Bloody Sunday

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Shooting dead of 13 unarmed demonstrators in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on 30 January 1972, by soldiers from the British Army's 1st Parachute Regiment. One wounded man later died from an illness attributed to the shooting. The demonstrators were taking part in a march to protest against the British government's introduction of internment without trial in Northern Ireland on 9 August 1971. The British government-appointed Widgery Tribunal found that the paratroopers were not guilty of shooting dead the 13 civilians in cold blood. In January 1998, however, British prime minister Tony Blair announced a new inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday, the results of which were still awaited as of August 2007.

Other incidents
The term ‘Bloody Sunday’ is also used to refer to a number of other historical shootings: notably, in Dublin on 21 November 1920, the killings conducted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in which 13 died, and retaliatory shootings by the government's Black and Tans, who killed 3 IRA leaders, and later opened fire at a Gaelic football match in Croke Park, Dublin, killing 12 spectators; the massacre in Russia by tsarist troops of 1,000 protesters in St Petersburg on 2 January 1905 during the Russian Revolution; and in Britain on 13 November 1887, the dispersal by police of a meeting in Trafalgar Square organized by the Social Democratic Federation to demand the release of Irish nationalist William O'Brien, resulting in over 100 casualties.

The white saltire comes from the flag of Scotland. The St Patrick's Cross was, in fact, taken from the arms of the powerful Geraldine family. The red cross of St George is taken from the flag of England. Effective date: 1 January 1801. >>