Bloody Sunday

"This afternoon, 27 people were shot in the city, 13 of them have died tonight. They were inocent, we were there. This is our Sharpeville, this is our Amritsar massacre. A moment of truth and a moment of shame. And I just want to say to the British Government, you know you just have done yet? You have destroyed the Civil Rights movement. And you've given IRA the biggest victory it will ever have. All over this city tonight, young men, boys will be joining the IRA and you will suffer their anger."

"Vingt-sept personnes ont été touchées parmi les citoyens de cette ville. Treize sont mortes ce soir. Elles étaient innocentes, mortes pour rien. Ceci est notre Sharpeville, ceci est notre massacre d'Amritsar. Un moment de honte et de vérité extrème. Et, je veux dire ceci à l'armée et au gouvernement: vous savez ce que vous avez fait? Vous avez anéanti tout l'avenir de notre mouvement, et vous avez offert à l'IRA la plus grande victoire de toute son histoire. Dans toute la ville ce soir, des hommes jeunes, des hommes forts s'apprètent à rejoindre l'IRA. Vous subirez la tempête de leur colère."

Two days after Bloody Sunday the British Governement set up an inquiry under Lord Chief Justice Widgery. Lord Widgery accepted the British Army claim's that soldiers came under fire from IRA gunmen as they entered the Bogside. He conclude there was a "strong suspicion" some victims had been handling weapons and the army's actions were justified. None of the soldiers who opened fire on Bloody Sunday were ever disciplined. The officers who planned an led the operation were later decorated by the Queen.