The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland.
Who runs east Belfast UVF?
Harry Stockman, also known as “Harmless” (born c. 1961) is a Northern Irish loyalist and a senior member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) paramilitary organisation. He serves as the commander of the UVF 1st Battalion Shankill Road and is allegedly the second-in-command on the UVF Brigade Staff.
What does the UVF do?
Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. Its name was taken from a Protestant force organized in 1912 to fight against Irish Home Rule.
Is Sandy Row UDA and UVF?
Sandy Row contains a loyalist souvenir shop, the “One Stop Ulster Shop”, which sells UDA and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) paraphernalia. The John McMichael Centre (named after the former South Belfast UDA leader) which helps former loyalist prisoners, is also located on Sandy Row.
Whats the difference between the UVF and UDA?
In mid-1972, the UDA formed a group of Loyalist paramilitaries called the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF). The UFF was ostensibly a separate group with its own leadership and organisation. In reality, the UFF was a cover for UDA members when carrying out paramilitary or terrorist operations.
Is East Belfast Protestant or Catholic?
The east of the city is predominantly Protestant, typically 90% or more. This area, along with the north of the city, is the main growth pole of the Protestant population.
Is East Belfast loyalist?
Although east Belfast as a whole is largely Protestant in nature the republican enclave of the Short Strand forms a number of interface areas with neighbouring loyalist districts on the Albertbridge Road and the Newtownards Road.
Where was UVF Hospital in Belfast?
The hospital at Craigavon House was only one of many medical and nursing facilities organised by the UVF. Their main hospital was situated in the Exhibition Hall, situated in the city’s Botanic Gardens and owned by the Belfast Corporation.
Who is the UVF boss?
Lurgan UVF boss Arvid ‘Arvy’ Blair is a director and 25 per cent shareholder of Diamond Contract Solutions (DCS) Ltd, which has also carried out work as a sub-contractor at the Ulster University and retail giant Next.
Why do the UDA and UVF hate each other?
A feud in the winter of 1974-75 broke out between the UDA and the UVF, the two main loyalist paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland. 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.
What is a UVF death squad?
The UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade was part of the Glenanne gang, a collaboration between loyalist paramilitaries, the police, and members of the security forces. This group carried out a series of terrorist attacks and murders targeting Catholic civilians, mainly in the South Armagh area, in the 1970s.
Is Shankill prod or Catholic?
The Falls Road transformed from a small lane into a heavily populated district in its own right. This area, though, was dominated by an Irish Catholic population, while the Shankill remained Protestant and Unionist.
Is Sandy Row rough?
Sandy Row is a unionist neighbourhood that would probably be best avoided at night but is perfectly safe during the day and usually very quiet. The unionist Village area which lies further on from Sandy Row between the Lisburn Road and Boucher Road is quiet and residential but best avoided at night.
Is the Shankill UVF or UDA?
The UDA West Belfast Brigade is the section of the Ulster loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), based in the western quarter of Belfast, in the Greater Shankill area.
Is the UDA illegal?
The UDA was banned by the British government in 1992. In October 1994, in response to a self-described “complete cessation of all military activities” by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the UDA joined with other loyalist paramilitary organizations in declaring a cease-fire.
Did the British Army fight the UVF?
However, by 1920 the Irish War of Independence was raging and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was launching attacks on British forces in Ireland. In response, the UVF was revived.
Ulster Volunteers.
| Ulster Volunteer Force | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Belfast |
| Active regions | Ulster |
| Ideology | Ulster loyalism British unionism Opposition to Home Rule |
Is East Belfast safe for Catholics?
Yous will be fine.
What is the most Protestant place in Northern Ireland?
They march to a very different beat in the village of Drum, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sort of place that still manages to be an eye-opener in the heart of Co Monaghan.
Do Catholics and Protestants mix in Belfast?
A combination of political, religious and social differences plus the threat of intercommunal tensions and violence has led to widespread self-segregation of the two communities. Catholics and Protestants lead largely separate lives in a situation that some have dubbed “self-imposed apartheid”.
Is east Belfast Down or Antrim?
The majority of Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland, is in County Antrim, with the remainder being in County Down.
Is east Belfast unionist?
Belfast East is an overwhelmingly unionist constituency with nationalist parties routinely failing to get more than 10% of the vote combined. The main interest has been the contest between unionist parties and the fortunes of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland.