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Civil Rights Movement
Following the global tendencies the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland started campaigning for social and political equality in the 60's of the last century. The occupation in March 1963 of bungalows due for demolition in Dungannon by 17 Catholic families is the designated starting point of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland.
The Campaign for Social Justice was formed in Belfast in 1964. With the non-violent black civil right movement in the United States and the student movement in France as examples the Campaign started to document occurrences of injustice.
Derry
The city of Derry in Northern Ireland took the leading role in the beginning of The Troubles.
Derry took an exceptional position in Northern Ireland because the majority (approximately 65%) of its population was Catholic. Juggling with the electoral boundaries made it possible that the City Corporation was dominated by Unionists in a 12:8 ratio. In order to maintain this crooked situation a strict allotment policy was required.
Together with disproportionate high unemployment rates and housing shortage the Catholic majority of Derry felt left behind by the Stormont government. Several events during the 60's are supporting the idea that the Derry region deliberately was neglected. The two most obvious examples are the erection of a brand-new town, including industries, at Craigavon instead of investing in Derry and the establishment of the New University of Ulster in Colerain instead of building it in Derry.
Starting in 1967 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), dedicated to electoral reforms, and the Derry Housing Action Committee (DHAC), with housing issues as its main spearhead, organised several protest and marches independent from each other. The two organisations joined forces in August 1968 and they started to organise a march due on 5 October. Due to the events following this Civil Right March is considered the start of The Troubles.
Civil Right March
Although the Civil Right March of 5 October 1968 was banned by the government approximately 400 participants and 200 spectators showed up. Among the participants were several members of the parliaments of Northern Ireland, Ireland and Westminster. Before the march had started the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) baton-charged the crowd, leaving several injured, and finally used a water cannon to scatter the crowd. Film footage, made by a cameraman from Radio Telefin Éireann (RTE), showing an unarmed crowd getting severely battered, caused global indignation and denunciation.
Riots dominated Derry for the three days following 5 October and on 9 October the People's Democracy (PD) organisation was formed. The People's Democracy (PD) would become an important force within the civil rights movement.
Several civil rights movement marches and Loyalist counter-marches were organised until 22nd November when Northern Ireland's Prime Minister Terence O'Neill, the forth Northern Irish Prime Minister and the first to visit a Catholic convent school and to shake hands with a nun, announced a reform plan. This plan met many demands of the civil rights movement. In a television speech on 9 December he appealed to the leaders to take the heat out of the situation.
This speech, know as the Ulster stands at the Crossroads speech, was a success: marches were cancelled and Derry was at peace until New Year's Day 1969.
People's Democracy March
The People's Democracy (PD) has organised a march starting at 1 January 1969 in Belfast and due to arrive in Derry four days after. Some Loyalist leaders, such as Ronald Bunting and Ian Paisley, incited the Loyal citizens of Ulster to harass and harry the march.
The Loyalists answered to this call and the marchers were pestered every day. The 80 Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers escorting the marchers never made an attempt to prevent the attacks or to defend the marchers.
The most serious incidents occurred on the last day of the march. First the marchers were ambushed at Burntollet Bridge, between Claudy and Derry, by 200 Loyalists and off-duty B-specials (a volunteer unit of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, RUC). Hospital treatment was required for 13 marches.
Later that day the second incident took place at Irish Street in a predominated Protestant area of Derry when the marchers again were under attack.
When members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) started to attack people and property in predominating Catholic quarters of Derry, such as the Bogside, area the Catholics knew for sure that the police was not impartial at all and therefore not to be trusted.
The statement of the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Terence O'Neill, on 5 January 1969 was clearly addressed to the civil rights movement. The excessive violence used by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the B-specials was not condemned. Again a period of serious rioting began in Derry and Newry.
The story of this march is told in the song The Long March to Derry.
In the year following the People's Democracy March the situation went out of control.
Bombs were planted at key utilities such as water supplies and electricity stations. Initially the Provisional Irish Republican Army (pIRA) was held responsible for these bombings, but later was established that members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV) had bombed these utilities to destabilise the O'Neill government.
On 14 July the 67 year old Francis McCloskey lost his life after being hit on the head by a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer. His life was the first life lost in The Troubles.
On 13 August the Republic of Ireland became more or less involved in the conflict by the statement of Jack Lynch, the Irish Prime Minister, that ... the present situation is the inevitable outcome of the policies pursued for decades by successive Stormont governments. It is clear also that the Irish government can no longer stand by and see innocent people injured and perhaps worse.. He also announced that Ireland would set up field hospitals near the border to take care of wounded and refugees.
With the deployment of British troops, an omen for Direct Rule, on 14 August 1969 The Troubles reached a new chapter.