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As 1972 dawned on the troubled land of Northern Ireland, it appeared as if a time of peace was finally at hand. The British Government, however, had just introduced the policy of Internment, which allowed them to take into custody anyone they chose and hold them in concentration camps without trial or charge. Yet, despite this, a general ceasefire had been called among the various revolutionary factions.
When news of the Internment spread among the populace, a demonstration was called in protest at the town of Derry. On January 30, 1972 ten thousand unarmed protestors gathered to march peacefully through the streets of Derry in order to voice their anger at the removal of a basic liberty. The protest was organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association ( NICRA). The marchers left from Central Drive in the Creggan Estate at 2:50 pm. They took a route which headed towards the Bogside area of the city. The march had a carnival atmosphere and involved men, women and children. As the city center was approached the British Army stepped in to prevent the marchers from continuing. From here the march turned towards the area known as ‘Free Derry Corner.’ Around this area a small group of youths started throwing stones at some soldiers in William Street. As a result of this, the elite British group known as the Parachute Regiment moved in and began arresting people. Over the next half an hour, soldiers of the Parachute Regiment shot and killed 13 of the protestors. Another 13 were wounded.
The news of the murder of more than a dozen peaceful protestors by the British Army quickly spread around the world. International pressure was put on the British Government to provide an explanation for this outrage. The soldiers claimed that they were under attack by guns and bombs directed at them by members of the Irish Republican Army. They further stated that they only fired their weapons at people who were using weapons against them. Eyewitnesses, however, directly contradicted the statements given by the soldiers. All of the civilian witnesses agreed that the victims of the shootings were in possession of neither guns nor bombs.
The British Government commissioned a report into what soon became known as ‘Bloody Sunday.’ That report, prepared by Lord Chief Justice Widgery, left many questions as to the justification of the use of force by representatives of the British government. The Widgery Report soon came to be known as the ‘Widgery Whitewash.’
On 22nd February, 1972 a bomb exploded at Aldershot Military Barracks, the headquarters of the Parachute Regiment. Seven people were killed. The IRA claimed responsibility as a retaliation for the events of Bloody Sunday.
On January 29, 1998 British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that there would be a new enquiry into the ‘Bloody Sunday’ shootings. That enquiry under the chair of Lord Saville of Newdigate is still in the process of gathering evidence and interviewing soldiers and civilian witnesses. We await to see if it’s findings will finally bring justice for the men who died on Bloody Sunday, nearly 30 years ago.
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