Randall Collins’ forward panic pathway to violence and the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings in Northern Ireland

Abstract

This article examines the shootings of 26 unarmed civilians, 14 of which proved fatal, by members of the British Parachute regiment in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1972. The article will provide a new explanation for this incident which remains highly controversial in British and Irish politics. It will argue that macro-explanations for the killings are insufficient and that the micro-situation on the ground that day needs to be examined in order to understand this event. Different narratives in relation to the actions of the soldiers will be outlined. However, it will be maintained that Randall Collins’ micro-sociological theory of violence, in particular its forward panic pathway, best explains the level of violence on that day. This will in turn improve our understanding of Bloody Sunday.