When was UVF formed?
January 31, 1913
Ulster Volunteer Force/Founded
Who started the UVF?
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. It emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles.
How did the UVF start?
In 1913, the militias were organised into the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and vowed to resist any attempts by the British Government to impose Home Rule on Ulster. Later that year, Irish nationalists formed a rival militia, the Irish Volunteers, to safeguard Home Rule.
Is the UDA legal?
The British government outlawed the “UFF” in November 1973, but the UDA itself was not proscribed as a terrorist group until August 1992. The UDA/UFF were responsible for more than 400 deaths. All three groups are Proscribed Organisations in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000.
What is the difference between UVF and UDA?
The UVF was the deadliest of these groups, carrying out 481 killings, while the UDA/UFF was responsible for 260 deaths. 1. Groups and organisations of Loyalist paramilitaries date back to the Ulster Volunteers, an armed militia that resisted the move towards Home Rule in 1913-14.
Are there still paramilitaries in Northern Ireland?
Despite attempts to put an end to the practice, according to researcher Sharon Mallon in a 2017 policy briefing, “paramilitaries are continuing to operate an informal criminal justice system, with a degree of political and legal impunity”.
What religion is the UDA?
Ulster Defence Association (UDA), loyalist organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1971 to coordinate the efforts of local Protestant vigilante groups in the sectarian conflict in the province.
Is Shankill UVF or UDA?
The UVF also shot up the Ulster Democratic Party headquarters on the Middle Shankill. 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.
What was the loyalist paramilitaries?
Loyalist paramilitaries were responsible for about 30% of all deaths in the Troubles, and were responsible for about 48% of all civilian deaths. Loyalist paramilitaries killed civilians at far higher rates than both Republican paramilitaries and British security forces.
Where did the Ulster Defence Association come from?
The Ulster Defence Association emerged from a series of meetings during the summer of 1971 of loyalist “ vigilante ” groups called “defence associations”. The largest of these were the Shankill and Woodvale Defence Associations, with other groups based in East Belfast, the Hammer and Roden Street.
What did the UDA do in Northern Ireland?
In 1978 the UDA established a political think tank, the New Ulster Political Research Group, which advocated a negotiated independence for Northern Ireland, a policy at variance with mainstream unionism.
What did the Ulster Freedom Fighters stand for?
The flag of the “Ulster Freedom Fighters” with a clenched fist representing the Red Hand of Ulster and the Latin motto Feriens tego, meaning “striking I defend” Throughout the majority of its period of legality, the UDA’s attacks were carried out under the name “Ulster Freedom Fighters” (UFF).
Where did the Ulster Volunteer Force get their weapons from?
They benefited, along with the Ulster Volunteer Force, and a group called Ulster Resistance (set up by the Democratic Unionist Party), from a shipment of arms imported from Lebanon in 1988. The weapons landed included rocket launchers, 200 rifles, 90 pistols and over 400 grenades.