I watched Massacre at Ballymurphy, a film by Callum Macrea broadcast on Channel 4, with so much sadness and horror. In what is often referred to as one of the Troubles’ forgotten killings, eleven civilians died unarmed, killed by the Parachute Regiment of the British Army during three days of violence in Belfast in August 1971.

How could anyone – regardless of their political outlook – feel anything other than disturbed and shocked by the events portrayed in the documentary?

The decision by Channel 4 to show the film on a Saturday night on a prime-time slot was a brave and important move that has opened the eyes of many people on the UK mainland who knew little – if anything – about the actions of the British Army and the untold hurt of the families of those killed and injured in Ballymurphy between 9 and 11 August.

Indeed, Ian Katz, the director of programmes at Channel 4 and former Newsnight editor said he was “ashamed” to admit he “knew nothing” about the Ballymurphy massacre until he saw Macrae’s “meticulous and shocking” film.

It has been interesting to speak to English friends who watched the documentary. While they were aware of Bloody Sunday, in part due to the campaigning of the victims’ families to obtain an inquiry, which brought the events of that day in January 1972 to a wider audience, they too knew nothing about Ballymurphy. They were horrified by the barbaric actions of the Parachute Regiment and the subsequent cover-up by the Ministry of Defence. But it was not just the manner of the deaths that shocked; it was the compelling stories of the victims’ families. Eight children, one just three years old, robbed of a mother, fathers and brothers taken from others. Teenagers, removed from their homes and sent to refugee camps in the Republic of Ireland because their homes were deemed unsafe, returned months later to support bereaved family members and take on the household responsibilities of those who were killed so unjustly and cruelly. The film showed lives changed forever and pain so palpable, even 47 years on.

There will be those reading this and some who watched the film who will suggest the film supported a one-sided narrative. And it did to a degree; partly because the Ministry of Defence felt it would be “inappropriate” to comment in advance of an inquest into the Ballymurphy deaths.

Others will counter any criticism of the events in August 1971 and that leveled at the British Army with a critique of the IRA and the crimes it committed.

But all too often in Northern Ireland, we choose whataboutery rather than listening and accepting that there were crimes committed on many sides. One crime doesn’t justify another and it certainly doesn’t diminish the pain of the victims. As Briege Voyle, whose mother Joan was killed in Ballymurphy, said: “Everybody’s pain is the same.”

Countless people on this island have stories to tell. They are disturbing, heartbreaking and often traumatising stories. Inevitably, the truth can be uncomfortable for some because it doesn’t suit their narrative. There are others who believe that talking about the past and seeking the truth is futile, that it doesn’t bring anything to the process of cultivating peace and reconciliation. Rather, it resurfaces old wounds and has the capacity to reignite hatred and resentment.

As we head towards the International Day of Peace next Friday, I’m reminded of a quote by Jane Addams, the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, who said in 1931: “True peace is not merely the absence of war, it is the presence of justice.” I

would argue that talking about our past and exposing the truth is the only way to heal the wounds that run so deep in our society after years of neglect and dishonesty. Ultimately, without truth and justice, peace will never be possible. And in the absence of a truth commission, I’m thankful that we have journalists and filmmakers who are willing to take up the challenge of examining Northern Ireland’s past, giving a voice to the people who have been ignored and doubted for too long. They are not rewriting history. They are correcting it.