#bloody-sunday

#bloody-sunday

What happened on 'Bloody Sunday?' Unarmed protesters calling for an end to anti-Catholic policies were attacked by British soldiers, who killed 13 and injured at least 15 others on the streets of Derry on January 30, 1972. The protest was part of a violent conflict between mostly Catholic supporters of a united Ireland and predominantly Protestant groups that wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom, as well as British soldiers stated in Northern Ireland, a period of time know as the Troubles.

An army veteran will stand trial on Monday charged with murder in relation to Bloody Sunday, when the Parachute Regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters in Derry in 1972. The former paratrooper, known as Soldier F, is charged with two murders and five attempted murders during a military operation that became a defining event of Northern Ireland's Troubles. He has pleaded not guilty to the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murder of five others.

A Sunday in January 1972 marked one of the blackest days of the Troubles. On the penultimate day of the month, thousands of civil rights demonstrators took to the streets of Derry. The protest had been banned by the Stormont government and there was a heavy presence of soldiers and ­police officers. After skirmishes between ­local youths and the British army - soldiers moved in to make arrests. Shortly ­afterwards, members of the Parachute Regiment began to open fire.