The tension prompted the British government to push Terrence O’Neill to pass anti-discrimination laws, which he proposed in October 1968. The reforms had been widely anticipated by NICRA, who had hoped that he might reform the biased voting system in Northern Ireland; however, the reforms led to more tension. The Catholic community were disappointed by their slow pace, especially as he had not introduced a “one man, one vote” rule, as they had hoped; but many Protestants felt they were too radical, and were annoyed that the media implied that the Catholic community was the only one suffering.
The reforms led to NICRA beginning to march again, swiftly leading to a surge of violence in Northern Ireland. In January 1969 a NICRA march to Derry was met by Loyalists, who attacked the marchers. The RUC did little to protect the marches and a series of bomb explosions followed. In August of that year, the Protestant, Apprentice Boys’ March in Derry also led to violence between Catholics and Protestants, including the RUC. This violence, known as the Battle of the Bogside, caused the first deaths in this period of violence, at the hands of the B-Specials; and began to spread over the whole of Northern Ireland, notably in Belfast. Northern Ireland was now completely out of control, and the Irish government requested help from the army, putting pressure on the British government to act.
The international media coverage of the violence also placed pressure on the British government. The coverage had an impact in the USA because of its large, Catholic, Irish, immigrant population, and the videos of the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland led to a lot of anti-British feeling. The media coverage also had an effect in the Republic of Ireland because the majority of the population there were Republicans, and they were horrified by the way Republicans in Northern Ireland were being treated, particularly by the RUC. This international attention on the crisis meant that the British government had to take action.
Finally, both the Catholics and the Protestants in Northern Ireland welcomed the British troops. Protestants believed they could be used to control Catholics, whereas Catholics thought the army would protect them. These beliefs meant that, initially, the army did not face resistance. This aided their decision to enter Northern Ireland because it gave the impression that it would be an easy operation.
Therefore, the army entered Northern Ireland to try and stop the violence, partly in order to protect the Catholic minority and partly to deal with the negative media coverage the British government was receiving due to the crisis; and the lack of resistance from both groups contributed to the decision.
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