"I can't believe today's news, I can't close my eyes and let it disappear. How long will this song have to be sung? Broken bottles are under the feet of the children, and the dead corpses are spreading across the alley. But I can't hear the call sign of fierce fighting, it forced I have nowhere to go. Sunday, bloody Sunday." U2's "Bloody Sunday" is about a sad past that happened in Northern Ireland.
On the last Sunday of January 1972, Catholics in Northern Ireland organized a large-scale demonstration in Delhi (Northern Ireland’s second largest city) to protest the British government’s policy of imprisonment without trial in Northern Ireland. The marching crowd was in a stalemate with the British troops stationed there. Eventually, some of the troops opened fire and 13 Catholics were shot dead. According to sources within the British government at the time, none of the British soldiers who fired was punished for this. This action greatly angered the Irish Republican Army. Taking the Delhi incident as a turning point, their goal gradually shifted from "protecting the Catholic community in Northern Ireland" to "driving out the British."
Pursuing independence and creating a national armed
Irish Republican Army is the largest paramilitary organization of the Catholic Church in Northern Ireland. Its members are distributed in the Northern Ireland region of Ireland and the United Kingdom, with its headquarters in Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The history of the Irish Republican Army begins in 1919. Its predecessor was the Irish Volunteer Army who advocated the “establishment of an independent Republic of Ireland”, which was later adapted to become the Irish Republican Army. In the second half of the twelfth century, with the tacit support of Popes Adrian IV and Alexander III, King Henry II of England invaded Ireland. With this as a starting point, Ireland has embarked on a long road to independence. In December 1921, Britain and Ireland signed a treaty allowing 26 counties in southern Ireland to establish a "free state" and enjoy autonomy, but the six northern counties were transferred to Britain. After the founding of Ireland in 1937, this fragmentation remained unchanged. Northern Ireland has become a land of constant disputes.
At first, the issue of Northern Ireland appeared more in the face of religious confrontation. In the 1950s and 1960s, Catholics accounted for about one-third of the population of Northern Ireland, but according to British law, their status in social and political aspects was significantly lower than that of Protestants. Violent conflicts between the Catholic sects who advocated returning to Ireland and the pro-British Protestant sects continued. The British government used this as an excuse to send troops to Northern Ireland. It is under the stimulus of this series of events that the Irish Republican Army, which had been in a basic disintegration state, gained popularity again.
Different political opinions lead to internal divisions
Sinn Fein is a political organization of the Irish Republican Army. It was established in 1926. It opposed compromise with Britain and advocated relying on its own strength to seek the independence and unification of Ireland. In December 1969, the Sinn Fein party split into the "formal faction" and the "temporary faction" due to serious differences among party members on the issue of seeking unification of Ireland. Correspondingly, the Irish Republican Army was also divided into two branches. The "formal faction" of the Irish Republican Army advocates the use of legal means to fight, while the "provisional faction" advocates the use of more drastic means to achieve reunification, and has established multiple training bases in Ireland. Generally speaking, the Irish Republican Army in people's mouth refers to the "provisional" Irish Republican Army.
By the 1970s, the violent confrontation between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland had intensified, and hundreds of people were killed every year. The Irish Republican Army also began to show itself dangerously from this period. In February 1978, they attacked a hotel with incendiary bombs in Belfast, and 12 people were killed in the fire. The situation at the scene was tragic. A few months later, Mountbatten, a famous British general who planned the partition of India and Pakistan, was celebrating with a friend on a boat trip. The boat exploded and all those who attended the party were not spared. Afterwards, the police classified the incident as a premeditated bombing attack.
The prison hunger strike shocked the world. The
Irish Republican Army was keen to demonstrate to the British government in various forms of violence. For this reason, the organization was once included on the British blacklist of criminal organizations. And within the prison walls, the meaning of this kind of confrontation is getting stronger. Before 1976, members of the Irish Republican Army who were arrested and imprisoned were treated as political prisoners, but since that year, they not only had to stay in prison as ordinary prisoners, but sometimes they also suffered some inhumane treatment. treat.
In order to protest this policy, the members of the Republican Army detained in Metz Prison organized a "blanket protest" and a "filth protest." In 1981, the hunger strike relay was carried out vigorously within the high wall. Since then, 10 IRA prisoners have died on the hunger strike, including the important figure of the Republican Army, Bobby Sands.
On the 40th day after the start of the hunger strike relay, Sands was elected as a member of the British House of Commons in a by-election in a constituency dominated by Catholics in Northern Ireland. Although the British Parliament hastily enacted legislation, announcing that prisoners shall not participate in the election, but Sands's status as a member of Parliament cannot be deprived. This dramatic mutation has made Metz Prison famous, including U.S. congressmen, congressmen of the Republic of Ireland, special envoys of the Pope, representatives of the European Commission of Human Rights and the International Red Cross, etc., or go to the prison to persuade, or go to 10 Downing Street. Hope to be a peacemaker. However, they all returned without success. On the one hand, the British government has always been tough. "If the government compromises, the IRA, which has never stopped, will definitely make progress." On the other hand, the IRA’s momentum has skyrocketed, and explosive activities in Northern Ireland have surged. Many civilians, including women and children, will use homemade incendiary bombs to attack British soldiers stationed there.
This sensational hunger strike lasted for 7 months. The indifference of the British government in this incident caused strong protests in the international community.
The "undercover situation"
of the Republican Army, from the head of the Irish Republican Army Operations Department to the senior leaders of the Sinn Fein Party, are actually undercover agents who were instigated by the British government! This "undercover situation" within the Republican Army is really confusing and shocking.
The 25-year lurking "gambling sword" special "killing license"
was thrown off due to infighting. For the super spy, this result is not beautiful enough, but close to the truth.
Before mysteriously disappearing, Freddy Scarpadic was the head of the Military Operations Department of the Irish Republican Army. He was an image of a terrifying chief who was described by the British government as a murderous leader. But on May 10, 2003, when the Irish media broke the news that Scarpadic was actually a super spy deployed by the British intelligence service inside the Irish Republican Army, and it had been lurking for 25 years, people had a chance to learn the truth. .
Scarpadic is like the "007" in reality, and even the privileges he has been granted have surpassed that of the British super gentleman in the world of light and shadow-in order to conceal people, he can kill people "legally" when necessary. Scarpadic was codenamed "Gambling Sword". He joined the Irish Republican Army in 1978, but was soon instigated by the British intelligence agency and began a long lurking operation. In order to help Scarpadic gain trust within the IRA and gain a stable position, the British government has bet a big bargaining chip: in the 25 years before his identity was exposed, he had carried out more than 40 murders and assassinations. , British police officers, soldiers, and ordinary people fell under his gun.
Scarpadic’s promotion path was stained with the blood of many people. The British government acquiesced to support and kept secret, but in the end, it was a small stingy act that made the city full of storms. The angry whistleblower was a spy code-named "Fulton" (named Martin Ingram after the whistleblower). In the early years, the British intelligence service had promised to persuade him to break into the Irish Republican Army and work for it. The promise includes that if his identity is exposed, the British government will protect him and ensure that he can lead a prosperous new life.
"Fulton" is an excellent spy who provided a lot of useful information to the British intelligence service. When he felt that he had been suspected by the Irish Republican Army, he quickly withdrew to London. However, what he didn't expect was that the good promise he had made was evasive. After many negotiations to no avail, "Fulton", who could not get security guarantee, stabbed the secret of "Gambling Sword" Scarpadic to the media.
Four or five hours before the identity of the super spy was exposed, Scarpadic and his family quietly escaped from Dublin, Ireland for the first time in a sedan with a special license plate. Later, according to a senior person in the British intelligence agency, for this safe evacuation, they called a total of more than 60 elite agents, and after changing 12 vehicles in a relay manner, they finally sent the Scarpadic family safely. Arrived in London. Of course, this is just the beginning of the aftermath in the UK.
With the exposure of the "sword gambling" identity, the British government was placed in an embarrassing position. In order to ensure that the identity of the super spy is not exposed at the expense of innocent people, this approach has aroused popular anger. Amidst the doubts about "seeing death without saving" and "deliberately intensifying contradictions", the "national justice" used by the British government as a shield seems somewhat pale. Sinn Fein Party officials said angrily, “In this way, many terrorist incidents in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom are actually black propaganda tactics carried out by the British government. Their spies have created murders and then put the accounts on our heads. !" And another problem that caused the British intelligence agencies to have a big headache is that this infighting incident caused other lurking people to flee in panic.
It was
revealed that Fulton's director's true and false "Infernal Affairs" and "Gambling Sword" identity are in broad daylight, but "Fulton", who feels unfairly treated, does not end there. On December 16, 2005, the second year after the "Gambling Sword" was exposed, Sinn Fein's senior leader Dennis Donaldson publicly admitted that he was an undercover agent planted by the British government in the Sinn Fein party. At that time, it has been 20 years since Donaldson emerged in the Sinn Fein party. However, as Martin Ingram (the alias of "Fulton" after the whistleblower) jumped out again, another big figure in the Sinn Fein party, Martin McGuinness, was also involved.
In the negotiations on the peace process in Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness was the chief negotiator of Sinn Fein, and he also served as the interim leader of the Irish Republican Army. The reason why Ingram dared to point the finger at McGuinness was because he had a secret manuscript in his hand, which recorded a conversation between an intelligence officer from MI6 and a spy code-named "J118". Some experiences of Guinness and "J118" happen to have some overlaps. At that time, people's opinion was that Dennis Donaldson's sudden confession seemed to be a cover for some big people, and there were only a handful of people bigger than him, including McGuinness.
However, McGuinness didn't seem to be affected by this incident. After that, in addition to his own clarification, Sinn Fein also refuted the incident. In 2007, the Northern Ireland local self-government government officially resumed its exercise of autonomy. McGuinness became the second minister of the new Northern Ireland government. He was re-elected in June last year. Whether McGuinness has been blended into the uninterrupted situation, it seems that there is no stronger proof than this. So, is this an unsuccessful counter-measure by the British director?
In April 2006, Dennis Donaldson, who confessed his identity as a spy for unknown reasons, was found killed in a private villa in northwestern Ireland. The cause of death was a shot in the head and traces of torture on his body. Although the Irish Republican Army denied responsibility for this matter, people still inevitably have an association between the two. If both spies and undercover agents could be retaliated against, then why did Ingram, who had exposed his identity earlier and was not afraid of showing off, remained safe? And later, he completed the manuscript of the biography of "Gambling Sword", planning to make money by pen? The British government's attitude towards him can be described as tolerant. Apart from the unknowingly taking away the manuscript of the biography of "Gambling Sword", there is no major action.
From this point of view, it is impossible to rule out the possibility that Ingram would later enter into a deal with the British intelligence agency and throw out counter-measures.
Long road of peaceful self-government
in the 1970s to the 1990s, it was the IRA the most active period of time. The sound of gunshots, explosions, and traces of incendiary destruction always remind people living in Northern Ireland how the see-saws of the two forces have had an impact on them. People would paint Irish or British flags on the outer walls of their houses to show their positions; religious beliefs "isolated" different areas of activity; confrontations between marching crowds and British military police became a common occurrence. Northern Ireland was shrouded in panic.
The advancement of the Northern Ireland peace process can be described as twists and turns, and the one that has to be mentioned is the Sinn Fein Party, which is known as the "political representative of the Northern Irish Republican Army." Since its establishment, the party has advocated relying on its own strength to seek the independence and unity of Ireland. It is through the seesaw with the British government that Sinn Fein is currently the second largest political party in Northern Ireland. Similar to the Irish Republican Army, Sinn Fein was founded very early (1926), but it was after the religious confrontation in Northern Ireland became more and more intensified.
In August 1968, the "Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association" held the first peaceful march to demand civil rights. In that massive demonstration, some participants clashed fiercely with the police and Protestants. The subsequent development surpassed many people's expectations. During the year, bloodshed occurred in Northern Ireland. As the British sent troops to Northern Ireland, the local violent conflicts intensified. In 1972, the activities of the Northern Ireland Local Council were suspended and the British exercised direct jurisdiction. The following year, Northern Ireland elected a new parliament and formed the first local coalition government with pro-British “moderates” splitting power. That is, in that year, a referendum was held in Northern Ireland to vote on the issue of the belonging of Northern Ireland. As a result, the pro-British Protestant sect, which made up the majority of the local population, really gained the upper hand. It is against this historical background that the Sinn Feinists, who firmly advocated separation from the United Kingdom in order to realize the reunification of Northern and Southern Ireland, emerged strongly.
In 1983, Sinn Fein won the West Belfast parliamentary election and Adams became the leader of the party. In December of the same year, Britain and Ireland jointly signed a historic "Downing Street Agreement", which became a symbol of the official launch of the peace process in Northern Ireland. In the third year after the signing of the agreement, the Sinn Fein Party, which had always been tough before, finally changed its posture slightly and put forward the proposal of a "moderate policy".
For the IRA and its political representative Sinn Fein, this is indeed a question that requires deep consideration. So after the start of the peace process in Northern Ireland, the entanglement between advancing and retreating has become a time-consuming and costly routine performance. In the second half of 1995, the Sinn Fein Party, the British government and the Northern Ireland Unity Party had serious differences on how to deal with the Republican Army’s weapons, and the peace process in Northern Ireland fell into a deadlock. In February of the following year, 17 months after the ceasefire of the Irish Republican Army, an explosion occurred in London, two people were killed and more than 100 people were injured. And just before the explosion, the Republican Army just announced the end of the ceasefire. The British government responded by sending two more troops to Northern Ireland.
With constant confrontation and constant stalemate, it was not until April 1998 that the peace process in Northern Ireland made a substantial breakthrough. The chairman of the peace negotiations in Northern Ireland, George Mitchell, announced in Belfast that through the unremitting efforts of all parties, it was finally reached. A historical agreement aimed at ending 30 years of bloodshed, the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement. The agreement involves disarmament, the release of detainees from paramilitary organizations, and the establishment of a Anglo-Irish coalition government.
On December 2, 1999, the first local government in the history of Northern Ireland, composed of the formerly opposed Protestants and Catholics, began to operate, marking the official end of the 27-year direct rule of the British government over Northern Ireland; that day , The Irish Parliament revised the constitution and decided to formally abandon its decades-long territorial claim to Northern Ireland.
True Irish Republican Army: Unstoppable violence
. After the signing of the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement, Sinn Fein received certain support from the British government. For example, the party can enjoy subsidies from the Northern Ireland local government. In the annual St. Patrick's Day event held for Irish immigrants, Sinn Fein leaders will also be invited by the White House. As the iconic figure of Sinn Fein in the process of peace negotiations in Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness was elected as the second minister of the new Northern Ireland government for two consecutive terms. Everything seems to be slowly approaching peace, but there are still some extreme hardliners who refuse to put down their weapons and embark on another path.
The True Irish Republican Army was established in 1997. Its members are mostly extremists who split from the Irish Republican Army. They oppose any form of ceasefire agreement with the British government. After the Irish Republican Army gradually unarmed, this group of extremists began to carry out attacks in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.
In 1998, the True Irish Republican Army made a car bomb attack in the small town of Omagh in Northern Ireland. 29 people were killed as a result. This incident can be described as the most vicious terrorist bomb attack in Northern Ireland’s history. It was through this tragic attack that the name of the true Irish Republican Army attracted worldwide attention for the first time. In March 2001, a bomb explosion occurred outside the BBC television center. The bomb was placed in a taxi parked outside the TV center, which was empty at the time. And just two weeks before, an explosion occurred at the Reserve Army office not far from the BBC building. At that time, a 14-year-old student picked up a bomb disguised as a torch and was blown off with one hand. Blindness. After investigation, the British police announced that these incidents were all committed by the true Irish Republican Army.
In addition, just in March this year, two British soldiers stationed in Northern Ireland were shot dead at the entrance of the barracks. The gunman also shot and wounded four other victims at the scene, including two British soldiers. Since then, the true Irish Republican Army declared responsibility for this incident. Compared with the "provisional" Republican Army, this group of extremists who are still heavily armed is obviously more lethal.
On August 5 this year, Ireland released the last two "provisional" IRA members detained. The two killed an Irish cash transport guard in an operation in 1996 and have been imprisoned for 12 years. After the British government gave up their extradition request, the two of them were released on parole early.
It has been four years since the Irish Republican Army gave up its armed forces. However, in this land, there are still extremist organizations such as the true Irish Republican Army and the continuing Irish Republican Army. When will the shadow of terror and violence disappear completely? It is still difficult to answer the question.
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