• nickwitha_k (he/him)
    link
    210 months ago

    There were a few in Ireland. The one generally referred to in recent times was a 1972 massacre in Derry’s Bogside district (the city has the Waterside, historically inhabited but unionists and descendents of English-backed colonists, and the Bogside, historically inhabited by native Irish). During a march to protest the internment without trial of Irish Republicans, British paratroopers opened fire, killing 13 (another later died of wounds) and injuring another 12.

    This was an inflection point in the history of The Troubles, escalating the conflict. Despite multiple investigations showing the actions to be unjustified and unjustifiable, none of those implicated have yet stood trial, though one is set to, after years of prosecutors trying to avoid it, additionally, all of the soldiers’ names remain redacted.

    There were at least 3 others in Ireland as well. One of the others with major conflict implications being the 1920 massacre of civilians at Croke Park in Dublin. In reaction to a morning assassination of British Army intelligence officers by the IRA, the Black and Tans (Royal Irish Constabulary; British occupational force) drove armored cars to the football pitch and opened fire, without provocation, on the 5,000 spectators and players of a Gaelic football match, killing 15, including three children and a young woman (the latter I mention primarily as it was even more impactful at the time), and wounding 80, all civilians.

    This significantly damaged the perception of British authority intentionally and with the indigenous population of Ireland, and garnered increased increased support for the IRA.