## Intro [(00:00:00)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=0s) - On January 31, 1972, 13 people died and 14 were wounded in [[Derry]], [[Northern Ireland]] after [[United Kingdom | British]] soldiers fired into a crowd of civil rights protestors. [(00:00:19)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=19s) - Two days later, British Prime Minister [[Edward Heath]] held a meeting with [[Lord Chancellor]] Lord Hailsham and Lord Chief Justice [[John Widgery, Baron Widgery | John Widgery]] to discuss the incident and a planned investigation. [(00:00:42)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=42s) - Notes from the meeting, uncovered in 1995, revealed that the Prime Minister was primarily concerned with quickly resolving the matter and controlling the narrative surrounding the event. [(00:00:59)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=59s) ## Two Irelands [(00:04:01)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=241s) - Following centuries of British rule, [[Ireland]] gained independence in 1921, but a portion of the island, primarily inhabited by [[Protestantism | Protestant]] descendants of British colonists, remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland. [(00:04:01)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=241s) - Northern Ireland's population was divided between unionists, who wished to remain in the UK, and nationalists, primarily Irish [[Catholic Church | Catholics]], who sought a unified Ireland. [(00:04:37)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=277s) - Decades of discrimination against Catholics by the ruling unionists led to civil rights marches in the late 1960s, which were met with violence and eventually banned. [(00:05:08)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=308s) ## Massacre in Derry/Londonderry [(00:09:26)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=566s) - On January 30th, a civil rights march was planned in [[Derry]] in response to internment policies. [(00:09:26)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=566s) - The march encountered barricades set up by the army to contain the marchers within the [[Bogside]] neighborhood. [(00:10:13)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=613s) - At 4:05 pm, paratroopers moved in behind the marchers and began making arrests, and five minutes later, the first shots were fired. [(00:10:49)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=649s) ## The Coverup [(00:12:52)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=772s) - The investigation into the events of [[Bloody Sunday (1972) | Bloody Sunday]] was not intended to be a genuine investigation, but rather a means to protect the soldiers and the government from scrutiny. [(00:12:52)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=772s) - The investigation was intentionally limited in scope, focusing solely on the events of the day and avoiding any examination of the broader context or motivations of those involved. [(00:13:23)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=803s) - The final report concluded that the soldiers acted in self-defense and placed the blame for the deaths on the organizers of the march. [(00:14:48)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=888s) ## The Fallout and a New Investigation [(00:16:11)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=971s) - Following Bloody Sunday, both sides of the conflict in [[Northern Ireland]] believed there to be no moderate solutions. [(00:16:12)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=972s) - In 1998, the [[Good Friday Agreement]] was signed, part of which included a provision for the [[United Kingdom | British]] government to conduct an inquiry into the events of [[Bloody Sunday (1972) | Bloody Sunday]]. [(00:17:27)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=1047s) - The inquiry, which lasted 12 years and cost £200 million, concluded that none of the civilians killed on Bloody Sunday posed a threat, that soldiers lied to investigators, and that the event worsened the conflict in Northern [[Ireland]]. [(00:18:29)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=1109s) ## Conclusion [(00:18:51)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=1131s) - The conflict in Northern Ireland resulted in the deaths of over 3,500 people and caused severe injustice to many thousands more. [(00:18:52)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=1132s) - While the investigation into Bloody Sunday offered some justice, some believe it lacks true accountability. [(00:19:02)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=1142s) - The trauma from the prolonged conflict has had a lasting impact, with many still grappling with the memory of injustices and discrimination that remain unaddressed by the courts. [(00:19:14)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI&t=1154s) ## Sources - [website](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZkrryMibiI)