Headed by Lord Saville, the Bloody Sunday Inquiry took 12 years and finally reported in 2010. President Obama also urged Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act, which first passed in 1965 in the wake of the national outrage about Bloody Sunday. After prolonged skirmishes between groups of local youths and the army at barricades set up to prevent the march reaching its intended destination (Guildhall Square in the heart of the city), paratroopers moved in to make arrests. All the latest news about Bloody Sunday from the BBC. Despite this, a number of people continued on towards an army barricade where local youths threw stones at soldiers, who responded with a water cannon, CS gas and rubber bullets. The first inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday, led by Lord Widgery, was labelled a whitewash by nationalists. Ordered to arrest as many demonstrators as possible, the army proceeded to confront the marchers, and violence erupted. Photo: Demonstrators on a civil rights march through the streets of Londonderry before the shootings on Bloody Sunday. The Derry coroner, however, was unequivocal, calling the deaths “unadulterated murder,” and nationalists campaigned for more than two decades for the government to establish a new inquiry. Author. How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears, Episode 2: History.com Editors. The British Army's first confidential report into Bloody Sunday can be revealed today. Thirteen civilians were killed on Bloody Sunday. The events of Bloody Sunday is seen as one of the biggest political and military blunders the British ever made in Ireland. Learn more about Bloody Sunday in this article. Grab a copy of our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Explore the history of Bloody Sunday with over 40 years of BBC archive clips. An overview of the events of 30 January 1972 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, using archive footage and interviews. Immediately after the incident an inquiry was ordered by British Prime Minister Edward Heath. The Report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, [Saville Report], (HC 29-I - HC 29-X, Volumes 1-10), (released 15 June 2010). Prime Minister David Cameron called the killings "unjustified and unjustifiable". ... 1984, audiences first see a commercial that is now widely agreed to be one of … The first to be killed on Bloody Sunday, he was running away when he was shot in the chest in the car park of Rossville Flats. Bloody Sunday Inquiry. Bloody Sunday was an event that happened during the Selma to Montgomery Marches on March 7th, 1965. A Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) march had been organised to protest against the continuation of Internment without trial in Northern Ireland. It established the innocence of the victims and laid responsibility for what happened on the army. Author. R eview, Bloody Sunday, 1920 (RTÉ 1) – four of of five stars. Bloody Sunday precipitated an upsurge in support for the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which advocated violence against the United Kingdom to force it to withdraw from Northern Ireland. “Bloody Sunday happened in this city,” John McKinney told the commemoration. This was during the first march and it is remembered as an especially gruesome display of racist violence in the United States. During this operation, they opened fire on the crowd, killing thirteen and wounding 13 others. Corrections? Bloody Sunday, demonstration in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland, on Sunday, January 30, 1972, by Roman Catholic civil rights supporters that turned violent when British paratroopers opened fire, killing 13 and injuring 14 others (one of the injured later died). Bloody Sunday Massacre in Russia . The following year the British government announced that it would offer financial compensation to relatives of the victims. While the British Army maintained that its troops had responded after coming under fire, the people of the Bogside saw it as murder. President Barack Obama commemorates the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma. This would become an important event in the military struggle between the IRA and the British armed forces in Ireland at the time. In one way this is strange, as the number of fatal victims is second only to 1920 and the extent of material damage was much greater than any of the other incidents. About 15,000 people gathered in the Creggan area of Derry on the morning of 30 January 1972 to take part in a civil rights march. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by Irish rock band U2.It is the opening track from their 1983 album War and was released as the album's third single on 21 March 1983 in the Netherlands and West Germany. " It also found that none of the soldiers had fired in response to attacks by those throwing projectiles and that none of those who were shot had posed any threat to the soldiers. Bloody Sunday began as a peaceful—but illegal—demonstration by some 10,000 people organized by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association in opposition to the British government’s policy of interning suspected members of the IRA without trial. Website Name. The Bloody Sunday inquiry was at the centre of major political controversy yesterday after claims were made that Martin McGuinness fired a shot which triggered the … Omissions? London: The Stationery Office. On 30 January 1972, a civil rights demonstration through the streets of Londonderry in north-west Northern Ireland ended with the shooting dead of thirteen civilians by the British Army. The British government was sufficiently concerned for the Home Secretary to announce the following day an official inquiry into the circumstances of the shootings. Many of the victims were shot while fleeing from the soldiers, and some were shot while trying to help the wounded. About ten thousand people gathered in the Creggan area of Derry on the morning of Sunday 30 January 1972. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). History.com Editors. British troops had been sent into Derry as a peacekeeping force in August 1969 and had initially been welcomed by the predominantly Catholic nationalist community as a preferable alternative to what they saw as the discrimination of the local Northern Ireland security forces. British troops responded by firing rubber bullets and a water cannon. Claim over Bloody Sunday's 'first shot'. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Bloody Sunday Massacre in Russia . Lewis—and about 60 other peaceful protesters—were injured by state troopers on Bloody Sunday It was 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 7, 1965. Civil rights advocates are preparing to mark the first anniversary of Selma's "Bloody Sunday" without the late Rep. John Lewis, and as the first anniversary of George Floyd's death approaches. Upon the issuing of the report in 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron went before Parliament to apologize for the shootings. [This report now supersedes the report of the first Bloody Sunday Inquiry (Widgery Inquiry) in 1972.] It was led by Lord Widgery, the lord chief justice of England, who concluded that the demonstrators fired the first shot but that none of those dead appeared to have carried weapons. Twenty-five-year-old John Lewis led the way onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Expand. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Bloody-Sunday-Northern-Ireland-1972. Other protesters were injured by shrapnel, rubber bullets, or baton… However, the first sad day to bear the epithet “Bloody Sunday” in the twentieth century was August 31, 1913 in the streets of Dublin. Why it matters: A three-day virtual event seeks to acknowledge aging civil rights activists who pushed the nation to expand voting rights in 1965. With Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson, Murray Head, Peggy Ashcroft. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Never in question was the fact that after less than 30 minutes of shooting, 13 marchers lay dead. Bloody Sunday: what arrested 'Soldier J' told the Saville Inquiry and why he was accused of lying. The result turned hundreds, if not thousands, of young men from all over Ireland to join the IRA. And yet, Belfast’s Bloody Sunday does not fit so well into a story anyone wants to remember. An official government inquiry began two weeks later but was widely considered a whitewash, leading to a fresh public inquiry in 1998 that took 12 years to report and absolved the victims of blame. The events of Bloody Sunday, 21 November 1920, are generally regarded as having marked a decisive turning-point in the military struggle between the British forces and the IRA, the military wing of the underground Dáil government. First came the killings by Michael Collins’s ‘squad’ of twelve British Intelligence agents in their Dublin … Another man, aged fifty-nine, died some months later from injuries sustained on that day. The residents of the Bogside area of the city had declared it 'Free Derry' and refused to recognise the authority of the Northern Ireland government, led by a unionist majority that drew most of its support from the Protestant community. Hugh Gilmour, 17. Close. Bloody Sunday occurred in Dublin on 21 November 1920 and would mark a turning point for the War of Independence leaving 31 people dead in a single day. The first inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday, led by Lord Widgery, was labelled a whitewash by nationalists. Bloody Sunday, demonstration in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland, on Sunday, January 30, 1972, by Roman Catholic civil rights supporters that turned violent when British paratroopers opened fire, killing 13 and injuring 14 others (one of the injured later died). 'Bloody Sunday' refers to the events that took place in Derry on the afternoon of Sunday 30 January 1972. Activist groups on Wednesday, April 7, called for justice for "Bloody Sunday" victims as they marked one month since the deadly police operations in Calabarzon. Sunday Bloody Sunday is a 1971 British drama written by Penelope Gilliatt, directed by John Schlesinger and starring Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch, Murray Head and Peggy Ashcroft.It tells the story of a free-spirited young bisexual artist (played by Head) and his simultaneous relationships with a divorced female recruitment job consultant (Jackson) and a gay male Jewish doctor (Finch). The incident remained a source of controversy for decades, with competing accounts of the events. Bloody Sunday On 30 January 1972, a civil rights demonstration through the streets of Londonderry in north-west Northern Ireland ended with the shooting dead of thirteen civilians by the British Army. Fourteen people died: 13 were killed outright, while the death of another man four months later was attributed to his injuries. Marchers marching from Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church to Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, March 7, 1965 (Bloody Sunday). Bloody Sunday, or the Bogside Massacre, was a massacre on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, when British soldiers shot 26 civilians during a protest march against internment without trial. The British Army had sealed off the original route so the march organisers led most of the demonstrators towards 'Free Derry Corner' in the nationalist Bogside area of the city. With support for the demands of the civil rights movement so strong among local people, Derry was an obvious choice for a mass demonstration. The inquiry was established to examine the events of 30 January 1972 when 13 Catholic men were shot … The emotional intricacies of a polyamorous relationship between young artist Bob and his two lovers: a lonely male doctor and a frustrated female office worker. Documentary blew away the myths of the first Bloody Sunday and restored the humanity of the victims. 'I know this is the first commemoration of Bloody Sunday without Reverend C.T. On the morning of Sunday 30 January 1972, around ten thousand people gathered in Londonderry for a civil rights march. The families of the victims of Bloody Sunday felt that the inquiry's findings vindicated those who were killed, raising the question of prosecutions and compensation. Stay up to date! Directed by John Schlesinger. In June 2010 the Saville Report, the final pronouncement of a government inquiry initiated by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998, concluded that none of the victims had posed any threat to the soldiers and that their shooting was without justification. Read about our approach to external linking. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The aftermath of Bloody Sunday. Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness admitted he was the IRA gunman who sparked Bloody Sunday with a single shot, according to an informer, the Saville inquiry was … Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Sign up to our mailing list to receive the latest news in your email. The demonstrators marched toward Guildhall Square in the city centre, but the British army had cordoned off much of the area, prompting most of the marchers to alter their course and head toward Free Derry Corner. The wounded included a fifteen-year-old boy and a woman. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In an attempt to address nationalist grievances, electoral boundaries were redrawn more fairly, efforts were made to rectify discrimination in housing and public employment, and the B Specials were decommissioned. By 1969 Northern Ireland was spiraling out of control and rioting became more fierce such as The Battle of Bogside. The conflict in Northern Ireland, 1968-98. Plenty of them have become attached to the events of the Bloody Sunday massacre in Croke Park on November 21, 1920. This would become an important event in the military struggle between the IRA and the British armed forces in Ireland at the time. “Bloody Sunday” took place in the Calabarzon region, which has the highest concentration of manufacturing workers and has become the second-largest contributor to national GDP. ... 1984, audiences first see a commercial that is now widely agreed to be one of … A former classmate of the first person to be killed on Bloody Sunday has described how his friend was shot dead by soldiers. Bloody Sunday occurred in Dublin on 21 November 1920 and would mark a turning point for the War of Independence leaving 31 people dead in a single day. For The First Time In 56 Years, A 'Bloody Sunday' Without John Lewis Sunday's anniversary of the day marchers were beaten by police in Selma, Ala., will honor the late civil rights icon. Majesty and Mortar: Britain's Great Palaces. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images. Tue 15 Jun 2010 04.29 EDT First published on Tue 15 Jun 2010 04.29 EDT. At the same time, the government of Northern Ireland responded to the growing…. And the more time has … the Bloody Sunday Inquiry took 12 years and finally reported in 2010. (2010). His report exonerated the army and cast suspicion on many of the victims, suggesting they had been handling bombs and guns. Website Name. However, some of the demonstrators confronted the soldiers, pelting them with stones and other projectiles. Bloody Sunday, demonstration in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on Sunday, January 30, 1972, by Roman Catholic civil rights supporters that turned violent when British paratroopers opened fire, killing 13 and injuring 14 others (one of the injured later died). Bloody Sunday occurred on January 30, 1972, in the city of Derry when the parachute regiment of the British army opened fire on a Civil Rights march killing 13 people, another victim died later from his wounds. image copyright. NPS Photo. Opinion was further polarised by the findings of this tribunal, led by the British Lord Chief Justice, Lord Widgery. The origins of the first “Bloody Sunday” can be traced to a test of wills between two Irish men and the struggle for workers’ rights that was being played on the world stage in the early years of the twentieth century. It is 100 years since Ireland's first Bloody Sunday, a mass shooting by British forces at a GAA match. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Bloody Sunday Trust and Apprentice Boys meet for the first time since a … PA. As the riot began to disperse, soldiers of the 1st Parachute Regiment were ordered to move in and arrest as many of the rioters as possible. In the minutes that followed, some of these paratroopers opened fire on the crowd, killing thirteen men and injuring 13 others, one of whom died some months later. Who had fired the first shot long remained a point of contention—with the army maintaining that it had fired only after being fired upon and the Roman Catholic community contending that the soldiers had opened fire on unarmed protesters. Vivian, Reverend Joseph Lowery, and Congressman John Lewis,' … Giving evidence to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry in Londonderry, William Terence McClements said he was standing within two feet of 17-year-old Jack Duddy when he was shot dead. “Put the families and the people of Derry first, not Soldier F.” “It just goes on hurting,” 73-year-old Kay Green told me. Updates? This would result in taking Northern Ireland into a bloody 30-year conflict. Opposition to policies such as detention of terrorist suspects without trial (internment) and the alleged rigging of electoral wards to favour Protestant voters (gerrymandering) had inspired a nascent civil rights movement across Northern Ireland. The trial began in September and at the last hearing the judge considered moving the case to Belfast, causing further hurt to families. Episode 2: Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted for its militaristic drumbeat, harsh guitar, and melodic harmonies. The 5,000-page Saville Report found that the first shot in the vicinity of the march had been fired by the British army and that, though there was some firing by republican paramilitaries, it did not provide any justification for the shooting of the civilian casualties. The song’s inception, from Wikipedia: “Sunday Bloody Sunday” grew from a guitar riff and lyric written by The Edge in 1982. Three separate but connected events occurred on Bloody Sunday. The dead were all male, aged between seventeen and forty-one. The Bloody Sunday of 1921, on the other hand is all but completely forgotten. Relatives of the dead and the wider nationalist community campaigned for a fresh public inquiry, which was finally granted by then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998. The events leading to Bloody Sunday. Behind him were 600 protesters, walking peacefully two by two. That Sunday was November 21 or what would become known as ‘Bloody Sunday’.