The Irish parliament's Joint Committee on Justice called the bombings an act of "international terrorism" involving the British security forces. The gunmen shot dead six people and injured five. These included the Miami Showband killings of 31 July 1975 when three members of the popular showband from the Republic of Ireland were killed having been stopped at a fake British Army checkpoint outside of Newry in County Down. [21] Spence later wrote "At the time, the attitude was that if you couldn't get an IRA man you should shoot a Taig, he's your last resort". From late 1975 to mid-1977, a unit of the UVF dubbed the Shankill Butchers (a group of UVF men based on Belfast's Shankill Road) carried out a series of sectarian murders of Catholic civilians. Colin Wallace, part of the intelligence apparatus of the British Army, asserted in an internal memo in 1975 that MI6 and RUC Special Branch formed a pseudo-gang within the UVF, designed to engage in violence and to subvert moves of the UVF towards the political process. Veteran anti-UVF campaigner Raymond McCord, whose son, Raymond Jr., a Protestant, was beaten to death by UVF men in 1997, estimates the UVF has killed more than thirty people since its 1994 ceasefire, most of them Protestants. These included a number of UVF's commanders like Big Bill Campbell, head of the UVF in Scotland, and 3 of the McGurk's Bar bombers. However, the UVF spurned the government efforts and continued killing. [108], The UVF's stated goal was to combat Irish republicanism particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. Until recent years,[12] it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. In June 2009 the UVF formally decommissioned their weapons in front of independent witnesses as a formal statement of decommissioning was read by Dawn Purvis and Billy Hutchinson. On 18 June 1994, UVF members machine-gunned a pub in Loughinisland, County Down on the basis that its customers were watching the Republic of Ireland national football team playing in the World Cup on television and were therefore assumed to be Catholics. It used submachine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, grenades (including homemade grenades), incendiary bombs, booby trap bombs and car bombs. [68], According to journalist and author Ed Moloney the UVF campaign in Mid Ulster in this period "indisputably shattered Republican morale", and put the leadership of the republican movement under intense pressure to "do something".[69]. The feud with the UDA ended in December following seven deaths. Read More UVF Cross Country Champions 2022 Saturday, October 29, marked a special day in athletics for the University of Valley Forge. The new Brigade Staff's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians. Ulster Volunteer Force members William Smith (loyalist) Loyalist former paramilitary and politician. [54] This was endorsed by Gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new regime. interviews with high-profile uvf members-including billy mitchell, david ervine, billy wright, billy hutchinson, gary haggarty, and the group's current leadership, as well as their loyalist rivals such as johnny adair, and the police officers who sought to bring the paramilitaries to justice-reveal the secret details behind the group's violent The UVF killed four men in Belfast and trouble ended only when the LVF announced that it was disbanding in October of that year. "Ulster's Uncertain Defenders: Protestant Political Paramilitary and Community Groups and the Northern Ireland Conflict". [145][146] It is estimated that the UVF nevertheless received hundreds of thousands of pounds in donations to its Loyalist Prisoners Welfare Association. (False)The UVF's goal was to combat Irish republicanism particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. The initial aim of Ulster Resistance was to bring an end to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. The UVF made strenuous efforts to enrol its members and in many places the RIC openly appealed to UVF members to join. Captain Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in many acts of UVF violence. Less extreme measures will be taken against anyone sheltering or helping them, but if they persist in giving them aid, then more extreme methods will be adopted we solemnly warn the authorities to make no more speeches of appeasement. [87][88], On the night of 20 June 2011, riots involving 500 people erupted in the Short Strand area of East Belfast. Two UVF men were accidentally blown up in this attack. [92], During the Belfast City Hall flag protests of 201213, senior UVF members were confirmed to have actively been involved in orchestrating violence and rioting against the PSNI and the Alliance Party throughout Northern Ireland during the weeks of disorder. [123] Supporters in Scotland have helped supply explosives and guns. [58][59][98] Graham has held the position since he assumed office in 1976. [citation needed] There were also reports that UVF members fired shots at police lines during a protest. The UVF's leadership is based in Belfast and known as the Brigade Staff. They managed to procure a large cache of weapons and ammunition including L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles, Browning pistols, and Sterling submachine guns. "[97], In June 2017, Gary Haggarty, former UVF commander for north Belfast and south-east Antrim, pleaded guilty to 200 charges, including five murders. [101], The strength of the UVF is uncertain. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). She died of her injuries on 27 June. [29], On 12 October, a loyalist protest in the Shankill became violent. Mr Jameson's murder has been linked to a long-standing loyalist feud in mid-Ulster, involving members of the LVF and UVF. [89][90] A dissident Republican was arrested for "the attempted murder of police officers in east Belfast" after shots were fired upon the police. [46] This resulted in a lethal upsweep of sectarian killings and internecine feuding with both the UDA and within the UVF itself. [92] There were also reports that UVF members fired shots at police lines during a protest. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. [49] A political wing was formed in June 1974, the Volunteer Political Party led by UVF Chief of Staff Ken Gibson, which contested West Belfast in the October 1974 general election, polling 2,690 votes (6%). [82] The IICD confirmed that "substantial quantities of firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices" had been decommissioned and that for the UVF and RHC, decommissioning had been completed. However, public opinion suggests that the stabbing was a personal vendetta and any connection being made to the Moffett case was simply a fictitious tale of revenge. A controlled explosion was carried out and the bomb was later declared a hoax. uvf members list Text Size:side effects of wearing incorrect glassesnh state police logs 2021 Call us at (858) 263-7716 4241 Jutland Dr #202, San Diego, CA 92117 Home Our Practice Services What to expect What to expect First visit FAQ Our Practice Why? [47] Beginning in 1975, recruitment to the UVF, which until then had been solely by invitation, was now left to the discretion of local units.[48]. [22] The shootings led to Spence being arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years. This development came soon after the UVF's Brigade Staff in Belfast had stood down Wright and the Portadown unit of the Mid-Ulster Brigade, on 2 August 1996, for the killing of a Catholic taxi driver near Lurgan during Drumcree disturbances. The British Army were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland. [29] Unionist support for O'Neill waned, and on 28 April he resigned as Prime Minister. [103], On 25 March 2022, the UVF was blamed[by whom?] This was in retaliation for attacks on Loyalist homes the previous weekend and after a young girl was hit in the face with a brick by Republicans. [148][149] Between 1979 to 1986, Canadian supporters supplied the UVF/UDA with 100 machine guns and thousands of rifles, grenade launchers, magnum revolvers, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. yu. . Along with the newly formed Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF began carrying out gun attacks on random Catholic civilians and using car bombs to attack Catholic-owned pubs. There are various credible[citation needed] allegations that elements of the British security forces colluded with the UVF in the bombings. Spence told Radio Ulster that the UVF had been "engaged in murder, attempted murder of civilians, attempted murder of police officers. [83] On 30 May 2010, however, the UVF was believed to have carried out the shotgun killing of RHC member Bobby Moffett on the Shankill Road in broad daylight. The largest death toll was on 3 March 1991 when the UVF killed IRA members John Quinn, Dwayne O'Donnell and Malcolm Nugent, and civilian Thomas Armstrong in the car park next to Boyle's Bar, Cappagh. Wright is believed to have dealt mainly in Ecstasy tablets in the early 90s. [70], There followed years of violence between the two organisations. [11] Whenever it claimed responsibility for its attacks, the UVF usually claimed that those targeted were IRA members or were giving help to the IRA. The UVF stated that the attempted attack was a protest against the Irish Army units "still massed on the border in County Donegal". This move comes as the organisation holds high level discussions about their future. jackie mahood uvf members list. "The untouchable informers facing exposure at last". Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). Spence claimed that he was approached in 1965 by two men, one of whom was an Ulster Unionist Party MP, who told him that the UVF was to be re-established and that he was to have responsibility for the Shankill. The combination of institutional scholarships cannot exceed the student's tuition during any semester. Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. [98], On 23 March 2019, eleven alleged UVF members were arrested during a total of 14 searches conducted in Belfast, Newtownards and Comber and the suspects, aged between 22 and 48, were taken into police custody for questioning. Two of those later convicted (James McDowell and Thomas Crozier) were also serving members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), a part-time, locally recruited regiment of the British Army. [21] The group called itself the "Ulster Volunteer Force" (UVF), after the Ulster Volunteers of the early 20th century, although in the words of a member of the previous organisation "the present para-military organisation has no connection with the U.V.F. [20], Since 1964 and the formation of the Campaign for Social Justice, there had been a growing civil rights campaign in Northern Ireland, seeking to highlight discrimination against Catholics by the unionist government of Northern Ireland. It was responsible for more than 500 deaths. [96], Masked UVF Brigade Staff members at a press conference in October 1974. [36] Catholic churches were also attacked. During the riot, UVF members shot dead RUC officer Victor Arbuckle. It emerged in 1966 and is named after the original UVF of the early 20th century. [21] The shootings led to Spence's being sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years. The British Army were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland. The damage from security service informers started in 1983 with "supergrass" Joseph Bennett's information, which led to the arrest of fourteen senior figures. [55] The hawks had been ousted by those in the UVF who were unhappy with their political and military strategy. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. In February it began to target critics of militant loyalism the homes of MPs Austin Currie, Sheelagh Murnaghan, Richard Ferguson and Anne Dickson were attacked with improvised bombs. [76][77][78], In January 2008, the UVF was accused of involvement in vigilante action against alleged criminals in Belfast. The group is a designated terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom and a proscribed organisation in the Republic of Ireland. [39], The following year, 1972, was the most violent of the Troubles. The chip shop has since been closed down. for a proxy bomb attack targeting a "peace-building" event in Belfast where Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney was speaking. Shoppers have been so blown away by a 5.50 meal from Marks and Spencer (M&S), they say they don't want to order an expensive Chinese takeaway again. [123][124], The strength of the UVF is uncertain. The UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade carried out further attacks during this same period. They follow the careers of some of the key players in the UVF, including Gusty Spence, Billy Wright and David Ervine. ][102] On 11 April, the UVF reportedly ordered the removal of Catholic families from a housing estate in Carrickfergus. [82] The IICD confirmed that "substantial quantities of firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices" had been decommissioned and that for the UVF and RHC, decommissioning had been completed. [66] The UVF also killed senior IRA paramilitary members Liam Ryan, John 'Skipper' Burns and Larry Marley. [58][59] West died in 1980. Six of the victims were abducted at random, then beaten and tortured before having their throats slashed. [9] Whenever it claimed responsibility for its attacks, the UVF usually claimed that those targeted were IRA members or IRA sympathisers. Ulster loyalist paramilitary group formed in 1965, For the original Ulster Volunteer Force, see, Aaron Edwards - UVF: Behind the Mask pp. The Mid-Ulster Brigade was also responsible for the 1975 Miami Showband ambush, in which three members of the popular Irish cabaret band The Miami Showband were shot dead at a bogus military checkpoint by gunmen dressed in British Army uniforms. The damage from security service informers started in 1983 with "supergrass" Joseph Bennett's information which led to the arrest of fourteen senior figures. Where state and federal laws/regulations allow, accountable for performing day-to-day non-clinical pharmacy operations, administrative activities; Ensures efficient pharmacy workflow and a positive patient experience. [29], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. Menu In 1984, they attempted to kill the northern editor of the Sunday World, Jim Campbell after he had exposed the paramilitary activities of Mid-Ulster brigadier Robin Jackson. [150], The UVF have been implicated in drug dealing in areas from where they draw their support. [54] The number of killings in Northern Ireland had decreased from around 300 per year between 1973 and 1976 to just under 100 in the years 19771981. This was a large, three-day riot between Irish nationalists and the police (RUC). [53] These men had overthrown the "hawkish" officers, who had called for a "big push", which meant an increase in violent attacks, earlier in the same month. With a few exceptions, such as Mid-Ulster brigadier Billy Hanna (a native of Lurgan), the Brigade Staff members have been from the Shankill Road or the neighbouring Woodvale area to the west. [141] Its main benefactors have been in central Scotland,[142] Liverpool,[143] Preston[143] and the Toronto area of Canada. [155] Loyalists in Portadown such as Bobby Jameson have stated that the LVF (the Mid-Ulster Brigade that broke away from the main UVF - and led by Billy Wright) was not a 'loyalist organisation but a drugs organisation causing misery in Portadown. MRF teams operated in plain clothes and civilian vehicles, equipped with pistols . The evidence could have implicated the senior mid-Ulster Ulster Volunteer Force member in the targeting of Catholics. The group concluded a general acceptance of the need to decommission, though there was no conclusive proof of moves towards this end. 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