On 30 January 1972, a march organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association against internment that was put into effect the year before turned into a bloodbath known as Bloody Sunday.

The British Parachute Regiment shot dead 14 protesters and injured 14 more; this resulted in a large surge of recruitment for both wings of the IRA in the city.

After Operation Motorman and the end of Free Derry and other no-go areas in Northern Ireland, the Bogside along with the majority of the city experienced frequent street riots and sectarian conflict lasting all the way to the early 1990s.

In 1974, the Official IRA declared an end to their armed campaign, with hardline volunteers on the ground already angry about the ceasefire in mid 1972.

Throughout the rest of the 1990s, the Bogside became relatively peaceful compared to other localities[citation needed] of Northern Ireland at that time such as Belfast, even though street riots were still frequent.