Newly-elected MP Bernadette Devlin describes what she saw in the Bogside and expresses her fears of a civil war in Northern Ireland.
When Robert Porter, the Northern Ireland Minister for Home Affairs, banned a march from Burntollet Bridge to Derry City, a sit-down protest in Derry ended in clashes between civil rights activists and Protestant extremists. These clashes sparked off intense violence in the Bogside area of Derry.
The following day on "This Week", newly-elected MP Bernadette Devlin described what she saw in the Bogside and expressed her fears of a civil war in Northern Ireland. 1,000 strong army of police marched in on the Bogside "not to maintain law and order, but to terrorise the people of the Bogside", according to Devlin. Devlin also comments on accusations of police provocation and states that the troubles will continue unless the B-Specials are immediately disbanded.
One possible solution suggested by Devlin is the abolition of Stormont and the implementation of direct rule from Westminster. Other solutions suggested include the abolition of the RUC. Devlin says that at the moment it is difficult to see a solution.
| Title: | Newest Westminster MP Predicts Civil War |
| Clip Duration: | 00:08:45 |
| Material Type: | Audio |
| Clip Title: | Newest Westminster MP Predicts Civil War |
| Series Title: | This Week |
| Information: | 'This Week' reports on the continued troubles in the Bogside broadcast on 20 April 1969. The accompanying image shows Bernadette Devlin from an RTÉ News report following the announcement that she has won a seat at Westminster on 18 April 1969. |
| Local Keywords: | Northern Ireland 1969, Bernadette Devlin, Robert Porter, Buntollet Bridge, Derry, Civil Rights, Bogside, This Week, B-Specials, Stormont, RUC |
| Coverage: | Ireland, Derry |
| Genre: | Factual |
| Topic: | Wars and Conflict |
| Provider: | RTÉ |
| Contributor(s): | Sean Duignan (Presenter) |
| Publisher: | RTÉ |
| First Broadcast Channel: | RTÉ |
| Production Year: | 1969 |
| Country of Production: | Ireland |
| Original Identifier: | QNX000340 |
| IPR Restrictions: | Rights Reserved - Free Access |
| Rights, Terms and Conditions: | Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Archives. If you wish to licence video or audio clips, still images or text, or would like further guidance please contact us. RTÉ Archives are committed to respecting the copyright of others and have attempted to source and credit the copyright owners of all material used here. RTÉ would like to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified here so that the necessary corrections can be made. If you feel your copyright has not been respected please contact us. |
| Item Type: | part/extract |
| Sound: | Mono |
| Language: | English (eng) |
