LAST WEEK the Uister Association announced a 'shift of emphasis towards more military role', a euphemism widely interpreted as meaning ACON DMD HNC CR &• a new terror campaign. need to be taken seriously, especially because the UDA has throughout history connivance of the British authorities in the North of Ireland.
that Sounes exaggeration, consider the following:
*In the last six years the UDA has claimed responsibility for countless military operations include bombs in Dublin and Monaghan in May it wa s descriled in Noven.
was described in 1977 judge organisation repeatedly involved in criminal acts'.
Andy Tyrie, "supreme commander', his six years of office been arrested, let alone charged, by the British Army or the KUC.
Instead Tyrie, a former steward wa0 volunteered redundancy money, has at times been • courted by the British administration. In 1974 he was asked, though he declined, to a sponsored committee for the welfare of released detainees.
the British Army has displayed a similar friendly attitude to the UDA. Its policy was spelt out in October 1972 by Brigadier Denis Ormerod, then head of the Ulster Regiment. Said Ormerod: member belonged to the UDA no action would be taken.
But what has being a member of the UDA meant? The organisation 21-23 September 1979 Defence of Belfast. By 1972 the para- "paramilitaries', Belfast's streets that the jackets and masks.
Such threats muSYAolrCIL LOU WUUL operated WIk1 Ene the UDA's like earnest.
November 'an the UDA's has never in shop for governmentand the Ulster Defence "If regiment (UDR) that the sectarian assassinations'.
XIYCH 'the was built out of various local Loyalist vigilante groups which sprang up in 1969 in Protestant working class areas UDA had become the largest of the Loyalist openly parading in wearing combat Such displays did not concern the In June bane one-b leilI lu minister responsible for the North of Ireland, held a full scale meeting with "ruling council'. It was around this time that the sectarian assassinations of Catholics began in UDA affair This campaign was called off in a joint communiqué issued by the UDA 'Freedom Fighters in October 1977. At the time the UFF was an illegal organisation, but in fact it was simply the UDA under another Tyrie name. The UDA/UFF statement said organisations had abandoned the practice of carrying out The reason successes of the 1975. security forces' — in other words, the TWO TRADITIONS OF MARXISMIN Workers Plans and Workers Comtrol, Womer inclade: HHary Wainwright, Dave 5 for all the sessions except the raily [El including the rally] if paid before 1 September. VENUE: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, British Army was doing the UDA's job for it.
The violence e rom nee per eras nor just was not directed against Catholics particularly horrifying episode the murder and torture of Ann Ogilv in 1974. She was 'punished' by other women in the UDA for having an La married Loyalist paramilitary.
Violence has also been a feature of Tommy Heron, another leader of the whom Tyrie was constant conflict, and the attempted murder and subsequent flight in 1975 Charles Harding-Smith, replaced as the 'brigadier' The whole record and history of the UDA was summed up this way in "They have murdered Protestants as well as Roman Catholics in JUST two days after the demonstration in London the Daily Mirror repested its call for the withdrawal of Britain from Ireland. It would be too much to assume that the former led to the latter, but what was interesting about the Mirror's coverage was the most sadistic and inhuman ways and have sought to intimidate people who carry out their business in a just proper manner.' The speaker was none other than was Ian Paisley.
patched up his differences with the UDA, that Paisley could make such a criticism of the organisation shows just how violent the UDA is.
Since 1977 concentrated on 'political solution' of an independen Ülster. But this has attracted little support from any significant sectior of the population in the North of Ireland, and the recent successes of the IRA and the failures of the British whom Army have apparently decided the UDA's UDA to go on the military offensive once more.
Just amount to is difficult to tell. In the last couple of months a number of Republicans have been assassinated or: narrowly: survived assassination suiccessful 12 August Although he has since publish a list the UDA has promoting useful unlikely to the that offensive will diminished administration the space it gave to its call, front page and centre-spread, and that the editorial statement was the paper's most radical so far, The Mirror ended its editorial by attacking the 'cowardice' of the British politicians of 1920 who agreed to the partition of Ireland attempts, and the UDA is saying that this time it will concentrate on known Republicans rather than indiscriminately killing any Catholics available In many instances knowledge of chosen Republican targets will come from the files of the British securits forces. In 1977 the UDA threatened to of 207 Republicans which it said had been handed over by the British Army. Although the list was never published, a report in the Irish Times contirmed that the list wa from British military intelligence. The newspaper commented that 'the most source of information to Loyalist groups is the regular Arny'.
Fortunately British Army intel ligence is so out of date that it is •give the UDA much assistance. But the fact remains thal UDA's ability to hit at the Catholic population would be much were assistance and, but its legality, the protection it receives from the British