Free Derry remained. Support for republicanism grew. The conflict continued to escalate. In six months after 30 January, 15 people were killed in the Free Derry area.
In July, the British Army began ‘Operation Motorman’ to smash Free Derry and other no go-areas in the north of Ireland: 21,000 troops, supported by tanks and bulldozers, invaded nationalist working class areas.
The IRA had been forewarned that they would be facing an overwhelming military force, and had quietly left the no-go areas, offering no resistance. By daylight Free Derry was under armed occupation. The British Army set up camps around the area, and for the next 22 years, Free Derry was one of the most militarised areas in western Europe.
Bloody Sunday
