Bloody Sunday - what happened?
- Published
On Tuesday the Saville Inquiry published its long-awaited report on Bloody Sunday when 13 people on a civil rights march were shot dead by paratroops in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Click through this guide to find out how the day unfolded.
Sources: Cain - key events of Bloody Sunday, external
Find out in detail what happened on the day in the Saville Report, external
What happened next
The events of Bloody Sunday caused shock and revulsion across the world. In Dublin, a crowd of protesters burnt the British Embassy.
In Northern Ireland, it marked the effective end of the non-violent campaign for civil rights.
Some young people who had previously regarded themselves as non-political joined the IRA.
Two months after Bloody Sunday, the Stormont parliament which had ruled Northern Ireland since its creation in the 1920s was suspended and direct rule from London was imposed.
In April, the Widgery Inquiry concluded that the Paratroopers' firing had "bordered on the reckless".
It also concluded the soldiers had been fired upon first and some of the victims had handled weapons, despite evidence from witnesses who said the victims were unarmed civilians.
The Catholic community rejected these findings as a "whitewash" and began a long campaign for another inquiry.
In 1998 a fresh inquiry, headed by Lord Saville, was announced.