People's Democracy

The PD was formed on 9 October 1968 following the events at the Derry March on 5 October 1968. The PD was a left-wing radical group which was formed by students at the Queen's University of Belfast (QUB). On 9 October 1968 2,000 students from the QUB tried to march to Belfast City Hall to protest against 'police brutality' in Derry, and to call for the repeal of the Special Powers Act. The marched was blocked by a counter demonstration led by Ian Paisley. A three-hour sit-down demonstration followed the blocking of the march. Later in the evening the PD organisation was formed. PD became an important force in the civil rights movement and a number of those who were leading members in the organisation, for example Bernadette Devlin and Michael Farrell, became prominent political activists. PD also organised a four day march from Belfast to Derry. The march passed through many 'Protestant areas' and it was attacked by extreme Loyalists at a number of points along the route. The most serious was at Burntollet Bridge, County Derry, where 200 Loyalists ambushed the march with the result that 13 marchers needed hospital treatment. The PD took part in a number of elections up to 1982. List of People's Democracy publications See also: Arthur, Paul. (1974). The People's Democracy 1968-73. Belfast: Blackstaff Press. Chapter 6, in, Purdie, Bob. (1990). 'Politics in the Streets: The origins of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland'. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.