USA. Alabama. Selma. Film of President Obama speaking on the Edmund Pettus bridge during an event marking the 50th anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday', March 7th 1965, when approximately 500 civil rights marchers were beaten back by police officers equipped with tear gas and clubs as they tried to cross the now infamous bridge. On March 21, 1965 a five-day march, led by Martin Luther King Jnr (under court protection) took place with crowds growing to 25,000 – an event that directly impacted the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 18 January 2017.