Gerry Adams and The IRA

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Gerry Adams and The IRA

The Irish Republican Army started in Northern Ireland to protect and fight for the rights of the catholic citizens there. Ireland was conquered in 1607 by England, this brought protestant immigrants from England and Scotland. The Protestants quickly came to be the majority of the population. In the 1920s the island was partitioned and Catholics in the north felt that they had been removed from their political heritage. The Protestants felt like they were losing out on resources and wanted to keep control of the north. Neither side was satisfied and problems continued.

Over time there came to be ethnic controversy between the Catholic and Protestant groups. The Catholic people were not able to get the same jobs or housing. They were also treated badly by the police and Army. The IRA was formed by the Catholic people to protect the catholic citizens and fight for there rights The IRA was mostly a militant force that took extreme actions to make their point. Most think the actions taken by the IRA are mindless acts of violence. This is not the truth at all the violence has always been used for a purpose. The IRA has used violence as a form of propaganda to show there resistance to the British government and Military. Most violent attacks have taken place against British troops, policemen, government officials. These attacks are planned in retaliation against British actions against the Catholic citizens of Northern Ireland.

On January 30th 1972 the catholic people held a march to protest against the unfair treatment they had been receiving from the British government. The government deemed the march illegal and Army troops were brought in to control it. The two groups met and a section of the ...

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...civil rights activist Gerry Adams the President. The boost in support gave Sinn Fein more power and ability to accomplish its goals. After Adams became president Sinn Fein decided to take their seats if elected in the south of Ireland In the Irish republic, something that had not happened in sixty years. It was a sign of how Sinn Fein was changing for the better.

The IRA and Gerry have been fighting for equal rights and freedom from British rule for a long time. They have been success full in accomplishing this by both peaceful terms and violent. Today the most problems are solved peacefully thanks to the past actions of Gerry Adams and his work in and out of Sinn Fein. The IRA is less active now and violence is at a minimum. Even though major changes are a ways away it is looking much better for the Catholic people of Ireland, thanks to the IRA and Gerry Adams.

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