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1972 Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland
In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 13 allegedly unarmed civil rights demonstrators are shot dead by British Army paratroopers in an event that becomes known as "Bloody Sunday." The protesters, all Northern Catholics, were marching in protest of the British policy of internment of suspected Terrorists. British authorities had ordered the march banned, and sent troops to confront the demonstrators when it went ahead. The soldiers fired into the crowd of protesters, killing 13 and wounding seventeen.
The killings brought worldwide attention to the crisis in Northern Ireland and sparked protests all across Ireland. In Dublin, the capital of Southern Ireland, outraged Irish citizens set fire to the British embassy on February 2.
The crisis in Northern Ireland escalated in 1969 when British troops were sent to Ulster to suppress religious violence between Protestants and Catholics.
In April 1972, the British government released a report exonerating British troops from any illegal actions during the Londonderry protest. Irish indignation over Britain's Northern Ireland policies grew, and Britain increased its military presence in the North while removing any vestige of Northern self-rule. On July 21, 1972, the IRA exploded 20 bombs simultaneously in Belfast, killing British military personnel and a number of civilians. Britain responded by instituting a new court system composed of trial without jury for terrorism suspects and conviction rates topped over 90 percent. Since 1969, the conflict over Northern Ireland has claimed more than 3,000 lives.
In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 13 allegedly unarmed civil rights demonstrators are shot dead by British Army paratroopers in an event that becomes known as "Bloody Sunday." The protesters, all Northern Catholics, were marching in protest of the British policy of internment of suspected Terrorists. British authorities had ordered the march banned, and sent troops to confront the demonstrators when it went ahead. The soldiers fired into the crowd of protesters, killing 13 and wounding seventeen.
The killings brought worldwide attention to the crisis in Northern Ireland and sparked protests all across Ireland. In Dublin, the capital of Southern Ireland, outraged Irish citizens set fire to the British embassy on February 2.
The crisis in Northern Ireland escalated in 1969 when British troops were sent to Ulster to suppress religious violence between Protestants and Catholics.
In April 1972, the British government released a report exonerating British troops from any illegal actions during the Londonderry protest. Irish indignation over Britain's Northern Ireland policies grew, and Britain increased its military presence in the North while removing any vestige of Northern self-rule. On July 21, 1972, the IRA exploded 20 bombs simultaneously in Belfast, killing British military personnel and a number of civilians. Britain responded by instituting a new court system composed of trial without jury for terrorism suspects and conviction rates topped over 90 percent. Since 1969, the conflict over Northern Ireland has claimed more than 3,000 lives.
