'Do not forget the victims' plea in Good Friday Agreement pledge
Man left in a wheelchair after shooting says deal should be implemented in full
Troubles victims today called for the Good Friday Agreement to be fully implemented.
As key politicians and policy-makers marked the 20th anniversary of the deal being signed, victims say they do not want to be forgotten.
Paul Gallagher (pictured) was left wheelchair-bound after sustaining life-changing injuries after an attack 24 years ago.
In an interview with Downtown & Cool FM, as part of our 20th anniversary reports, he recalled the moment he was shot.
“It was back in 1994 – I was 21 – there was a knock on my front door and four UDA men came into my home and held me and my family hostage for about an hour.
“We didn’t know what they were there for but it turns out that they were there to assassinate my next-door neighbours were members of Sinn Fein so when they were leaving they kicked the door open and started shooting into the living room and I was shot six times.”
Mr Gallagher, who continues to fight for victims’ rights said he was disappointed that elements of the Agreement, laid out in the text, had not been implemented in full.
“There is stuff in there where they talk about looking after the victims,” he said.
“Looking back I do not think this was done very well … they’ve argued over victims’ issues for 20-odd years and haven’t really dealt with them.”