This Week in History: Gunned-down aircraft, Charlie Hebdo and the storming of Capitol Hill
Explore how major events between 5 and 11 January were captured on The Independent’s front pages
This week sees diplomatic fallout as the US guns down two Libyan MiGs, meanwhile five European peace monitors are killed in another shot-down aircraft, later acknowledged by the Yugoslav military. Years later, Washington comes under renewed scrutiny as American and British companies are accused of carving up Iraq’s oil profits in the aftermath of war. In the heart of Paris, the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo marks one of the deadliest assaults on a media organisation in modern Europe. In 2021, signs of a fractious decade emerge with the storming of the United States Capitol, a stark example of political violence directed at a seat of government. All are charted on the front covers of The Independent.
5 January 1989 – US jets gun down Libyan aircraft
US fighter jets shoot down two Libyan MiG aircraft over the Mediterranean in what the Pentagon describes as an act of self-defence, amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tripoli. Colonel Gaddafi denounces the incident as American “aggression” and vows retaliation, deepening an already volatile standoff in US–Libyan relations at the end of the Cold War.
9 January 1990 – New evidence in infamous Birmingham Six case
The Home Office receives new evidence in the case of the Birmingham Six, intensifying scrutiny of the convictions that jailed six men for the 1974 IRA pub bombings in Birmingham. Home Secretary David Waddington says he will give prompt consideration to a detailed dossier submitted by the men’s lawyers, amid growing concerns over alleged police misconduct and disputed forensic evidence. The convictions are later quashed in March 1991, with the six men released after more than 16 years in prison.
8 January 1992 – Peace monitors killed in Yugoslavia
It is January 1992 and peace in Yugoslavia hangs on a knife-edge, with a fragile ceasefire agreed just months earlier. Five European Community (EC) peace monitors are killed after a helicopter carrying the observers is shot down during fighting, an incident later acknowledged by the Yugoslav military. The Independent points to a breakdown in the chain of command, described as “not surprising”, as Slovene and Croat officers leave the federal armed forces to join republican armies, indicating a collapse of central authority.
10 January 1994 – Clinton addresses Europe’s post-Cold War future
In a landmark speech on his first European visit after his election, US President Bill Clinton urges western Europe to open up to eastern Europe and Russia, warning that instability and ultra-nationalism could follow if integration fails. He cautions that “Europe’s western half cannot long be secure if the eastern half remains in turmoil”, adding that “nowhere is democracy more important to us all than in Russia” – a message that later resonates amid renewed geopolitical fragmentation across the continent.
5 January 2005 – Europe falls silent for tsunami victims
The Independent runs a white front cover in a nod to a three-minute silence called by the European Union in memory of the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami. Citizens across all 25 member states are asked to pause in remembrance of an estimated 150,000 dead. Reporting on the scale of the moment, the paper notes that “from the trading floors of the London Stock Exchange to the metro stations of Rome, there will be silence,” while devastated communities in Asia continue to be uncovered.
7 January 2007 – Leaked plans reveal battle over Iraq’s oil
The Independent on Sunday reveals leaked plans suggesting Western energy companies could secure a dominant share of profits from Iraq’s oil industry in the aftermath of the Iraq war, with UK and US firms reportedly positioned to benefit the most. The report raises concerns over how Iraq’s resources will be managed during reconstruction, a debate that continues in the years that follow as foreign investment, contracts and oil legislation become flashpoints in the country’s post-war recovery.
8 January 2015 – Charlie Hebdo attack
The offices of Charlie Hebdo, a Paris-based satirical weekly, are targeted in a deadly shooting in which 12 people are killed. The terrorist attack is widely reported as retaliation for the magazine’s decision to publish caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam’s most revered figure. The Independent features a full-page illustration in solidarity, as France enters a period of national mourning.
6 January 2021 – US Capitol attack
It is January 6 on Capitol Hill as senators gather to certify Joe Biden’s election victory after a bitterly contested vote. The Independent reports that a mob, spurred on by President Donald Trump, storms the US Capitol, forcing Vice President Mike Pence and other lawmakers to flee. A woman is shot as the chamber is invaded, and police struggle to regain control of the building during an unprecedented breach of the US legislature.
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