The Campaign for Civil Rights

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Created by
Bernadette Mc Aleer

Cards (31)

  • NICRA was set up on the 1st February 1967 by John Hume and Ivan Cooper
  • Ony those who paid rates could vote
  • Majority of council houses went to Protestants
  • Gerrymandering was a problem in N.I. In 70% Catholic Derry, there was a unionist council.
  • RUC was 90% Protestant
  • Martin Luther King Jr's peaceful civil rights protest inspired NICRA, as by 1967 the US congress had outlawed public discrimination
  • John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic President
  • Education became free in 1948
  • NICRA'S demands
    1. One Man One Vote
    2. Fair allocation of council housing
    3. End discrimination in allocation of government jobs
    4. End Special Powers Act
    5. Disband B-Specials
    6. Ombudsman
    7. End to Gerrymandering
  • NICRA was supported by Catholics, Liberal Protestants, Communists, Trade unionists and community activists
  • NICRA was opposed by Protestants who were suspicious it was an IRA front
  • The caledon squat happened on the 20th June 1968
  • Austin currie squatted in a house in Caledon to prove sectarian violence. An RTE TV crew was present and this gained publicity for NICRA
  • The Coalisland to Dungannon marchwas on the 24th August 1968 and was to highlight NICRA demands like 'one man one vote' and 'jobs on merit'. The march was stopped by police but ended peacefully
  • The Derry NICRA march happened on the 5th October 1968
  • The Derry march was to highlight inequalities in the LondonDerry Corporation's housing policy. The apprentice boys threatened a rival march to stormont banned all marches. Police were seen to have a heavy handed approach.
  • The 5 point reform programme was published on the 22nd October 1968
  • 5 Point Reform
    1. Council houses allocated on a points system
    2. Development commission to replace the LondonDerry Corporation.
    3. Removal of parts of the Special Powers Act
    4. Local Government reforms, ending of multiple votes
    5. Ombudsman
  • After the programme Unionists felt betrayed and that their position in N.I. was under threat. O'Neill faced opposition from within his own cabinet, William Craig was sacked for criticising him.
  • After the programme, not all nationalists were in support of it. It did not deliver One Man One Vote. On the 9th December NICRA suspended marches
  • The People's Democracy was formed by Michael Farrell and Bernadette Devlin in 1968.
  • The Crossroads speech happened on the 9th December 1968
  • The Belfast to Derry march aimed to break the truce between NICRA and O'Neill and protest the limited nature of the 5 point reform programme
  • The PD march from Belfast to Derry happened the 1st-4th January 1969
  • On the 4th of January, the protestors were met with an angry mob of 200 protestants at Burntollet Bridge. They were armed with bars and crows and attacked marchers. TV crews recorded the violence.
  • The police did not try and protect Marchers during the Derry march and many believed they lead them into a trap. That night Catholics put up barricades in the Bogside, but police tore them down and smashed shops and windows, singing Protestant songs
  • The Cameron Commission investigated increasing violence and found Police guilty of misconduct
  • The Crossroads election happened on the 24th February 1969, and O'Neill only had a slight victory over Ian Paisley. This undermined O'Neill and boosted Paisley
  • After more bombings, believed to be IRA, unionist MP's turned against O'Neill, even though they were later reveled to be Loyalist
  • O'Neill resigned on the 28th April 1969. Many commented he was 'blew out of office'
  • O'Neill was replaced by James Chichester-Clark