NICRA, the Derry March and O'Neills 5-Point Plan

The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA)

• The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) was founded on 9 April 1967 in Belfast as a new civil rights organisation. NICRA's main goals were to address and end the systemic discrimination faced by the Catholic community in Northern Ireland. Their key demands included:
  • One man, one vote: Ensuring that every adult had an equal vote in elections, which was not the case in local elections at the time.
  • An end to gerrymandering: Stopping the unfair drawing of electoral boundaries favouring Protestants and keeping unionists in power.
  • Equality in housing and jobs: Fighting against the discrimination that often left Catholics with poorer housing and fewer job opportunities.
  • Abolition of the Special Powers Act: Repealing a law that allowed for detention without trial, often used against the Catholic community.
  • Disbanding of the B-Specials: This part-time police force was seen by many Catholics as a tool for Protestant control and intimidation.
• NICRA brought together a wide range of people from different backgrounds. These included moderate nationalists, unionist politicians, trade unions, student groups, civil rights activists, and even socialists and communists.
• Despite these diverse supporters, NICRA's main focus was to secure equal rights for all citizens in Northern Ireland, campaigning under the slogan "British rights for British citizens."

The Unionist Attitude to NICRA

• The formation of NICRA, despite having support from some moderate unionists, alarmed many within the unionist community.
• They saw NICRA as a threat to their position in Northern Ireland. The demand for "one man, one vote" was particularly concerning for unionists because it threatened their control over local councils, especially in gerrymandered areas where the Catholic population was often the majority but still lacked political power.
• There was also a widespread belief among unionists that NICRA was a front for the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which they feared would use the civil rights movement to further its goal of uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.
• Some IRA members did join NICRA, which reinforced unionist suspicions and provided an excuse for the unionist government to label the civil rights movement as a republican conspiracy.
• This perception allowed the unionist government to dismiss NICRA's demands for change and maintain the status quo.

The Beginning of the Campaign

• NICRA was committed to peaceful campaigning, drawing inspiration from the American civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. NICRA's strategy was to organise peaceful marches and protests across Northern Ireland, highlighting the discrimination faced by Catholics and pushing for reforms.

• One of the first major demonstrations organised by NICRA took place on 27 April 1968. This protest was held in response to the banning of a Republican Easter parade, while the Orange Order—a Protestant fraternal organisation—was allowed to hold its parades without restriction. Many Catholics saw this as blatant hypocrisy and evidence of the unfair treatment they endured.

• NICRA's protest aimed to draw attention to these double standards and the broader issues of discrimination in Northern Ireland.

• NICRA also took inspiration from the American civil rights movement by focusing on specific cases of injustice.

  • In August 1968, NICRA organised a march in Dungannon, County Tyrone, to protest against the unfair allocation of council housing to Catholics.
  • Housing discrimination was a major issue in Northern Ireland, where Catholic families often found themselves at the bottom of the waiting list while Protestants were given priority.

• One of the most famous incidents linked to NICRA's campaign was the Caledon Affair. In 1968, Catholic families in Caledon, County Tyrone, who had been waiting for council housing, were encouraged by local Nationalist MP Austin Currie to occupy two empty houses that had been unfairly given to Protestants.

• When Currie and the families were forcibly removed by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the incident became a major media event. It brought national attention to the discrimination in housing and was a turning point in the civil rights movement.

The Derry March, 5 October 1968

• The Derry March on 5 October 1968 was another critical event in the civil rights movement. Following a request from activists Eamonn McCann and Eamonn Melaugh, NICRA organised a march in Derry to protest against housing discrimination and the gerrymandering of electoral boundaries in the city.

• The march was planned to go through the mainly Protestant Waterside area, intended to show that the marchers were not a sectarian group but were demanding civil rights for all.

  

• However, the situation in Derry became tense when the Apprentice Boys of Derry, a Protestant fraternal organisation, announced their intention to hold a parade on the same day and along the same route.

• This tactic was similar to what Ian Paisley had used earlier to provoke conflict and prevent NICRA from marching. The Minister for Home Affairs, William Craig, banned the NICRA march, but NICRA decided to proceed anyway, determined to highlight the issues at stake.

• As the march began, around 400 demonstrators, including prominent NICRA leaders like John Hume and Gerry Fitt, found their route blocked by the RUC.

• When the marchers attempted to find an alternative route, the RUC responded with force, using batons to break up the march. Many demonstrators were injured, including Fitt, who was hospitalised after a severe beating.

• The RUC's violent response sparked widespread outrage, especially as the event was covered by British and foreign media, bringing international attention to the civil rights struggle in Northern Ireland.

• The violence continued into the night, with petrol bombs thrown, businesses looted, and local youths clashing with the police.

• The Derry March was a turning point in the civil rights movement. It exposed the brutal tactics used by the RUC and the unionist government to suppress peaceful protest and highlighted the deep divisions within Northern Ireland.

• The march also began a more intense and aggressive phase of the civil rights movement, setting the stage for the wider conflict that would escalate into the Troubles.

O'Neill's 5-Point Programme

Here are some key points that highlight what O'Neills 5-Point Programme entailed:

• The establishment of a points system for allocating public housing was designed to make the process fairer and less discriminatory against Catholics.
• The introduction of an Ombudsman to investigate complaints against government departments ensuring greater accountability.
• The repeal of the Special Powers Act, which allowed for detention without trial, was a law seen as oppressive by the Catholic community.
• The disbanding of the B-Specials, a part-time police force accused of bias and brutality towards Catholics.
• Reforms to local government, including changes to electoral boundaries to make representation fairer and to reduce the impact of gerrymandering.

Successes and Failures of O'Neill's Five-Point Programme

• Terence O'Neill's Five Point Programme, introduced in 1968, attempted to address some of the civil rights issues raised by the Catholic community in Northern Ireland.
• The programme responded to the growing unrest and aimed to provide reforms that would ease tensions and modernise Northern Irish society.
• The programme had some successes, particularly in its intent to reform the housing allocation system and introduce an Ombudsman to handle complaints.
• These measures were seen as steps towards a fairer and more accountable government. However, the programme's inability to fully meet the demands of the civil rights movement limited its success.
• While repealing the Special Powers Act and disbanding the B-Specials were significant concessions, they were not implemented quickly or effectively enough to satisfy the Catholic community.
• Moreover, O'Neill's reforms were met with strong resistance from hardline unionists, who viewed the changes as threatening their dominance.
• This resistance undermined the programme's implementation and ultimately contributed to O'Neill's downfall.
• In the end, the Five Point Programme failed to prevent the escalation of violence that led to the Troubles, and it highlighted the deep divisions within Northern Ireland that moderate reforms could not easily resolve.