The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) launches a fresh
criminal investigation into the events that led to what is known
as the Bloody Sunday massacre. In 1972, the Northern Ireland
Civil Rights Association organized a protest march that was met
with British Army barricades. Several protesters, mostly youths,
decided to confront the soldiers with stones. The Army soldiers
responded with water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets.
Allegedly, the soldiers were then given the go-ahead to open
live fire, fatally wounding 14 people. These events played a
large part in boosting the campaign against the partition of
Ireland and the separatist objectives of the Provisional Irish
Republican Army (IRA). An initial report by the Widgery Tribunal
exonerated the British soldiers of any guilt. However, a second
report chaired by Lord Saville found that the protestors had not
posed a serious threat and the soldiers unnecessarily opened
fire. The report took 12 years to compile and cost £195 million,
making it the lon