In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 13 unarmed civil rights protesters are shot dead by British Army paratroopers in an event known as “Bloody Sunday”. The demonstrators, all Catholics from the North, were demonstrating to protest against the British policy of interning suspected Irish nationalists. British authorities had ordered the march banned and sent troops to confront protesters when it was taking place. Soldiers indiscriminately fired at crowds of demonstrators, killing 13 and injuring 17.
The murders have drawn worldwide attention to the crisis in Northern Ireland and sparked protests across Ireland. In Dublin, the capital of independent Ireland, outraged Irish citizens set the British Embassy on fire on February 2.
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The crisis in Northern Ireland escalated in 1969 when British troops were sent into British possession to quell the nationalist activity of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and to quell religious violence between Protestants and Catholics.
In April 1972, the British government issued a report exonerating British troops from any illegal action during the Londonderry protest. Irish outrage at British policy in Northern Ireland increased and Britain increased its military presence in the North while removing any vestige of autonomy from the North. On July 21, 1972, the IRA detonated 20 bombs simultaneously in Belfast, killing British military personnel and a number of civilians. Britain has responded by instituting a new judicial system consisting of jury-less trials for terrorism suspects and conviction rates have exceeded 90%.
The IRA formally disarmed in September 2005, finally fulfilling the terms of the landmark 1998 Good Friday peace accord. It is hoped that disarmament will end decades of politically motivated bloodshed in the region.
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