Bloody Sunday

1
Bloody Sunday

• 30th January 1972

2
The background

• Civil Rights protests 1968-1972
• Deployment of British Army in Northern Ireland
• Increase in paramilitary actions

3
The Civil Rights Movement

• Established by students as a form of protest
  about housing, unemployment and political
  inequalities. This movement was met with
  hostility by some elements of the protestant
  community who thought it was a method of
  interfering in Northern Irish issues.
• The main method of protesting was marches. When
  these were attacked some of the marchers also
  used violence. The police have been accused of
  taking sides in these clashes.
• Marches led to increased confrontation between
  Unionists and Nationalists and led to increased
  suspicion and hatred of the Police, and later
  armed forces.

4
Government Action

• The Police
• Used force against the violent minority of the
  marchers.
• Were seen by Catholics as acting unlawfully.
• The Army
• Were sent to aid the RUC.
• Were used to conduct house to house searches.

5
Government Action continued

• Consequences.
• Catholic population of Northern Ireland felt
  increasingly isolated.
• Popularity of paramilitary groups increases as
  Nationalists lose faith in security forces.
• Unionist paramilitary groups step up recruitment.
• Continued unrest and calls for Political change.
• Which later lead to
• Internment
• Tit for tat killings
• No go areas being created as paramilitary
  groups take to the streets

6
Preventative Measures

• Internment
• This is imprisonment of suspects without trial.
  These men were badly treated, they were denied
  sleep, subjected to continuous noise and often
  hooded at times when they were not being
  interrogated.
• Nearly all of the 1600 internees were Catholic.
• Consequences of Internment
• Rapid increase in the number of paramilitary
  attacks. (April-July of 1971 8 killings, August-
  November 114 killings)
• Public outcry at treatment of innocent men.
• Increased feeling of isolation amongst the
  catholic population.

7
The Catholic reaction

• A Protest Rally organised for
• 30 January 1972 to complain at the use of
  Internment.

8
The Rally What happened?

• Marchers were allowed to congregate and set off
  on the march (Political Marches had been banned
  in Northern Ireland).
• Marchers halted at an army roadblock.

9
The Rally What happened?

• Protestors throw stones at the army.
• Water Cannon and Rubber Bullets used to disperse
  the crowd.
• Confrontation continues and further stones are
  thrown and rubber bullets fired.

10
The Rally What happened?

• Suddenly gun shot is heard and within seconds 13
  marchers are lying dead, others are wounded and
  hundreds of others are in shock.
• The British Army has killed 13 members of the
  public

11
Immediate Reactions

• The Army
• Claims it only ever returned fire
• The Protestors
• Claim that no shots were fired other than those
  by the armed forces
• Independent Witnesses
• Offer conflicting accounts but cannot PROVE that
  shots were fired at the army
• The Inquiry into these events has recently been
  re-opened, this may result in an accepted version
  of events becoming available.

12
Interpretations of events

• The Official Version of events.
• The men of the Parachute regiment responded to
  gun shot. They had been under attack from the
  crowd for some time, through stone throwing and
  reacted to shots being fired by returning fire.
  This is an acceptable reaction. It is regrettable
  that innocent people may have been as a result of
  the paratroopers self defence.
• The Marchers Version of events.
• The armed forces were provocative. They had
  halted a peaceful protest and were aggressive
  towards members of the protest group. The
  frustrated actions of some marchers resulted in
  the paratroopers opting for brute, murdering
  force. They opened fire on innocent men, women
  and children.

13
Possible Explanations to consider

• Paratroopers were armed with both rubber bullets
  and live ammunition. They may have mistakenly
  used live ammunition.
• The paratroopers were fearful of being shot at,
  the IRA was becoming increasingly active. If they
  thought they were being shot at, they might have
  panicked themselves.
• The parachute regiment is not trained for crowd
  control situations. They are trained to be
  aggressive.

14
Consequences

• Break down of Law and Order in Northern Ireland.
• IRA attacks on mainland Britain.
• Unionists become more extreme.
• Northern Ireland assembly suspended.
• Increase in number of soldiers in the province.
• Increased sympathy for extremists of both sides
  from abroad.
• Change in IRA tactics
• Splinter groups from the IRA emerge, the Irish
  National Liberation Army.
• Police and Army made increasingly unwelcome in
  Nationalist areas.
• Government reform gerrymandering ends,
  B-Specials disbanded, direct rule from Whitehall
  (London), new security force established (Ulster
  Defence regiment) which each in themselves have
  consequences

15
Reaction to Government actions

• Dublin, happy with Direct Rule as it ends
  Unionist control over the province. Calls for IRA
  cease-fire.
• Unionists. Feel betrayed by London. Unionist
  paramilitary groups increase number of sectarian
  attacks.
• Nationalists. Many were pleased with Direct Rule.
  Civil Rights protestors still press for reform
  though.
• IRA. View direct rule as Britain trying to
  illegally take what is not rightfully theres.
  Escalation of violence.