Protest meeting in Derry demands basic civil rights for all citizens.
The rally organised by the Derry Citizens' Action Committee gathers in Derry. The sit-down protest was scheduled for 3 pm and the wet conditions did not deter the thousands who arrived in Guildhall Square. There is a different atmosphere in the city compared to that of recent weeks.
Additional numbers of police officers were on duty but remained out of sight. The main police presence was at the entrance to the city walls, and traffic was diverted away from the area for the duration of the protest.
A counter-demonstration by an organisation calling itself The Loyal Citizens of Ulster had been planned to coincide with the rally. This was banned by Northern Ireland Home Affairs Minister William Craig as it was to be staged on a section of Derry's old city walls.
The rally in Guildhall Square proceeds peacefully, with speakers Michael Canavan, secretary of the Derry Citizens' Action Committee, chairman of DCAC Ivan Cooper, Derry solicitor Claude Wilton, Patrick Doherty from Derry Credit Union, vice chairman of DCAC John Hume and Eamonn Melaugh.
The meeting ends with the singing of the civil rights rally song 'We Shall Overcome'.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 19 October 1968. The footage shown here has natural sound only.
