Bloody Sunday

Bloody Sunday or Belfast's Bloody Sunday was a day of violence in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 10 July 1921, during the Irish War of Independence. The violence erupted one day before a truce began, which ended the war in most of Ireland. With the truce nearing, police launched a raid against republicans, but were ambushed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and an officer was killed. In retaliation, Protestant loyalists attacked Catholic enclaves in west Belfast, burning homes and businesses. This sparked rioting and gun battles between Protestants and Catholics, including paramilitaries. There were also gun battles between republicans/nationalists and the police, and some police patrols fired indiscriminately at Catholic civilians. Seventeen people were killed or fatally wounded on 10 July, and a further three were killed or fatally wounded before the truce began at noon on 11 July. At least 100 people were wounded. About 200 houses were destroyed or badly damaged, most of them Catholic homes, leaving 1,000 people homeless. See: The Troubles in Northern Ireland (1920–1922). Background Belfast saw almost 500 people killed from 1920 to 1922 in political and sectarian violence related to the Irish War of Independence. While most of Ireland had a Catholic and Irish nationalist majority who wanted independence, the north-east had a Protestant and Unionist majority who wanted to maintain ties to Britain. Sectarian violence started in the city of Derry in April 1920 with gun battltes and rioting continuing into May. Derry saw intense violence breaking out in the city on 18 June which continued for a week. At least nineteen people were killed or fatally wounded during this time: 14 Catholics and five Protestants. Violence broke out in Belfast on 21 July 1920, when Protestant Loyalists drove 8,000 "disloyal" co-workers from their jobs in the Belfast shipyards, mostly Catholics and some Protestant labour activists. The violence was partly in reaction to increasing Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacks and was fuelled by rhetoric from Unionist politicians. More than 50 people were killed in rioting between Protestants and Catholics. In nearby Lisburn, Banbridge and Dromore loyalists burnt hundreds of Catholic businesses and homes. There was sporadic violence in Belfast over the following year. In May 1921, Ireland was partitioned under British law, creating Northern Ireland as a self-governing territory of the United Kingdom, with Belfast as its capital.