53 years ago today, on February 23, 1972 (January 9, 1972), protesters burned down the British Embassy in Dublin. This was a gunfight in the Bogside area of Londonderry on February 23, 1972. The British Embassy was burned by firebombs thrown by protesters. Demonstrators protested the murder of 13 Northern Irishmen by British paratroopers in Northern Ireland. The protest march was orderly as it crossed Dublin streets, but rioted when most of the crowd arrived at the British Embassy. Many police officers stood passively to the side as protesters threw rocks and firebombs at the George Building in Merlin Square. The Irish government has declared this day a national day of mourning to commemorate the 13 Irish people killed by British soldiers during demonstrations in Londonderry. Late this month, the Irish government arrested eight Irish Republican Army leaders after an explosion in a paratroopers 'canteen near London, dealing a severe blow to the illegal group.