happened.
To understand Bloody Sunday, to explain why it happened, it is necessary appreciate Lne ponnical cumstances in which it occured.
The previous August the Unionist government led had introduced internment without trial of suspected Republicans and socialists. From the point of view of the Unionists and the Tory government at Westminster who them, the exercise was a disaster.
use naked justified the anti-imperialist ment in Ireland in the eyes of tens of thousands of Catholics. failed to net all but a few of the anti-imperialist activists and produced a massive counter-offensive IRA.
Such failures produced sharp criticism from Faulkner's own right and the growing Democratic Unionist Party led by lan Paisley. By January 1972 Faulkner's premiership was in danger and the British under heavy pressure to 'get results'.
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authorities' failures. The Bogside and Creggan districts were 'no go areas' for the British Army in popular mass resistance had kept out the forces of their repression since internment.
The anti-internment march planned for Sunday 30 January was a further act of defiance by the Catholic population of Derrv. had banned all demonstrations.
For these Unionists, the Tories and the Army were in desperate need of a 'victory over the rebellious Catholics.
Just Bloody series of top level meetings took place between Faulkner, the British government and the Army chiefs.
ine outcome was a Jomt stalement on 29 January issued by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army: 'Experience this year has already shown that attempted marches OTLeN Clearly, the responsibility for violence and the consequences of it must rest fairly and squarely on the shoulders of those who people to break the law... The security forces have a duty to take action against those who set out to break the law.' Force The same day, lan Paisley, announcing the cancellation counter-demonstration to the one in exolanel assured that the Civil Rights march Will be halted by force if necessary' Peter McMullan, a member of the Parachute Regiment, recall a conversation he heard in the officers' mess, Bloody Sunday, the day he deserted:
'There was an O-Group that morning. An O-Group is a brigade conlaD, where all the officers in the brigade come in and have a big powwow. They were saying they wanted a confrontation with the IRA, and the La confrontation was to shoot. cirNonagon wild me A.i backed force demonstration. movenect illicit by the Army was the which Cycl for Faulkner the Sunday a vy for this encourage of been was later to days before only way they seemed to be able to get "The conversation went round to the fact that they were going to shoot innocent people down to get a conThe march began in the Creggan district just before 3pm. By the time it reached the Bogside it was 20,000 strong. A couple of hundred of the marchers had swarmed in front of the lorry which was officially leading the BBC At the edge of the Bogside there were Army barricades. As the march ended and the meeting began there was the usual interchange or misslie. between the soldiers and a hundred or next: so Derry youth. The Army plastic bullets and CS gas, the youth replied with stones. It was an everyday encounter in Derry that winter.
Then, at 3.55pm, the first shots were fired. They were fired by the Arand hit 15-year-old Damien Donaghy and 57-year-old Johnston.
Few in the crowd realised what had happened, and the two were only worneedl It was more than 15 minutes before the 'assault' began in earnest. By then, it has since been assumed, the army had hoped that the IRA would appear to 'defend' the people. But the IRA were nowhere to be seen, having dumped their guns in the Creggan to take part, peacefully, in the march.
The first two to be shot in the second round of shooting were 17-yearold Jack Duddy and 37-year-old Peggy Drew. Duddy was killed and a television camera recorded his body being carried away by a priest waving a handkerchief soaked in the victim's blood Italian journalist Fulvio Grimaldi what happened ly forward towards the fleeing crowd fired tigures trom the saracens. He lumpec out, ran a few yards to the right, turn. ed, ran towards a courtyard and lifted the carbine to his shoulder.
another paratrooper, ten yards to his John left; in an identical position. He fired, his head swinging slightly back. Then he fired again, then another shake of his head then he fired again.' of the soldiers:
saw the paratroopers. The firing was getting hectic.
Kneels aiming, standing and aiming, others were darting towards the street in an effort to cut off the escape route.
slowing down and looking over to where an old limping frantically away. The youth leaped over, put his arm under the old man, pulled him on.
ther on, a boy with short, dark hair lifted his hands to his face as he raced past the soldiers. One of them let the boy go past, weapon, settled something on it with calmly 'The saracens careered into the and clashed me.
'I followed one of the leaping shot HIC 'He looked for a split second to carabine to shoel, pomtea tne black barrel a the back of the boy and calmly sho:
One of those shot was 22-year-o!: Michael Bradley.
He had seen ha friend, Jack Duddy killed and ran ou: towards the body.
"The first thing that came to my mind was just mad anger', he said later. Though I was carrying nothing at the time, I had neither brick, stone or anything in my hand, 1 turnec round and started. using a lot of swearwords at the soldiers.
"They were in the car park facing The soldiers had come out from inside their saracens and had taken up positions and firing points. Now I don't know which of these soldiers Just the everything was just a flash to me.
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TEN years ago this weekend, the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment of the British Army opened fire on a demonstration in Derry on what became known as Bloody Sunday. Within a couple of hours 13 people had died and another was to die later from injuries received. GEOFF BELL recalls what