David McKittrick: Will loyalists seek bloody revenge?

Share
+More
Related Topics

In previous eruptions of violence in Northern Ireland, republican attacks were almost automatically followed by lethal retaliation by loyalist groups whose speciality lay in "tit-for-tat" killings of Catholics.

Now thousands of people across Northern Ireland, and particularly in Co Armagh, are hoping this so-called peacetime means revenge attacks will not be launched, and the violence will not escalate. The illegal loyalist organisations have been unusually quiet in recent months but remain armed and have in the past re-emerged after periods of inactivity.

Very often they go on the warpath with shootings which, they claim, are in retaliation for republican violence.

Security forces are thus on their guard both against the risk of republican and extreme Protestant activity.

Loyalists have a long and bloody record, although during the Troubles both local and international attention was always focused on republicanism and the IRA.

Loyalists have been responsible for 1,100 of the 3,700 deaths, a lethal record which means they have to be taken seriously. Over the past 10 years, indeed, they took more lives.

By far the largest groupings within the paramilitary undergrowth are the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Ulster Defence Association.

One problem in trying to foil their activities at times like this is that most of their victims have been uninvolved Catholic civilians – often chosen at random.

An unusual and potentially heartening sign came yesterday with a meeting between Frankie Gallagher, who offers political advice to the UDA, and Sinn Fein lord mayor of Belfast, Tom Hartley. Mr Hartley said he was encouraged by the encounter while Mr Gallagher said of the meeting: "We've never done this before."

Offering unprecedented praise from a loyalist source for Martin McGuinness's condemnation of dissidents, he added: "The Sinn Fein response has been astonishing.

"They have demonstrated to the people in unionist communities they are now committed and wedded to peace and non-violence."

While his comments are regarded as hugely encouraging, they do not guarantee violence will not emerge from the loyalist undergrowth.

This is because the UDA and UVF contain highly independent localised gangs which act on their own.

In 1994, for example, the UVF shot dead six Catholic men in a quiet Catholic bar in Co Down at a sensitive time in the peace process – not long before the IRA declared a ceasefire.

UVF leaders said privately the attack had not been "centrally authorised", a claim which was widely disbelieved at the time. It later emerged this was almost certainly the case.

That incident illustrates the difficulties of guarding against loyalist violence, since it was staged by gunmen from Belfast who travelled miles to a sleepy Co Down village which had previously been almost unaffected.

A similar pattern was visible around the same time when UDA gunmen kicked open the door of a bar in Greysteel, Co Londonderry, at Hallowe'en. Shouting "Trick or treat" they sprayed the bar with gunfire, killing eight. The third prominent group is the Loyalist Volunteer Force, which broke away from the UVF. The LVF was founded by Billy Wright, a firebrand later assassinated by republicans inside the Maze prison.

Much of the loyalist violence of recent (peacetime) years has been internal feuding, which has left more than a dozen paramilitaries dead.

Few if any of those killings were politically motivated, stemming instead from power struggles, quarrels over territory and personality differences. Most resulted from disputes over the proceeds of crime.

Racketeering, extortion and drugs trade have been rife, particularly in the UDA and LVF, with the latter sometimes described as a drug-dealing organisation with a violent wing.

The UVF and UDA made attempts to emulate republicans in building political wings, but did not succeed in attracting many votes. The UDA disbanded its political wing some years ago while the Progressive Unionist party, which spoke for the UVF, suffered a body blow with the 2007 death from natural causes of David Ervine, its respected leader.

At the less appealing end of the spectrum were a series of grotesque paramilitary leaders such as Jim Gray, a UDA "brigadier" who flouted the proceeds of gangsterism.

His lifestyle was ostentatious, with expensive cars, fine restaurants and a costly cocaine habit. Reputedly bisexual, he sported a shock of bleached hair and permanent tan.

He frequently wore fluorescent clothing and designer sunglasses, and typically dressed in a floral shirt with a pink jumper draped over his shoulders, white trousers, a large earring and a heavy gold necklace. Another UDA leader, now sacked, was known as "the Bacardi brigadier" because of his drinking habits. Yet another was a compulsive gambler who squandered £80,000 of his brigade's funds.

Generations of paramilitarism have produced other eccentric loyalists, and seen groups such as the UDA evolve a blend of criminality and violence – a curious but dangerous mixture.

React Now

iJobs Job Widget
iJobs General

Teaching Programme Officer with Qualified Teacher Status

£28000 - £31500 per annum + benefits: Randstad Education Newcastle: Permanent ...

SAP FI-CA Consultant - up to £58k

£50000 - £58000 per annum + Benefits and Bonus: Progressive Recruitment: SAP F...

PHP/ Drupal Developer - £35k - WC

£30000 - £40000 per annum + BENS: Progressive Recruitment: Drupal Developer A ...

C# WEB DEVELOPER

£45000 - £50000 per annum + bens: Progressive Recruitment: C# WEB DEVELOPER Le...

Day In a Page

Read Next
 

Where else but Northern Ireland would a killer on a school board even be mooted as a possibility?

Robert Fisk
 

Congratulations to Andrew Feldman on his appointment as Prime Ministerial Tennis Partner

Matthew Norman
The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

The experts' guide to summer

From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...