Page 85 - TheGoldBug1971-72

March 27. 1972 THE GOlO BUG Page Five As of March 24, 1972, the British government suspended home rule in Northern Ireland for a period of one year. The following is reprinted from The United Irishman, a publication dedicated to freedom for Northern Ireland. Irish newspaper describes "Bloody Sunday" himself shot dead by the troops. A~ain nus man was "I have never seen such cold blooded murder, hear were shots. One girl was run down oy a organized disciplined murder, planned murder." waving a white cloth and had hi~ands above his Saracen during the afternoon and she was injur~d. head. Another account given by at least three eye This was the comment of an Italian journalist, witnesses claims that when troops reached People were being carri~d into houses a~d bodies Fulvio Grimaldi, on what happened in Derry on Rossville flats in pursuit of targets they held up being taken away. It was Justa massacre. Sunday, January 30, when British troops opened scores of people at gunpoint. One man of about 20 fire on civil rights marchers in the William St. area was just gunned down because he raised his hands of the City. too quickly. The confrontation began when the marchers were stopped at the military barricade. Although Thirteen people were brutally murdered by the Although many people were lying either dead or stewards of the NICRA approached the officer in Paratroop regiment and 30others were wounded, at seriously injured in the roadway, the troops refused charge, he ordered the crowd to be fired on with a least five critically. to allow medical or spiritual help and anyone who water cannon. This drew some stone throwing. The The marchers had walked from the Bishop's ventured forward was shot at. The callousness of mobile cannon was then driven into the crowd, Field in Creggan through the Bogside and towards the troops was vividly shown in television pictures causing many people, particularly young women William st. They were stopped there at a British when Fr. Daly, waving a white handkerchief, led a and children to be crushed In doorways as they Army barricade and prevented from reaching group of men carrying a dead boy away from the were driven back. In addition to firing purple dye Guildhall Square where the public meeting was due carnage. As they came round a corner, a trooper into the crowd, troops fired round after round of CS to be held. NICRA officials called on the marchers ran forward and aimed his rifle at the dead boy. grenades which had the effect of gassing those who could not get away to go to Free Derry Corner where the rally would be However, the group were _allowed to proceed. staged. Just as Bernadette Devlin was about to speak, snipers from the Paras opened fire on the When asked by John Bierman of the BBC if the Shortly after, the troops began their ciminal crowd. .shct.boy had been carrying a weapon, Fr. Daly shooting. From early in the day it was evident that categorically denied this was so. Like the rest of the they had always intended to commit murder at the The platform party, including Margot Collins, crowd, the boy who was about 15 years .old, had meeting. People coming away from the 12 c'clock Lord Brockway and Ivan Cooper had to throw been running away from the shooting Paras. Fr. mass were jeered at by troops who were reported themselves to the ground to avoid being hit, while Daly heard a burst of fire and turned to look back. as saying: "It's a nice day for a killing." . the crowd dispersed to find shelter from the in- The boy was lying on the ground covered with discriminate shooting. Men, women and children blood. Evidence of a conspiracy by the British and fled in all directions and many householders in the Unionists governments is revealed in the area let peeople in to get clear of the firing. Reports and testimony of the indiscrin:tinate statement issued by Brian Fulkenr and by the Rev. The Paras seemed to be concentrating their shooting came from many sources. Mr. Michael James McClelland, vice-president of Derry bullets on the area between Rossville flats and Canavan, Chairman of the Derry Citizen's Central Democratic Unionist Association. Westland Ave., where the bulk of the marchers. Council, said: "I was in William S1. and they The latter said: "We were approached by the were. Eye witnesses say that the troops just aimed opened fire from the opposite side of the road. They Government and given assurances that the Civil indiscriminately and seemedto take delight in their shot two a man and a boy, who were treated by a work. When a priest went to give aid to a dying doctor. Subsequently they....went into Rossville S1. Rights March will be halted--by force if necessary. "We believe wholesale riot and bloodshed could youth lying in the road he came under fire from the and fired indiscriminately. They fired at Red Cross be the result of the civil rights activities." Paras, despite the fact that he was waving a white personnel also." handkerchief. In another incident, a man who went to the aid of "!\ man who had already been shot "'!..tS lying on Many people in Derry take this statement to three men whowere found to be alreadt dead, was the ground and they shot him again. AIl'you ~ould indicate that Brian Faulkner had decided in ad- vance that the troops would open fire and then attempt to place the blame on the NtCRA and the .... St. Patrick's Day IRA Ai!.part of lns plan, the commander of British troops in the North, L1.Gen. Robert Ford, who must now rank alongside Heinrich Heydr'ich.cthe-buteher- 1972 of Bohemia, issued a statement saying his men had been Ilred on. However, no one other than British Army per- sonnel can be found to agree with this lie. What by Deborah J. Dawkins happened in Derry was a deliberate act of murder March 17th is generally a day met with much by the British government aided and abetted by celebration by those of Irish descent, but in view of Brian Faulkner. At least three men stand convicted the recent events (see Bloody Sunday) many Irish- in the eyes of honest men the world over. Americans honored the day in a more somber and They are Brian Faulkner, Robert Ford and political manner. Reginald Maudling. The members of the Irish-American Club and the Dead: Irish Republican Association met at Dupont Gerald McKinney Circle in Washington, D.C. and staged a parade of John Young protest down Massachusetts Ave. to the Robert Hugh Gilmore Emmet statue across from the Irish Embassy. Kevin McEllhiney Washington newsmen who expected a jubilant Jack Duddy procession were shown by the dark IRA uniforms William McKinney Gerald Donaghy and black armbands with the admonition: "Remember Derry" that this was not to be the Michael McDaid case. Many placards carried by the marchers. kept Michael Kelly Bernard McGuigan the political note, such as: "Give- Ireland back to William Nash the Irish" and "Ireland unfree shall never be at James Wray peace." An ecumenical service was held at the Robert Patrick Doherty Emmet statue. (He was a Protestant). Among the speakers were a rabbi, a minister, a priest from Ireland, and notably the ambassador from Ireland, Ms. Dawkins, a sophomore religion major at William Warnock. They all shared the common theme of hopes for peace and freedom in Ireland. Wmc, is a member of the Irish Republican. The service was concluded with the laying of a wreath in honor of Robert Emmet and the thirteen people who were murdered in Derry on January Association (I.R.A.) She participated in 30th. Both the Irish and American national athems were sung. Robert Emmet was a t«ue patriot and ranks as the St. Patrick's Day demonstrations one of Ireland's greatest heroes. Hung, drawn and quatered by the British in 1803 for his part in an earlier rebellion against English tyranny, Robert in Washington, D.C. Emmet declared before the court that had sen- tencedhim "Let no man write my epitaph until my nation tak~ its place among the free nations of the world." To this day Robert Emmet's grave in Dublin remains unmarked.