Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? There are various credible[citation needed] allegations that elements of the British security forces colluded with the UVF in the bombings. The South East Antrim Ulster Defence Association is a standalone faction of the UDA and was once part of its inner council. [44], The charges against Bunting were dropped in 2015 after a number of witnesses withdrew their statements, although Bunting did not return as brigadier, his place having been taken by "Big" Bill Hill, a dissident who had been prominent in the Belfast City Hall flag protests. [167], There were also 66 UVF/RHC members and four former members killed in the conflict.[169]. He had been expelled by the UDA in 2002 and later left NI following a loyalist feud, after his Shankill Road power base crumbled. [37] In August 2014 as Bunting drove along Duncairn Gardens, a street separating Tiger's Bay from the republican New Lodge area his car was damaged by a pipe bomb thrown at it. The attacks on the PSNI were encouraged by both the South East Antrim UDA and UVF who warned teens involved not to riot in loyalist estates, and to instead take the trouble onto the . However, the UVF saw fit to continue the battle in 2001, using its satellite group the Red Hand Commando to kill two of the LVF's leading figures, Adrian Porter and Stephen Warnock. Western Illinois University. The LVF became the first paramilitary group to decommission any weapons late in 1998. He planned to have it unfurled as the procession passed the Rex Bar, a UVF haunt, in order to antagonise the UVF and try and drag it into conflict with as much of the UDA as possible. It was responsible for more than 500 deaths. [58] This killing, however, was not part of a feud but instead carried out as a form of internal discipline from within the Mid-Ulster Brigade. After Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader John Hume revealed he had been informed of the aborted attacks, UDA chairman Andy Tyrie conceded that had been the UDA's intention but denied the group had planned shoot one hostage a day until the two missing UDA men were released. [54] Gilmore had been targeted in an unsuccessful crossbow attack the previous August. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles. [41] Catholic churches were also attacked. Spotlight is repeated on BBC Two NI on Wednesday and will be available on the BBC iPlayer. [51] This resulted in a sharp increase in sectarian killings and internecine feuding, both with the UDA and within the UVF itself. Loyalist paramilitary groups 'have 12,500 members', Russia launches pre-dawn missile attack on Ukraine, Chaos at port as thousands rush to leave Sudan. Posted 2 years ago 2 years ago. 2023 BBC. Explosives for the north were mostly shipped in small boats which set out at night from the Scottish coast and made contact at sea with vessels from Ulster ports." He has spoken to Spotlight about talks he was involved in with the UVF leadership, earlier this year. St Patrick's Day . Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Latest News. Matters had come to a head when Wright's unit killed a Catholic taxi-driver during the Drumcree standoff. (Thesis 2017). [34] Unionist support for O'Neill waned, and on 28 April he resigned as Prime Minister. By the end of the day nearly all those with UVF associations had been driven from the Lower Shankill. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? [123] In the late summer and autumn of 1973, the UVF detonated more bombs than the UDA and IRA combined,[124] and by the time of the group's temporary ceasefire in late November it had been responsible for over 200 explosions that year. Although the two organisations had worked together under the umbrella of the Combined Loyalist Military Command, the body crumbled in 1997 and tensions simmered between West Belfast UDA Brigadier[10] Johnny Adair, who had grown weary of the Northern Ireland peace process and the Good Friday Agreement, and the UVF leadership. [47] John Boreland was shot dead soon after this. Until recent years,[16] it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. The initial aim of Ulster Resistance was to bring an end to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Captain Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in many acts of UVF violence. [15] Whenever it claimed responsibility for its attacks, the UVF usually claimed that those targeted were IRA members or were giving help to the IRA. Although O'Neill was a unionist, they saw him as being too 'soft' on the civil rights movement and too friendly with the Republic of Ireland. [162] It was around this time that Sunday World journalists Martin O'Hagan and Jim Campbell coined the term "rat pack" for the UVF's murderous mid-Ulster unit and, unable to identify Wright by name for legal reasons, they christened him "King Rat." Ontario is to Ulster Protestants what Boston is to Irish Catholics." The South East Antrim Ulster Defence Association is a standalone faction of the UDA and was once part of its inner council. Find out the latest on your favorite NCAAF teams on CBSSports.com. 2023 season schedule, scores, stats, and highlights. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation list of the United Kingdom. [63][64][110] Graham has held the position since he assumed office in 1976. [125] However, from 1977 bombs largely disappeared from the UVF's arsenal owing to a lack of explosives and bomb-makers, plus a conscious decision to abandon their use in favour of more contained methods. ", "Ulster Volunteer Force is no longer on ceasefire, police warn", "Gary Haggarty: Ex-senior loyalist pleads guilty to 200 terror charges", "Police seize drugs and arrest 11 during raids on east Belfast UVF", "Nine men charged after east Belfast UVF police raids", "Brexit: loyalist paramilitary groups renounce Good Friday agreement", "NI riots: What is behind the violence in Northern Ireland? [49], The brigade formed part of the Glenanne gang, a loose alliance of loyalist assassins which the Pat Finucane Centre has linked to 87 killings in the 1970s. An hour later Adair's unit burned down the PUP's offices close to Agnes Street, the de facto border between the UVF-dominated Middle and Upper Shankill and the UDA-dominated Lower Shankill. A vicious attack on a leading UVF man by a hated South East Antrim UDA figure has caused serious tension between the rival loyalist groups. We are heavily armed Protestants dedicated to this cause. [92][93], On the night of 20 June 2011, riots involving 500 people erupted in the Short Strand area of East Belfast. [37][38] There were further attacks in the Republic between October and December 1969. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 'Impossible to get out' of paramilitaries, Loyalists on 1969: 'Better to die on your feet', Russia launches pre-dawn missile attack on Ukraine, Chaos at port as thousands rush to leave Sudan. This move came as the organisation held high-level discussions about its future. The UVF also shot up the Ulster Democratic Party headquarters on the Middle Shankill. The murder of Peter Ward, the third victim, brought the UVF and its then leader Gusty Spence to public attention. [99] The high levels of orchestration by the leadership of the East Belfast UVF, and the alleged ignored orders from the main leaders of the UVF to stop the violence has led to fears that the East Belfast UVF has now become a separate loyalist paramilitary grouping which doesn't abide by the UVF ceasefire or the Northern Ireland Peace Process. But it also says the organisation still has access to weapons. That. Carrickfergus. The LVF members swore revenge and on 10 January 2000 they took it by shooting Jameson dead on the outskirts of Portadown. The vast majority (more than two-thirds)[13][14] of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. Many of the paramilitaries are now involved in criminality and drug-dealing, with tensions between and within groups resulting in serious disorder at times as well as shootings and other attacks. [79], On 3 May 2007, following recent negotiations between the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and with Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde, the UVF made a statement that they would transform to a "non-military, civilianised" organisation. According to an MI5/police intelligence assessment in 2021, the South East Antrim UDA"has access to arms and is heavily involved in drugs supply, community coercion, intimidation and other criminality". [118] At other times, attacks on Catholic civilians were claimed as "retaliation" for IRA actions, since the IRA drew almost all of its support from the Catholic community. Eight people were shot dead and hundreds were injured. The "dissident" South East Antrim UDA is having its drug-dealing empire dismantled by the Paramilitary Crime Task Force,. Colin Horner was fatally shot in front of his three-year-old son at a busy shopping centre. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud. According to the Belfast Telegraph, "70 separate police intelligence reports implicating the north Belfast UVF man in dealing cannabis, Ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine. [120] They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston". In July 2005 the feud came to a conclusion as the UVF made a final move against its rival organisation. Loyalist Volunteer Force [ edit] [31], The other five brigadiers in the UDA leadership decided to expel Andre Shoukri, his brother Ihab, and another associate in June 2006. In return. The UDA's Johnny Adair supported the LVF and used the feud to stoke up the troubles that eventually flared in his feud with the UVF later that year. In recent years, it has been linked to serious criminality including drug dealing. While most of the UDA guests at Adair's carnival had duly left for home when it became apparent that he was using it to engineer violent conflict with the UVF, festivities nonetheless continued late into the night on the Lower Shankill, where Adair hosted an open air rave party and fireworks display. University of Central Arkansas. [84], In 2008, a loyalist splinter group calling itself the "Real UVF" emerged briefly to make threats against Sinn Fin in County Fermanagh. The incumbent Chief of Staff, is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, referred to by Martin Dillon as "Mr. ][107] On 11 April, the UVF reportedly ordered the removal of Catholic families from a housing estate in Carrickfergus. In May 2014 Bunting was attacked in Tiger's Bay by a group of opponents. The UVF was formed with the express intention of executing known IRA men. The UVF leadership had sought and been given assurances that no LVF regalia would be displayed on the Shankill on the day of the procession. The Mid-Ulster Brigade was also responsible for the 1975 Miami Showband killings, in which three members of the popular Irish cabaret band were shot dead at a bogus military checkpoint by gunmen in British Army uniforms. Hanna and Jackson have both been implicated by journalist Joe Tiernan and RUC Special Patrol Group (SPG) officer John Weir as having led one of the units that bombed Dublin. [156][157] Between 1979 and 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. On the basis of that, we as a federation have called for the respecification of the UVF [stating that its ceasefire is over]. [57] Several months prior to these killings, Mid-Ulster Brigadier Billy Hanna was shot dead outside his Lurgan home on 27 July 1975, allegedly by his successor, Robin Jackson. @caolan-mclaughlin-844507501 this is a UDA song ya muppet why u put f the uvf know yer history kid. [144] In 2002 the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee estimated the UVF's annual running costs at 12 million per year, against an annual fundraising capability of 1.5 million. [150], Scotland was a source of funding and aid, supplying explosives and guns. Although the UDA and UVF have frequently co-operated and generally co-existed, the two groups have clashed. [58] 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. One study focusing in part on female members of the UVF and Red Hand Commando noted that it "seem[ed] to have been reasonably unusual" for women to be officially asked to join the UVF. [38] Tiger's Bay had emerged as the stronghold of the anti-Bunting faction. [24] Harding Smith survived two separate shootings but crucially lost the support of other leading Shankill Road UDA figures and eventually left Belfast after being visited by North Belfast Brigadier Davy Payne, who warned him that he would not survive a third attack. Luther's signature was also painted into the strained glass window of an old Martin Luther mural in the lower Shankill - see Here I Stand I Can Do No . [43] This followed the rejection of earlier overtures to West Belfast brigadier Matt Kincaid as he opted to back Spence and Courtney. Twenty tons of ammonium nitrate was also stolen from the Belfast docks.[45]. Since the ceasefire, the UVF has been involved in rioting, drug dealing, organised crime, loan-sharking and prostitution. . In 2018, the then PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton said members of the UDA and UVF were still involved in organised crime. The UVF were more recalcitrant about expelling Wright, which almost caused a rift until the UVF accepted the UDA's point of view and expelled him. From that time until the early 1990s the Mid-Ulster Brigade was led by Robin "the Jackal" Jackson, who then passed the leadership to Billy Wright. The chip shop has since been closed down. [117] The vast majority of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. [23], However, with Tyrie confirmed in overall control of the UDA, Harding Smith initially remained silent until, in 1974, he declared that the West Belfast brigade of the movement was splitting from the mainstream UDA on the pretext of a visit to Libya organised by Tyrie in a failed attempt to procure arms from Colonel Qadaffi. Although Wright had been expelled from the UVF, threatened with execution and an order to leave Northern Ireland, which he defied, the feud was largely contained during his life and the two major eruptions came after his death. The UVF launched further attacks in the Republic of Ireland during December 1972 and January 1973, when it detonated three car bombs in Dublin and one in Belturbet, County Cavan, killing a total of five civilians. [41] As is standard within the UDA whilst in custody Bunting had to relinquish his role as brigadier although his replacement, a close friend of McDonald's from Taughmonagh in south Belfast identified only as the "Burger King Brigadier" due to his weight, has been reported as merely a figurehead with no actual power. [113], 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. It later said it had stood down the UFF and all UFF weapons were being put "beyond use", but that did not mean they would be decommissioned. [39] In December, the UVF detonated a car bomb near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Dublin. [5], The following month, UDA Colonel Hugh McVeigh and his aide David Douglas were the next to die, kidnapped by the UVF on the Shankill Road and taken to Carrickfergus where they were beaten before being killed near Islandmagee. [121], Like the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF's modus operandi involved assassinations, mass shootings, bombings and kidnappings. [62] In 1976, Tommy West was replaced with "Mr. F" who is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, who remains the incumbent Chief of Staff to date. In 2017, it applied to the Home Office asking to be taken off the list of proscribed organisations. During 1970, 42 Catholic-owned licensed premises in Protestant areas were bombed. Roy Green was killed in retaliation. [147] Its main benefactors have been in central Scotland,[148] Liverpool,[149] Preston[149] and the Toronto area of Canada. [51] On 29 May 2017 the South East Antrim UDA murdered an ex member and friend of George Gilmore. Oct 21 // football. 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. [46] On 17 May, two UVF units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan. She died of her injuries on 27 June. Prior to this the atmosphere at the Rex had been jovial, with the UVF spectators even joining in to sing UDA songs along to the tunes of the UDA-aligned flute bands which accompanied the approximately ten thousand UDA men on their parade up the Shankill Road. social club in which the LVF supporters were severely beaten. [88], The UVF was blamed for the shotgun killing of expelled RHC member Bobby Moffett on the Shankill Road on the afternoon of 28 May 2010, in front of passers-by including children. The ferry [between Scotland and Northern Ireland] was pivotal in getting arms into the north and anything like checkpoints, or armed police and Army in Scotland would have b******d that all up.[153] An Irish government memo written by David Donoghue stated: "The commonest contribution of Scots UDA and UVF is to send gelignite. In response to events in Derry, nationalists held protests throughout Northern Ireland, some of which became violent. Briefings, obtained by BBC NI's Spotlight programme, cover all the paramilitary groups and are based on PSNI and MI5 intelligence. The largest death toll in a single attack was in the 3 March 1991 Cappagh killings, when the UVF killed IRA members John Quinn, Dwayne O'Donnell and Malcolm Nugent, and civilian Thomas Armstrong in the small village of Cappagh. The community centre hosting the event and 25 nearby homes were evacuated and a funeral was disrupted. we solemnly warn the authorities to make no more speeches of appeasement. [citation needed] There were also reports that UVF members fired shots at police lines during a protest. Blair attempted to shore up his position by recruiting former allies of Bunting to his side, having reportedly been only sixth choice for the role with several more prominent figures turning down the job as a "poisoned chalice". [41] It also continued its attacks in the Republic of Ireland, bombing the Dublin-Belfast railway line, an electricity substation, a radio mast, and Irish nationalist monuments. [151][152] Former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe houses in Glasgow and Stirling. [13] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. Wednesday's house attacks in Newtownards by the South East Antrim UDA centre on a personal dispute and ended up with bricks and broken glass narrowly missing a baby sleeping in a pram. Jim 'Jimbo' Simpson - dubbed the 'Bacardi Brigadier' when he was the organisation's north Belfast leader - was believed to have fled Northern Ireland with several supporters shortly after the failed coup. [1] The bad blood originated from an incident in the Ulster Workers' Council strike of May 1974 when the two groups were co-operating in support of the Ulster Workers' Council. After the Troubles began, an Orange-Canadian loyalist organization known as the Canadian Ulster Loyalist Association (CULA) sprang to life to provide the 'besieged' Protestants with the resources to arm themselves. [160], Billy Wright, the commander of the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade, is believed to have started dealing drugs in 1991[161] as a lucrative sideline to paramilitary murder. Read about our approach to external linking. Security sources say that with more than 2,000 members, the South East Antrim UDA is one of Northern Ireland's largest paramilitary gangs. [28], Tyrie was forced to resign in March 1988 and the new men, most of whom had been trained up by McMichael, turned on some of the veterans whom Tyrie had protected. "BBC News Man held over East Belfast police murder bid", "Surge in Belfast violence blamed on resurgent UVF", "The Beast from East Belfast could put an end to flags violence right now but he won't", "East Belfast UVF: Mission Accomplished? Referring to its activity in the early and mid-1970s, journalist Ed Moloney described no-warning pub bombings as the UVF's "forte". [citation needed]. [73], 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",[74] although this has been disputed by others.[who?]. Many members of the 2nd Battalion Shankill Road West Belfast Brigade, commonly known as 'C' Company, stood by Adair and White, while the rest of the organisation were involved with attacks on these groups and vice versa. "We know that has been the situation for decades. [32] Spence appointed Samuel McClelland as UVF Chief of Staff in his stead. Sep 30 // football. On a November night in 1974, a UVF man named Joe Shaw visited the pub for a drink. It used submachine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, grenades (including homemade grenades), incendiary bombs, booby trap bombs and car bombs. It is understood a mob of up to 40 of Simpson's supporters attempted to oust the current leadership. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. . Spence told Radio Ulster that the UVF had been "engaged in murder, attempted murder of civilians, attempted murder of police officers. [16] Jackie McDonald replaced Kerr, becoming, for the second time, leader of the South Belfast Brigade. It was alleged that Colin Armstrong had links to both drugs and loyalist terrorists. C Company then went on the rampage in the Lower Shankill, attacking the houses of known UVF members and their families, including the home of veteran UVF leader Gusty Spence, and evicting the inhabitants at gunpoint as they wrecked and stole property and set fire to homes. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. A vicious attack on a leading UVF man by a hated South East Antrim UDA figure has caused serious tension between the rival loyalist groups. [71] The UVF also killed senior IRA paramilitary members Liam Ryan, John 'Skipper' Burns and Larry Marley. The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades. Both pubs were wrecked and a number of people were wounded. [40] Along with another associate they were charged with attempting to murder Borland and Andre Shoukri and were remanded in custody. It would continue these tactics for the rest of its campaign. [46] In August 2016 the new leader was reported as having fled to Scotland due to the threat of the Mount Vernon UVF. He was shot dead by the IRA in November 1982, four months after his release from the Maze Prison. "[159], According to Alan McQuillan, the assistant director of the Assets Recovery Agency in 2005, "In the loyalist community, drug dealing is run by the paramilitaries and it is generally run for personal gain by a large number of people." [69] Republicans responded to the attacks by assassinating senior UVF members John Bingham, William "Frenchie" Marchant and Trevor King[70] as well as Leslie Dallas, whose purported UVF membership was disputed both by his family and the UVF. [30], Shortly after the removal of Jimbo Simpson in 2003 a number of incidents where several houses and a business were attacked in the Ballysillan and Glenbryn areas. Security sources have previously said that with more than 2,000 members, it is one of Northern Ireland's largest paramilitary gangs. Such retaliation was seen as both collective punishment and an attempt to weaken the IRA's support; it was thought that terrorising the Catholic community and inflicting such a death toll on it would force the IRA to end its campaign. [1] [2] He was alleged to have taken over the north Belfast Ulster Defence Association (UDA) leadership. But the guns it handed in for destruction were old, and formed only a small part of its arsenal - the LVF remained armed and ready for violence. However, the year leading up to the loyalist ceasefire, which took place shortly after the Provisional IRA ceasefire, saw some of the worst sectarian killings carried out by loyalists during the Troubles. [85], In the twentieth IMC report, the group was said to be continuing to put its weapons "beyond reach", (in the group's own words) to downsize, and reduce the criminality of the group. Two members of the group survived the attack and later testified against those responsible. Stream Rab C - South East Antrim(loyalist) by Mugs1911 on desktop and mobile. The Irish parliament's Joint Committee on Justice called the bombings an act of "international terrorism" involving the British security forces. "[28] It was led by Gusty Spence, formerly a soldier in the British Army. Loyalists were successful in importing arms into Northern Ireland. Suite 30. These included the Miami Showband killings of 31 July 1975 when three members of the popular showband were killed, having been stopped at a fake British Army checkpoint outside Newry in County Down. 2017date: South East Antrim Brigade feud, The UDA divides its membership into six vaguely geographic areas which it labels "brigades" with the six commanders styled "Brigadiers". "[102], In June 2017, Gary Haggarty, former UVF commander for north Belfast and south-east Antrim, pleaded guilty to 200 charges, including five murders. "FIFTH REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT MONITORING COMMISSION", Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs - Part One: The continuing threat from paramilitary organisations, "Inside story: Why the IRA never attacked Scotland", "Revealed: how Scots loyalists sent gelignite to paramilitaries. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trevelyan relative 'would consider' famine payment, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Four dead after suspected pigeon racer dispute, Ding becomes China's first male world chess champion, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve. '[164], The UVF's satellite organisation, the Red Hand Commando, was described by the IMC in 2004 as "heavily involved" in drug dealing. To Adair's indignation even the "A" and "B" Companies of his West Belfast Brigade of the UDA declined to get involved in C Company's war with the UVF. Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. During the brawl Bunting was knocked unconscious and had his mobile phone stolen. [61] The UVF's activities in the last years of the decade were increasingly being curtailed by the number of UVF members who were sent to prison. View 13 homes for sale in South Rim, UT at a median listing home price of $627,000. The UDA had remained a legal organisation until it was banned in August 1992. Following the attack both Bunting and Howcroft were arrested on suspicion of involvement. Below: the UVF flag Dates of operation May 1966 - present (on ceasefire since October 1994; officially ended armed campaign in May 2007) Group(s) Young Citizen Volunteers(youth wing) Protestant Action Force(cover name) Progressive Unionist Party(political representation) Headquarters Belfast Active regions Northern Ireland(mostly) [3] A joint statement described it as a tragic accident, although a subsequent UVF inquiry put the blame on Stephen Goatley and John Fulton, both UDA men. Wright is believed to have dealt mainly in Ecstasy tablets in the early 90s. From the 1990s until his shooting death in 2003 by rival associates, Gregg served as brigadier of the UDA's South East Antrim Brigade. [47] Both the UVF and the British Government have denied the claims. [133] Information regarding the role of women in the UVF is limited. See pricing and listing details of South Rim real estate for sale. [34], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. Scores of houses and businesses were burnt out, most of them owned by Catholics. 206, 207, Ed Moloney, Secret History of the IRA, p.321, "Voices From the Grave:Two Men's War in Ireland" Ed Moloney, Faber & Faber, 2010 pp 417. Later that year, the then PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton said groups like them should "simply go away". The arms are thought to have consisted of: The UVF used this new infusion of arms to escalate their campaign of sectarian assassinations. [106], In April 2021, riots erupted across Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland.[relevant? In October 1994, alongside the UDA and UVF, the group was part of the combined Loyalist Military Command ceasefire. Democratic Unionist Party MP Gavin Robinson said his party were mindful of the situation. The loyalist insider said Lisa's killing and disappearance has caused huge disquiet in the south-east Antrim UVF and RHC. Donoghue noted the links between Orange Lodges in Scotland and loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland and that membership of the Orange Order in Scotland at the time was 80,000, and was concentrated in Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Inverness.