Northern Ireland Politics
By 1962 the IRA decided to lay down their arms due to pressure from Catholics
in Northern Ireland who were experiencing direct punishment from the protestant
government in retaliation for the IRA's actions. The IRA realised a political
approach may prove more effective. Within the next few years more political
ground was being made and reforms were being recognised but more action
would be needed to make major changes for Catholics.
Civil Rights in Northern Ireland
As political groups emerged and voiced their concerns over conditions NICRA was established but was seen as nothing more than a pressure group who mainly wrote letters to members of the Government In protest of specific conditions in Northern Ireland.
The first action NICRA took was when they had held a protest blocking the Craigavon Bridge in Derry City over housing discrimination in the City which resulted in 17 protestors being arrested due to the march being ruled illegal by the Minister for Home Affairs, William Craig who believed the Civil Rights movement was a front for the IRA.
A few days later, 9th October 1968 students from Queens University in Belfast staged a mass sit down protest over the police brutality that happened during the Civil Rights March in Derry.
Demands of the Civil Right Marchers were one person one vote, an end to the gerrymandered local government boundaries, an end to discrimination in the allocation of housing, an end to discrimination in employment and the repeal of the Special Powers Act. These demands enraged the Unionists as they seen them as a threat against Unionist Power in Northern Ireland and possibly an end to British Rule.
Hundreds of Unionists including police reservists attacked a Civil Rights March in Burntollet outside Derry City on 4th January 1969, the attack was witnessed by the police force that did nothing to stop the mob from advancing on the Civil Rights marchers also was witnessed by a RTE News crew from the Republic of Ireland.
By now Catholics had no trust in the British State of Northern Ireland and also felt their voice was not being heard, one of the major reasons on why Civil Rights groups starting appearing.
Unfortantley the Civil Rights movement didnt make change over
night or did they have any major impact on the one sided politics of Northern
Ireland. With this failure in mind more and more repulicans became angered
by the British which was to fuel many years of "the troubles."