Bloody Sunday

1972

The Narrative of Events1. On 30 January a protest rally was organised by the NICRA to protest against

the use of internment (1971).2. Marchers congregated and started the march.3. Marchers were halted at an army roadblock as political protests were illegal in

NI.4. Protesters threw stones at soldiers who used water cannons and rubber bullets

t disperse the crowd.5. Shots are fired, and in a moment of chaos and panic, 13 people were dead and

many wounded.

The Narrative of EventsOfficial Version

● The soldiers of the Parachute Brigade returned fire.

● They had been under attack by the protesters for some time through stone

throwing.

● Their reaction to being fired upon was acceptable.

● It is regrettable that innocent people died in the self-defence of the paratroopers.

Protesters Version

● The march was a peaceful march.● The soldiers were provocative and

aggressive.

● The frustrated actions of a small number of marchers led to them fire on an innocent

men, women, and children,, killing 13.

Rossville Flats in the Bogside

Rossville Flats in the Bogside

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paoXAB16x8M

Reactions in the Republic● On 2 February, the day that 12 of those killed were buried, there was a general

strike in the Republic, one of the biggest in Europe in terms of relative population.

● Memorial services were held in Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as synagogues.

● The same day, crowds burned down the British embassy on Merrion Square.● Anglo-Irish relations were at their lowest when Minister for Foreign Affairs,

Patrick Hillery, going to the UN Security Council in New York to demand the involvement of a UN peacekeeping force in the North.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_strikehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_strikehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland%E2%80%93United_Kingdom_relationshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_peacekeeping

The Widgery Tribunal April 1972● The actions of the British soldiers and the authorities

were largely cleared● It described the soldiers' shooting as "bordering on

the reckless", but accepted their claims that they shot at gunmen and bomb-throwers.

● It concluded that the soldiers were acting in self-defence and cast suspicions on many of those who were shot.

Reaction to the Widgery Tribunal

● The British Government hoped that the judicial inquiry set up under the chairmanship of Lord Widgery would resolve the legal and ethical questions raised by the killings. It did not.

● When the tribunal submitted its report in April 1972 it was condemned by many in Derry as the "Widgery whitewash", an impression which only grew stronger over time.

● Many people saw another state apparatus as being corrupt and against them.

The Saville Inquiry - May 2010● 12 year inquiry, £195 million.● The report concluded that the killings were both

"unjustified" and "unjustifiable". ● It found that all of those shot were unarmed, that none

were posing a serious threat, that no bombs were thrown, and that soldiers "knowingly put forward false accounts" to justify their firing.

● It recognised that an OIRA sniper had fired on the soldiers, but only after the soldiers had began shooting.

Reactions to the Saville Tribunal● The relatives of those shot were generally accepting of the report.● Some criticized the worth of the report dragging up the past and as a massive

waste of money.● On the publication of the report, David Cameron made a formal apology on

behalf of the United Kingdom ● Following this, police began a murder investigation into the killings with one of

the soldiers being arrested in 2015.

Consequences of Bloody Sunday● The immediate and long-term consequence was

increased violence.● Sectarian violence becomes endemic (permanent

feature) during the 1970’s. ● 1972 becomes the worst year of all, with 467 deaths, 321

of those were civilians. ● This continues until in 1992 the death toll reaches the

3000 mark – with civilians making up 2000 of these.

Recruits for the IRA● Prior to Bloody Sunday some young Catholics, like

Northern Ireland's current Education Minister Martin McGuinness, had already joined the IRA to fight against what they saw as an occupying British Army.

● However, the actions of the Parachute Regiment immeasurably strengthened Irish republicans' arguments within their own community.

● The incident provided the Provisional IRA with a flood of fresh recruits for its "long war".

Solidified Divisions● The violence that erupts during the 1970’s finally cements the problems that

had been festering since Partitions began. ● Distrust, fear and segregation permeate all levels of society and set in stone the

mistakes of Partition. ● Everyday interactions between the different communities become much more

strained and fossilised.