Just to add slightly to that, it's important to realize also that it wasn't just the British army that these men and women faced, but other forms of armed oppression: RUC and loyalist paramilitiaries. There are so many pieces to the puzzle that there is no world of black and white here, but a vast expanse of gray. Peaceful protests by the Republican and Catholic communities were and still are being launched. We know how many of them ended, sadly: with violence against the peaceful marchers. So, Den is correct about the attempts then and now of those seeking means outside of violence in order to impact the political process and improve the lives of those oppressed.

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