Arte is continuing its series of reports on Ireland this month! The latest is a brand-new documentary scheduled for Wednesday, April 20 at 12:50 AM, recounting the tragedy of Bloody Sunday in 1972, which took place in Derry, Northern Ireland. This historic episode of the Northern Irish conflict saw the British army allegedly open fire deliberately on a crowd of peaceful protesters, resulting in the deaths of 14 Northern Irish civilians.
At the time, the judicial inquiry appeared to have been rushed, claiming that the protesters were armed terrorists, which was used to justify the initial shots fired by the British army. This decision was seen as a grave injustice by the Catholic community: Bloody Sunday would become one of the most powerful symbols of the Northern Ireland conflict.
It was only in 1998, following the signing of the Peace Process, that Tony Blair decided to reopen the investigation to shed light on what truly happened that day. It then took six years of trials before the full responsibility of the British paratroopers was acknowledged: the protesters were indeed peaceful and unarmed.
This judicial process is the focus of the documentary by Irish director Margo Harkin. She tells the story of three men present during Bloody Sunday: James Nash and Eamonn McCann, who were killed on the spot, as well as the former British soldier identified by the number 027, based on a reconstruction of the events.
A moving report aiming to restore the facts and better convey the magnitude of the tragedy. Don’t miss this documentary on Wednesday at 12:50 AM on Arte!
