What was the nationalists explanation Of Bloody Sunday?

Answer 1

It depends which Bloody Sunday you're talking about. I don't know much about the one in the North of Ireland in 1972, but I do know what happened in Dublin on 21 November 1920. Basically, it is know acknowledged that Michael Collins had a hit squad, informally known as the 'Twelve Apostles' and on the morning of the 21 November they took out 14 members of a British intelligence squad known as the 'Cairo Gang'. In reprisal, members of the British 'Black 'n' Tan' forces broke into Croke Park later that day where a match was taking place and opened fire into the crowd, killing 12 spectators and one player. It is widely acknowledged as one of the worst atrocities of the War of Independence, along with the burning of Cork city. [Yavemil] ----

The other "Bloody Sunday" took place on the 30th of January, 1972 in Derry. A civil rights march was taking place in Derry on that afternoon. The British Army tried to break it up and ended up shooting dead 13 unarmed civilians. On the day, they initially claimed that they had fired only 3 shots! Two enquiries into the events have happened, one shortly afterwards, known as the Widgery Inquiry, and one in recent years. The Widgery Report concluded that:

* shots had been fired at the soldiers before they started the firing that led to the casualties; * for the most part, the soldiers acted as they did because they thought their standing orders justified it; * although there was no proof that any of the deceased had been shot while handling a firearm or bomb, there was a strong suspicion that some had been firing weapons or handling bombs in the course of the afternoon.

Relatives and friends of the dead have always rejected these conclusions. No one was ever charged with the killings.

They didn't really have to explain anything, they didn't do anything.