50 Years: Troubles Started

50 years ago today (October 5, 1968) the Troubles in Northern Ireland started when a peaceful civil rights march in Derry/Londonderry (it is called Derry by Catholics and Londonderry by Protestants) by Northern Irish Catholics turned into a violent show of force by both the ruling Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) – a Northern Irish Protestant political party in power since Northern Ireland was created in 1921 and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) – the Protestant dominated police force in Northern Ireland. The police (RUC) used batons and water cannons in an attempt to disperse the marchers and violent skirmishes broke out. Among those injured in the clash were Gerry Fitt, a Republican and Labour Member of Parliament (MP), and three Labour MPs (Russell Kerr, Anne Kerr and John Ryan). Dramatic images were captured on camera by the media and broadcast around the world. The march was organized by NICRA.

The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) was modelled after the American CivRights Movement of the 1950s-60s and used non-violence and civil disobedience. It called for wide-ranging reforms throughout Northern Irish society: it demanded equal voting rights in local government elections; a fairer system for the allocation of public housing; an end to 'gerrymandering' (the manipulation of electoral boundaries to give one community an electoral advantage); an end to discrimination in employment; the disbandment of the 'B-Specials' (an all-Protestant auxiliary police force); and the repeal of the Special Powers Act (which allowed for internment of suspects without trial).

To give an example of the official discrimination allowed in Northern Ireland from when it was created in 1921 leading to the civil rights movement of the 1960s: an unmarried Protestant woman with no children or dependents had priority to receive a 3 bedroom government-owned house over a married Catholic family with 4 children simply because she was a Protestant.

The images of October 5, 1968 – like the one above - in Derry/Londonderry showed the world how the Northern Irish Catholics were treated as second-class citizens by the Northern Irish Protestants and the British Government in London with comparisons made to how Blacks were treated in the American South (where the police also used batons and water cannons on innocent men, women and children.) 

The Troubles officially lasted from 1968 to 1998. It was fought between two sides: 1.) The Protestants (ie. the British Government in London, the British Government in Northern Ireland, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the various Ulster Loyalist Paramilitary groups) and 2.) The Catholics (ie. the IRA and the various Irish Republican Paramilitary groups.) What started as a peaceful civil disobedience protest by the Northern Irish Catholics wanting equal rights, brought 38 years of British Military Deployment. 

At first the Northern Irish Catholics saw the British Military as a neutral force to keep the peace between the Northern Irish Protestants and the Northern Irish Catholics, but on January 30, 1972  - Bloody Sunday - that all changed when the British Military (the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment) massacred 14 unarmed Catholics (6 of whom were 17 years old) and the British Government covered it up until 2010 when they finally admitted their guilt. From that day (in 1972) all sides used violence on the other. 

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 officially ended The Troubles and finally made Northern Irish Catholics equal citizens to Northern Irish Protestants as well as other British citizens (ie. the Scots, the Welsh, the English.) In those 30 years: 748 British soldiers, 301 RUC, 162 Ulster Loyalists, 368 Irish Republicans, 11 Republic of Ireland Gardai, 1,935 civilians (Catholic and Protestants) died and 47,500 were wounded. 

Had the British Government in London simply given Northern Irish Catholics equal civil rights (the way they did to Northern Irish Protestants in 1921 when Northern Ireland was created) then The Troubles most likely would not have happened or at least not to the extent that they did (lasting 30 years and with thousands of people dead and many more thousands wounded in Northern Ireland, Ireland, England and other parts of Europe.) Instead the British Government in London worked with the Northern Irish Protestant Government to suppress and massacre innocent men, women and children – which led to all-out war. While the British Government has finally admitted their crimes (the massacres of innocent Catholics throughout Northern Ireland) they continue to suppress bringing any of the soldiers involved in the massacres or the government officials involved in ordering the massacres or the decades-long cover-up to justice. The medals given – by Queen Elizabeth II -  to the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment for their role in the Bloody Sunday Massacre in January 1972 have not even been revoked in the 8 years since the British Prime Minister openly admitted to the massacre. It is one thing to say you are guilty and sorry for your crimes and another to bring to justice those responsible for the murders and the official cover-up.