Ballymurphy massacre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ballymurphy massacre |
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| Part of the Troubles | |
A mural in Belfast commemorating the victims of the Ballymurphy massacre.
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| Location | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°34′30″N 5°58′26″W / 54.575°N 5.974°W |
| Date | 9–11 August 1971 |
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Attack type
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Mass shooting |
| Deaths | 11 |
| Perpetrator | The Parachute Regiment, British Army |
The Ballymurphy massacre was a terrible event that happened in Belfast, Northern Ireland, between August 9 and 11, 1971. During these days, soldiers from the British Army's Parachute Regiment killed eleven innocent people in the Ballymurphy area. This happened as part of a big army operation called Operation Demetrius. This operation involved arresting people without a trial, which is known as internment.
Years later, in 2021, an official investigation found that all the people killed were innocent. The investigation also said that the killings were "without justification," meaning there was no good reason for them. Some people have called this event "Belfast's Bloody Sunday." This is because it was similar to another sad event, Bloody Sunday, where the same army group killed civilians in Derry a few months later.
Contents
What Happened Before
Belfast was a very difficult place to live during a time known as the Troubles. This was a period of conflict in Northern Ireland, mainly between people who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom and those who wanted it to join the Republic of Ireland. The British Army was sent to Northern Ireland in 1969 to help control the situation.
On August 9, 1971, the army started Operation Demetrius. Their main goal was to arrest and hold people they thought were members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). The Parachute Regiment was chosen to carry out this operation. However, the operation was very messy, and the army had bad information. This led to many innocent people being arrested.
The army focused only on republicans, ignoring violence from other groups. Some neighborhoods tried to stop the soldiers by building barricades. There were also petrol bombs thrown and gunfire. In the Ballymurphy area, ten civilians were shot and killed between August 9 and 11. Another person died from a heart attack during this time.
Soldiers from the Parachute Regiment said they were shot at first when they entered Ballymurphy. They claimed they fired back in self-defense. A British Army officer, Mike Jackson, later wrote in his book that those killed were gunmen. However, the families of the victims strongly denied this. The later official investigation found that this claim was not true and that the people killed were "entirely innocent."
The Events of the Days
Six people were killed on August 9:
- Francis Quinn (19) was shot while trying to help a wounded man.
- Father Hugh Mullan (38), a Catholic priest, was also shot while trying to help someone. He was reportedly waving a white cloth to show he meant no harm.
- Joan Connolly (44) was shot while standing near the army base. It is believed she was shot by three soldiers. She might have lived if she had received medical help sooner, but she lay injured for hours.
- Daniel Teggart (44) was shot fourteen times. Most of the bullets hit him in the back, possibly while he was already on the ground.
- Noel Phillips (20) was shot while standing near the army base.
- Joseph Murphy (41) was also shot near the army base. He was taken by the army and later claimed he was beaten and shot again while held. When his body was checked in 2015, a second bullet was found, which seemed to support his claim.
One person was killed on August 10:
- Edward Doherty (28) was shot while walking on Whiterock Road.
Three more people were shot on August 11:
- John Laverty (20) and Joseph Corr (43) were shot in different places on Whiterock Road. John Laverty was shot twice, once in the back and once in the leg. Joseph Corr was shot many times and died from his injuries later that month.
- John McKerr (49) was shot in the head by an unknown shooter while standing outside a Catholic church. He died from his injuries later in August. Even though people saw soldiers shooting in the area, the 2021 investigation could not say for sure who killed him. The investigation noted that this was partly because the authorities did not properly look into his death at the time.
An eleventh person died on August 11 after an argument with soldiers:
- Paddy McCarthy (44). His family says that an empty gun was put in his mouth, and the trigger was pulled. He then had a heart attack and died soon after this event.
Official Investigations
In 2016, a judge in Northern Ireland, Sir Declan Morgan, suggested that official investigations, called "inquests," should be held for these killings. These were part of a group of "legacy inquests" looking into 56 cases from the Troubles. However, these investigations were delayed because the government in Northern Ireland did not approve the money needed.
The leader of the Northern Ireland government at the time, Arlene Foster, decided to hold back funding for these investigations. Human rights groups like Amnesty International criticized this decision. The High Court later said her decision was "unlawful."
In January 2018, it was announced that the inquest into the Ballymurphy killings would begin. On May 11, 2021, the official investigation found that the 10 civilians killed were innocent. It also stated that the British Army's use of deadly force was "not justified." The circumstances of Paddy McCarthy's death were not part of this inquest because he died from a heart attack.
After the investigation's findings, Boris Johnson, who was the British Prime Minister, apologized for the deaths at Ballymurphy. He did this in a phone call to the leaders of Northern Ireland. However, some families of the victims and politicians in Northern Ireland felt that a public apology was needed.
In May 2021, the families of those killed asked the Irish government to oppose any efforts to stop British soldiers from being charged with crimes during the Troubles.
Documentary Film
The events of the Ballymurphy massacre are shown in a documentary film called The Ballymurphy Precedent. It was released in August 2018 and was made with Channel 4.
See also
- List of massacres in Ireland
- Bloody Sunday, 1972
