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In Northern Ireland, over the summer of 1968, a civil rights movement established itself, with marches and demonstrations continuing to the end of the year. Rioting in Londonderry and Belfast in the following year led to the deployment of British troops on peacekeeping duties. As the violence escalated in the early 1970s, internment without trial began (in 1971), followed by widespread rioting. Thirteen demonstrators were shot dead by British troops in January 1972 on what would become known as \'Bloody Sunday\'. The Northern Ireland
Government resigned after prime minister Edward Heath announced the commencement of direct rule from Westminster. In 1973, at the Sunningdale Conference, representatives from Britain, the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland agreed that the constitutional status of the North should only be changed with the consent of the majority of the people. It was not until 1985 that further developments were evident, when the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed - providing for increased cross border co-operation and greater consultation between the British and Irish governments.
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