Nearly 40 years after the Northern Ireland shootings known as Bloody
Sunday, the British government announced Wednesday it will compensate
victims of the historic massacre.
Thirteen people were killed and
14 others wounded in Londonderry on Jan. 30, 1972 when British
paratroops opened fire on a Catholic crowd demonstrating against
Britain’s detention without trial of Irish Republican Army suspects.
It was Britain’s worst act of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland during a period of conflict known as “The Troubles.”
Here’s a look at some of the milestones in modern Anglo-Irish relations:
1911: King George V arrives in Dublin and receives a warm welcome from the throngs of people throughout his trip.
1916: The Easter Rising erupts as armed nationalists push for Irish independence. They declare an independent Irish republic before surrendering. The British execute 16 of the nationalists, including leader Roger Casement.
1920: During a soccer game in a sports stadium in Dublin, British soldiers open fire on spectators. The act is a reprisal for the IRA’s assassination of undercover British agents.
Britain grants limited independence to all of Ireland, except for six Protestant counties in the north. They remain part of the U.K.
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1922: The partition leads to a civil war that lasts for almost a year. Irish nationalists and supporters of Ireland’s provisional government clash, and the latter group prevails after much bloodshed.
1948: Ireland is granted full independence.
1968: Civil rights protests spread across Northern Ireland, prompting Britain to dispatch troops to the area within a year. They arrest many Irish republicans.
1972: British troops fire on demonstrators at a protest in Derry, Northern Ireland, killing 14 people and wounding 13 others. The ugly incident, referred to as “Bloody Sunday,” leads to increased support for the IRA.
In response to spreading unrest, Britain suspends the Northern Irish government and implements direct rule from London.
1985: Britain allows the Irish government to get involved, to a small degree, in the affairs of Northern Ireland.
1993: The Downing Street Declaration grants self-determination to the people of Northern Ireland. A ceasefire ensues and peace talks start.
1998: The Good Friday Agreement ends the decades-long conflict. It paves the way for closer relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and for an independent government in Northern Ireland.
A few months later, an IRA splinter group that opposes the agreement sets off a car bomb in the centre of Omagh, a town in Northern Ireland. Some 29 people are killed and hundreds more are injured.
2011: In April, a car bomb kills a policeman in the same town. An IRA splinter group is responsible.
2011: Former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, launches a campaign to become Ireland’s next president. McGuinness was the IRA commander in Londonderry and reputed leader of the organization in Northern Ireland for several years.
2011: Britain offers to compensate families of the victims of the Bloody Sunday massacre. Some families say they’ll reject the offer, preferring criminal justice for those who fired upon the unarmed crowd.
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