A VETERAN has been relentlessly protesting up and down the country over the prosecution of soldiers who served in Northern Ireland.

Ian Thompson, 59, was a striking figure as he stood outside Carlisle Crown Court holding a flag that stated ‘I stand with Soldier F’.

Although he was alone, there were many people standing in solidarity with him outside crown courts around the UK as the trial of Soldier F began.

Soldier F is the name given to an anonymous soldier who served in the parachute regiment on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

He is standing trial in Northern Ireland over the murder of two civilians during the civil rights march.

The prosecution of veterans who served during the conflict in Northern Ireland has caused controversy. among members of the armed forces community.

For many who served, it is seen as a betrayal by the British government to the people who served their country during this time of crisis - and one that sets a precedent for future conflicts.

This isn’t the first time that Mr Thompson, from Currock in Carlisle, has taken to the streets to make his voice heard on this debate.

He said: “Whenever I have been to the likes of Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, or London, I come back to Carlisle, and if I am on the bike then I will ride around Carlisle very slowly just to make people aware.”

Mr Thompson has joined thousands of others over the last year who want their voices to be heard on this.

They take to the streets on their motorbikes, with flags hanging from the backs to show their support for these veterans.

Mr Thompson said: “Some of these guys are 70 and 80-years-old, some of them are on their death beds and they are being hounded by the law lords, by the courts.

“I just feel it’s wrong, yes I’m passionate about it, but it’s definitely wrong.

“They have all been found not guilty or insufficient evidence before, and yet they are being dragged through it all again.”

He continued: “In 1997, on this side of the water, Tony Blair I believe, he should have drawn a line under the whole lot and said nothing before that line gets done.

“He’s let all of these prisoners out... all these paramilitaries out of the jail, he’s even given most of them, who were on the run, letters to say that they won’t be charged in the future.

“Yet now, they are hounding soldiers.

“This is just Northern Ireland at the moment, we’ve still got Iraq and Afghanistan to go yet.”

The Savile Inquiry, which investigated Bloody Sunday, found that none of the people injured posed a threat to the lives of the soldiers who shot at them.

Lord Savile said: “None of the casualties was posing a threat of causing death or serious injury, or indeed was doing anything else that could on any view justify their shooting.”

The role that soldiers play in conflicts such as the Troubles is a divisive issue for the public, but Mr Thompson hasn’t experienced too much hostility as he has been out protesting.

In fact, quite the opposite.

“The public is quite behind us, they can’t believe it’s going on - that we’re actually getting persecuted for doing our jobs,” he said.

The British government has said in the Queen’s Speech that it will work to protect Northern Ireland veterans.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “Nothing in this agreement stops us delivering on our manifesto and Queen’s Speech commitments to stop vexatious claims and it provides certainty for veterans.

“We have always been clear that we would implement the Stormont House Agreement in a way that provides certainty for veterans and justice for victims.

“This commitment goes no further than the Queen’s Speech and Conservative manifesto, other than providing a timeline for the legislation.

“We will work in conjunction with MoD and other Whitehall departments and in the context of consultation responses to develop Stormont House proposals in the coming weeks.”