NICRA

NICRA

1. First march on 24th August 1968 after allocation of council house to protestant woman

2. March to highlight Londonderry Corporation's housing policy on 5 October 1968

   • Apprentice Boys threatened march in response
   • RTE camera crew arrive and beam harsh police pictures
   • Government bans any march

3. Violent marches continued

   • Went ahead with banned marches
   • Contact with Unionist marches
   • Provocative: went through unionist areas

4. There was a plateau in marches due to "Crossroads" speech [see other notes]

5. People's Democracy formed

   • 1 to 4 January march gets ambushed
     • NICRA starts marching again
   • Aims
     • one man = one vote
     • fair boundaries
     • houses on need
     • jobs on merit
     • repeal S.P.A.

6. Aims

   • Invesitgation for complaints
   • Fair house allocation
   • Remove S.P.A.
   • One man = One vote
   • End Gerrymandering
   • End job discrimination in governments
   • Disband the B-Specials

7. Started in 1967

   • Non-sectarian movement
   • Inspiration from Luther King
   • Followed student demonstrations in France 1968
   • Support from educated Catholics, Academics, Trade Unionists and Liberal Protestants
     • Annoyed at Eddie McAteer's Nationalist Party
     • Powerful International Catholics (eg: JFK)
     • People thought a fairer NI would make a United Ireland less optional