Fifty years ago, on this day, Northern Ireland witnessed violence that, despite all that time, remained fresh in the minds of many.
Thirteen people were shot dead and at least 15 injured after members of the British Army's paratroopers Regiment opened fire on civil rights protesters in Bogside - the Catholic part of London Derry - on Sunday, 30 January 1972.
The day became known as Bloody Sunday.Bloody Sunday is seen as one of the darkest and darkest days of Northern Ireland's troubles.
London Derry had experienced discrimination in housing, employment and education in favour of the pro-British Protestant minority.
This tension caused by inequality led to an era of unrest in Northern Ireland that began in the late sixties and finally ended with the "Good Friday" Agreement in 1998.
Events leading up to Bloody Sunday
About 15,000 people gathered in the Creggan area of Derry on the morning of January 30, 1972 to take part in the civil rights march.
Five months ago, in August 1971, a new law granting the authorities the right to imprison and detain people without trial was passed, following an upsurge in violence and bombings in Northern Ireland.
The government thought that was the only way to restore order.Thousands gathered in Derry that day in January for a march organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association to protest the decision.
However, the Stormont government (the Northern Ireland executive committee, created by the government of Ireland Act 1920 and active between 1922 and 1972) banned such protests and deployed troops to monitor the March.
What is the course of events on that day
The march began shortly after 15: 00 GMT, and the intended destination was the city center.But Army barricades prevented protesters from reaching their intended destination.Instead, the majority of protesters were directed towards Free Derry Corner Street in Bogside.
After prolonged skirmishes between groups of young men and the army, soldiers from the paratrooper regiment moved in to carry out the arrests.
Before 16 : 00 GMT, stones began being thrown at the soldiers, the soldiers responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas and using water cannons to disperse the demonstrators, and two men were shot dead.At 16 : 07 GMT, the paratrooper regiment moved to arrest as many protesters as possible.At 16 : 10 GMT the soldiers started firing.
According to Army evidence, 21 soldiers fired their weapons, firing a total of 108 rounds.
How was the reaction
The shooting by the soldiers sparked widespread outrage in Derry and elsewhere.An angry mob set fire to the premises of the British Embassy in Dublin and others to the ground.
The day after Bloody Sunday, the British government announced it would open an inquiry led by Chief Justice Lord wedgery.
Victims: top row (left to right): Patrick Doherty, Gerald Donaghy, John Duddy, Hugh Gilmore, Michael Kelly, Michael McDaid, Kevin McElhinney.
Bottom row: Bernard McGuigan, Gerard McKinney, William McKinney, William Nash, James Ray, John Yang.
The Widgery Court largely acquitted the soldiers and the British authorities and did not blame them of any kind, although it described the shooting of the soldiers as an "almost reckless act".
Widjari's report was also denounced by the victims ' families as "whitewashing" and disparaging of the victims ' families, who then spent years campaigning for a new public inquiry.
Savile investigation
The British prime minister, Tony Blair, announced that a new inquiry will be held, chaired by Judge Lord Savile.
The inquiry was opened in 1998 and lasted until 2010, making it the longest investigation in British legal history at a cost of around 200 million pounds.
The investigation concluded that none of the victims posed a threat and did nothing to justify shooting them.
No warning was given to any civilians before the soldiers opened fire, he said, and the shooting by the soldiers was in no way in response to firebombs or stone-throwing attacks.
The Savile inquiry found that there had been" some shooting by republican paramilitaries " but in general, it was the army that first opened fire.
What happened after Savile
The police service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has launched a murder investigation following the release of the Savile report.
It took several years to complete, and then the detectives submitted their files to the prosecution at the end of 2016.
After reading 125 thousand pages of material, prosecutors said on March 14 that they would try private F for the murders of James Ray and William McKinney.
He also faced charges of attempted murder of Patrick O'donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn.
On July 2, 2021, it was announced that Soldier F would not face trial following a decision by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).
The Public Prosecution Service said in a statement that, after "careful consideration", the decision was made because of a recent court ruling that found the evidence relied on in the trial of Soldier A and Soldier C for the murder of Joe McCann inadmissible.
The evidence was considered inadmissible because of the circumstances in which it was obtained.
The decision not to proceed with the case is now subject to direct judicial review, following a legal challenge by the brother of one of the victims of Bloody Sunday.
One of the darkest days in British history
Prime minister Boris Johnson called Bloody Sunday "one of the darkest days in British history" and said in the run-up to the anniversary "we must learn from the past, reconcile and build a common and prosperous future".
Former prime minister David Cameron said on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary that his 2010 apology for Bloody Sunday made it clear beyond any doubt that what happened at the time was a grave mistake.
Cameron apologised at the launch of the Savile inquiry, saying the killings were "unjustified and there is absolutely nothing that can justify or justify them".
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