NORTHERN IRELAND : THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT : ORIGINS, COURSE AND RESULTS.
FROM CIVIL RIGHTS TO CIVIL STRIFE ( VIOLENCE BETWEEN THE TWO COMMUNITIES) AND THE END OF STORMONT.
1. Origins of the Civil Rights Movement : DISCRIMINATION AND CATHOLIC COMPLAINTS
· Since the foundation of the state in 1920 Protestant/Unionists had controlled the government of Northern Ireland and had used that power to discriminate against Catholics in a number of ways. They had done this because they knew that Catholics were against the partition of Ireland and the creation of Northern Ireland and that they favoured the ending of Northern Ireland and a United Ireland. Unionists feared a United Ireland and knew very well that they were in a minority on the island as a whole. They did not trust Catholics and saw them as enemies of the state. This led them to create a system that excluded Catholics from power and influence as much as possible and they used the system of government to look after Protestants at the expense of Catholics. Protestants regarded Catholics as potential traitors and an internal threat to the state. They worked to keep Catholics powerless and exclude them from any decision making positions.
· Catholics felt trapped in Northern Ireland and saw themselves as the victims of discrimination and injustice. They had a list of grievances that they wanted to be changed. They were angry and frustrated at the way they were discriminated against in term of politics, housing, jobs and regional development and by the police force of Northern Ireland.
· Explain some of the main ways in which they were treated unfairly - see sheet CATHOLIC GRIEVANCES. ]
2. CHANGE OF ATTITUDE AMONG CATHOLICS IN THE EARLY 60s – NEW LEADERS – NEW HOPE
· A new generation of educated Catholics emerged in the 1960s. These were people who had benefited from the opening up and expansion of education after the Education Act of 1947 had been brought in as part of the welfare state. These young Catholics were tired of the lack of progress in improving things for Catholics made by the Nationalist Party and were also against the violence of the IRA. They looked for full civil rights for Catholics within Northern Ireland as citizens of the UK. They were not demanding a United Ireland and felt that if they were treated fairly they would settle down and work within Northern Ireland.
· O’Neill came to power in 1963 and raised hopes that reforms were going to be introduced that improved the situation for Catholics.
· He spoke about building bridges between the two communities and improving community relations.
· He made some small gestures that seemed to reach out to the Catholic community.
1. He visited Catholic schools ( first Northern Ireland Prime Minister to do so)
2. He sent a message of sympathy when the Pope died in 1964.
3. He invited the Irish Taoiseach Sean Lemass to visit Northern Ireland in 1965.
3. These small gestures of goodwill to Catholics raised Catholic hopes but also angered traditional and hard-line Unionists who were opposed to any reforms.
· They wanted to keep things the way they were and feared if Catholics were given greater opportunities and more of a say in the running of Northern Ireland that they would use such influence to undermine the state.
· They still saw Catholics as internal enemies who could not be trusted and who had to be kept in their place. They saw any moves towards reform and improving the situation for Catholics as a sell out and a betrayal of the Protestant position in Northern Ireland.
· For many of these traditional and hard-line Unionists ( many were in O’Neills own party the Ulster Unionist Party) any improvement in the position of Catholics could lead to the destruction of Northern Ireland.
The attitude of these hard-line Unionists is summed up in the statement of Ian Paisley that
“A bridge and a traitor have one thing in common, they both go over to the other side.”
· Paisley began to organise an “O’Neill must go” campaign from 1965 on. He was giving angry speeches warning the Protestant people that any changes that O’Neill might bring in would lead to the destruction of Northern Ireland and was a threat to their way of life, freedom of religion and their links to Britain.
· In 1965 he threw snowballs at Lemass and O’Neill when they met in Belfast and he worked very hard to turn Unionists against O’Neill and make them afraid of what reforms in Northern Ireland would mean for them. He increased tension and sectarian fears.
4. O’Neill was unable to bring about any real change because of the amount of opposition that he met from traditional Unionists and people in his own party.
· Catholics and Nationalists began to lose faith in him and grew frustrated and disappointed that nothing had changed for them since O’Neill had come to power and hinted that reforms might finally about to be brought in. Then some decisions that O’Neill made convinced Catholic and Nationalist leaders that nothing was going to change and that the discrimination they had suffered from was just going to continue. Some of these decisions were.
· The WILSON ECONOMIC PLAN for growing Northern Ireland recommended the development of economic growth centres that the government would build up to create employment in these areas. Nearly all the growth centres were located East of the Bann. This seemed to show that O’Neill was carrying on the policy of neglecting and ignoring the disadvantages and poor Catholic areas East of the Bann.
· The WILSON PLAN recommended the creation of a new City – Catholics hoped that this would lead to the development of Derry. However O’Neill decided to create a new City in North Antrim by joining together Lurgan and Portadown. Again this was East of the Bann – O’Neill seemed to be stopping investment and the creation of job opportunities in Catholic areas just like Brookborough before him.
· The decision to locate a second University in Coleraine ( a Protestant town) instead of in Derry ( A mainly Catholic area) finally convinced many Ctholic and nationalist areas that nothing was going to change under O’Neill.
5. The new generation of Catholic leaders decided that direct action
( marches and protests) was now needed to bring attention to the injustices and unfairness that Catholics faced in Northern Ireland.
· They wanted to use the media to make their case and get the attention of the British government so that reforms would be forced upon the Unionist government in Stormont.
· They were inspired by the American Civil Rights movement who used marches and non-violent protests to draw attention to their cause and force the American government to step in and make each State bring in new laws ending discrimination.
· They followed the example of pressure groups like the HOMELESS CITIZENS LEAGUE in Dungannon set up by the Mc Cluskey’s and the CAMPAIGN FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IN NORTHERN IRELAND also set up by the McCluskey’s. Both groups had tried to raise awareness of the issues facing Catholics, and especially to the unfair way in which council houses were given out, in Westminster and with the British government. They did not believe that any change would come about by waiting for Unionist politicians who controlled Stormont deciding to bring in reforms. They believed change would have to be forced on Stormont by the British government.
In January of 1967 a number of Catholic and Nationalist figures such as John Hume, Bernadette Devlin, Austin Currie, The Mc Cluskeys and others came together and set up the NORTHERN IRELAND CIVIL RIGHTS ASSOCIATION to work for equal rights and fair treatment for Catholics within Northern Ireland.
It had 5 main aims
1) One person one vote - votes should not depend on owning a house.
2) An end to gerrymandering.
3) Repeal of the Special Powers Act.
4) An end to the B-Specials
5) Laws against discrimination.
6) Housing – houses should be given out on a fair points basis – according to need.
Most Unionists were against giving into these demands – it would lead to a reduction on their power and in their control of Northern Ireland, especially in Catholic majority areas West of the Bann. Many Unionists claimed that the Civil Rights movement was a front for the IRA and was out to destroy Northern Ireland.
6. PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE UNIONISTS – MARCHES – 68 and 69
- 1968 August – Caledon (Dungannon) – the council denied a house to two Catholic families iand instead granted it to a 19 year old unmarried Protestant girl. AUSTIN CURRIE protested and occupied the house. He was evicted by the RUC but the incident was widely reported and a protest rally was organised days later.
· August 1968 : First NICRA march , Coalisland – Dungannon – 1st civil rights march – the beginning of a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience. 2,000 went on the march. They sang the American Civil Rights anthem “We shall overcome” and carried placards that read “Jobs on merit” and “One man, One House, One Vote”. Paisley organised 1500 loyalists to march against them. This started the pattern of demonstration and counter demonstration. Loyalists would organise marches to stop the Civil Rights marches from taking place or to stop their message from getting out. It also created a situation where the marches could be a flash point leading to violence.
2. DHAC (Derry Housing Action Committee) invited the NICRA to hold another march in Derry on the 5th October.
· The march was banned by Willaim Craig (Minister for Home Affairs) when the apprentice boys arranged a march for the same day.
· Gerry Fitt MP was there with some invited MPs from England.
· The RUC overreacted and attacked the marchers. Fitt is injured – the police baton charged the crowd – riots broke out – all captured on film and broadcast around the world.
· Civil Rights Movement gained international attention and support. It shamed the British government into paying attention to Northern Ireland and the discrimination and injustice that had been allowed to grow and develop there.
7. SOME REFORMS INTRODUCED AFTER OCTOBER 68 MARCH IN DERRY
O’NEILL was summoned to London and ordered to introduce reforms. Craig refused to support him – O’Neill sacked him and introduced some reforms NOV.1968. including
· 1) An Independent commission to replace Derry Corporation.
· 2) A review of the Special Powers Act – a promise to get rid of it or reduce the powers it gave the police.
· 3) Points system for Housing.
· 4) Local election voting changes.
However : O’Neill would not grant “one person one vote” as it would split the Unionist Party. They could not accept that as it would take away their control of many areas West of the Bann.
· The Civil Rights Movement demanded “one person one vote”
· O’Neill’s reforms angered the Unionists and failed to satisfy the Nationalists.
· Dec 1968 – Wilson ( the British Prime Minister) declared “one persn one vote” must be the policy in N-Ireland.
O’Neill made a speech on TV asking Catholics to give his reforms a chance to work and telling Unionists that the changes would have to take place. He appealed for calm. The NICRA called off further marches but a student group called the PEOPLE’S DEMOCRACY called O’Neills reforms “miserable” and organised a march to put pressure on the British government to push through further reforms.
8. PEOPLE’S DEMOCRACY MARCH JANUARY 69 – BEGINNINGS OF SERIOUS VIOLENCE
- JAN 1969 – People’s Democracy march – Belfast – Derry. Attacked at Burntollet Bridge by hundreds of Loyalists including B-Specials. Riots broke out in Derry when people found out what had happened.
· 2am that morning – police carried out attacks on people in the bogside – assault and damage to property.
· Next day – FREE DERRY – vigilante groups were set up to patrol and keep the RUC out.
This was a major turning point in Northern Ireland and was the beginning of the more serious conflict between Catholic/Nationalists and Unionists and the RUC and the B Specials. Northern Ireland was now sliding into inter-communal violence. ( between Catholics and Protestants)
The British put O’Neill under pressure to introduce more reforms but many in his party were against this. In order to strengthen his position O’Neill called a general election hoping that the people would back him.
· ELECTION in FEB 1969 – Bad results for O’Neill – Paisley nearly beats him in his own constituency –
· He agrees to introduce “one man one vote”
· Violence was spreading throughout Northern Ireland and getting worse. Loyalists planted bombs and blew up the water mains to turn people against O’Neill and create the impression that he was losing control. He
· Resigns in APRIL – in May – CHICHESTER CLARKE takes over. He promised to continue O’Neills reforms.
9) THE DESCENT INTO VIOLENCE : THE MOVEMENT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS LEADS TO WIDESPREAD CIVIL STRIFE AND DISORDER ( violence)
There had been tension in Derry between Catholics and the RUC since the riots that broke out after the People’s Democracy March was attacked. The Catholics had blocked off the Bogside and created a no-go zone for the RUC because they did not trust them to use their powers fairly. In the Spring the RUC went into the bogside and beat a family leading to the death of Seamus Devenny. Tensions were high as the annual Apprentice Boy’s march got closer. Many Catholics were not in the mood to sit back and watch the march as they viewed it as a display of dominance and control that was used to show the people of Derry who was in charge of Northern Ireland. (See APPRENTICE BOY’S )