Ireland".

A post last week by the group's leader Thomas Ashe Mellon boasted that the event will be "the first public march our band will be performing in" and claimed that they have ambitions to grow.

Hitting back at the announcement, Mr Middleton said: "It is less than a year since dissident republicans murdered a young woman on the streets of Londonderry.

"Having weathered the public outrage, those who seek to defend dissident terrorism appear determined to re-emerge and indoctrinate a new generation.

"It is vital that everyone across the city stands united against those who want to bring violence onto our streets and we all make it clear there never can be any place or justification for the use of violence and terror to further a political cause."

The Bloody Sunday March for Justice is just one of a number of events being held throughout this week by the relatives of Bloody Sunday victims.

The event at 2.30pm on Sunday will also see a rally addressed by Stephen Travers, a survivor of the 1975 Miami Showband massacre.

The chair of the Bloody Sunday March Committee, Kate Nash, is the sister of William Nash, one of those shot dead by the Army in 1972.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph yesterday, Ms Nash said that it is not the committee's place to dictate which groups take part in the march and confirmed that any group adhering to the rules was free to attend.

"We decided at the beginning of the march that we would make it all-inclusive.

"It is open to everybody across the board to attend," she said. "Obviously we wouldn't have some group armed or in military uniform, but yes, everybody is invited to that.

"Nobody needs permission to attend. They know from previous years that there will be no military displays. We are a march for justice, they know that is not what we are about. Obviously everybody knows what our rules are."

When asked if she thought the presence of the group would detract from the message of the march or offend any member of the community, Ms Nash believed this not to be the case.

"We have always made it clear that it is an all-inclusive event. It is a commemoration of a terrible tragedy that happened 40 years ago. I wouldn't be worried and I wouldn't expect any trouble," she added.

The announcement by Saoradh comes as this newspaper revealed yesterday that the group plans to put on a show of strength during its Easter commemorations in Derry, which happen just five days before the first anniversary of the murder of journalist Lyra McKee by the New IRA.

Belfast Telegraph