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Dissident killings drove us to brink of war, says loyalist
Friday, 3 July 2009
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A senior loyalist paramilitary leader has revealed how close Northern Ireland was to being returned to “the dark old days” after the dissident republican murders in March.
Speaking just days after confirmation of decommissioning the source told the story of a leadership struggle “to hold the line”.
In weekend statements the UVF, Red Hand Commando and UDA disclosed that preparations for disarmament were suspended in March after the dissident attacks at Massereene Barracks and in Craigavon.
Two soldiers, 23-year-old Sapper Mark Quinsey from Birmingham and 21-year-old Sapper Cengiz “Patrick” Azimkar from London, and police officer Stephen Caroll were murdered.
“People were champing at the bit (to react),” the loyalist paramilitary leader revealed.
He said this was “across the board”, meaning across the loyalist organisations.
“That’s how close it was,” he said — how close it was to “back to the dark old days”.
In those weekend statements the paramilitary leaderships revealed: “Assurances were sought from the Government and the Irish government that those responsible in whatever jurisdiction would be vigorously pursued.
“The key factor that saved the day was the arrests,” the senior loyalist told this newspaper.
“While the security forces were doing their job, others were doing their job to hold the line.
“The people who were champing at the bit were told of assurances and asked for space. It was very serious — (and) it was difficult. This thing (the peace process) has to be managed on a daily basis,” he said.
Within weeks of the March killings it became clear that loyalists had not abandoned their decommissioning plans.
And two statements at the weekend by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning confirmed arms moves by the three mainstream organisations — the most significant by the UVF and linked Red Hand Commando.
A source with knowledge of the decommissioning process is also now hinting at a significant move by the breakaway UDA “brigade” in south-east Antrim.
The source suggested people would be “surprised — pleasantly surprised” when General de Chastelain reports in August.
There was no detail of timing but the hint suggested more than a token gesture by the loyalist dissidents.
General de Chastelain and his team will be back in Belfast soon to assess what further progress is possible before he delivers his August report to the British and Irish governments. The IICD will end its role in the peace process by February next year.
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Comments
22 Comments
Voyeur are you actually being serious when you say, "the murders back in March smack of an MI5/MI6/Secret Service intelligence job to me, for the purpose of goading republicans back to war."
Are you actually living in the real world? The security forces are going to have their own members killed to goad republicans back into a war the British Government or security forces dont want. It was a bunch of senseless murdering scumbags who still live in dreamland and think they will achieve a united Ireland through murder. The fact you think it involved the security forces is laughable, Duffy work for the British, not a hope!
Posted by Ian | 10.09.09, 11:11 GMT
Since when did the British Government need the services of Criminals from the North of Ireland to do their fighting for them?
Posted by James | 04.07.09, 16:28 GMT
Since when did loyalist terrorist need an excuse to murder Catholics, or Protestants, for that matter? Surely they should be picking up books and trying to educate themselves?
Posted by John form London | 04.07.09, 11:24 GMT
a lot of sense written on here, its just a pity the government panders to these thugs and continues appeasing them. just watch over the next few months there will be re generation projects etc with their reward money for being good boys. pathetic. get them out!
Posted by stephen 1 | 04.07.09, 08:50 GMT
Loyalist PR. Acting like they took the moral high ground.
Brink of war? What? Going to join the Army and go to Afghanistan were they? Don't think so. These scumbags are cowards. Still murdering Catholics, still intimidating their own community, dealing drugs and engaging in racist attacks. They don't need to decommission weapons - they need to decommission hatred of anything that isn't white, protestant and under their control. Go get jobs and respect the law you bunch of hypocritical scumbags.
Posted by Lee | 04.07.09, 03:33 GMT
What a load of "tosh"!
What right do these people think they have to do anything on behalf of anyone.
To think these people still believe they could act on behalf of the families of soldiers and police officers murdered by thugs of a similar ilk.
The families of those murdered would be sickened to think their loved ones would be used as an excuse by so-called loyalists.
It's time to support the official forces of law and order in our community, and get off the backs of ordinary folk.
Posted by Brian | 03.07.09, 21:52 GMT
I think what the loyalist source meant was his drug dealing mates were looking foran
Excuse to back out of decommisioning and go back to what they like doing.
Making money illegally and murdering innocent Catholics. Instead they figured
Theyed go through with decomisioning to get the EU and government
Handouts. Whichever is most profitable.
Posted by Fergal C. | 03.07.09, 20:47 GMT
The first time I read the headline I thought it said 'drove us to drink'. Clowns!
Don't they know that very few people on the 'mainland' actually care about them, we're all thick paddies to them.
Being a bit of a conspiracy theorist myself, the murders back in March smack of an MI5/MI6/Secret Service intelligence job to me, for the purpose of goading republicans back to war. It seems that it hasn't worked, and never will.
The British occupation of Ireland is entirely pointless at this stage.
Posted by Voyeur | 03.07.09, 19:47 GMT
Ulsterman.......beautifully put.
Posted by P Crowson | 03.07.09, 18:01 GMT
What a brave persons are this loyalists!!!
all world should be proud of them; scumbags b....s
Posted by Andrea | 03.07.09, 17:27 GMT
What is Barney Rowan going to do when there really are no "security issues" to report. Another article with the usual from Barney....." my sources tell me".
Posted by Sean O Brien | 03.07.09, 16:42 GMT
Small brains champing at the bit
Posted by ron54 | 03.07.09, 16:26 GMT
Are these the same brave loyalists who were shooting and firing blast bombs at police and army when the OO couldn't march through Springfield a couple of summers ago??
Clowns
Posted by ger | 03.07.09, 15:52 GMT
Thank goodness there was no reaction. This is exactly what the republican murderers would have wanted. They want to drag Northern Ireland back into their sick sectarian war. Leave it to the the security forces to sort them out. We need convictions in the Courts and further show that these republicans have no mandate or cause.
Posted by Cliff | 03.07.09, 15:33 GMT
I am so grateful to the drug dealing, blue bag following, beer swollen murdering scum that they managed to adhere to the law like the rest of us living in a decent society.
The sooner they are made to work like everyone else rather than live of drugs and government grants for "community projects" , then the better.
Posted by Ulsterman | 03.07.09, 15:24 GMT
One fine 'loyalist' dirtbag was jailed two years ago for a pipe bomb attack that killed a Protestant grandmother (her crime against God and Ulster was that she married a Catholic)...that is the level of sick morons that you are dealing with here....they should be hunted like rats and given no quarter instead of pampering their inflated egos...
Posted by Reg | 03.07.09, 15:24 GMT
Scumbags masquerading as soldiers, when in-fact they are nothing more than common criminals. I wish they would take the fact on-board that the protestant detest them and everything they stand for. Get off our backs and go earn a decent living!!
Posted by William | 03.07.09, 15:23 GMT
When they say 'War' do they mean murdering Catholics? As far as I can rememeber that's all they ever did initheir war, the drug-dealing, racketeering, sectarianism, intimadation aside. They way they are talking it's as if they believe they have some sort of credibility. They don't.
Posted by John | 03.07.09, 14:36 GMT
These morons like to think they have their finger on the button and can legitimately go out and start murdering people again if they are unhappy with the current situation. There should be no tolerance of this. Anyone found guilty of murder in the name of a paramilitary organisation from here on should be removed from normal society permanently so the rest of us can get on with our lives without these backward idiots trying to impose their foolishness on the rest of us.
Posted by Steven | 03.07.09, 14:24 GMT
Am I the only one to hope that both Governments also assured these murdering, drug dealing gangsters that they would also be rigourously pursued if they killed any innocent people in response!
Who do they think they are? The Security forces in NI are well quipped to deal with terrorist outrages. These corner boys with guns should not be making any demands. They would not last two minutes in a real army!
Posted by Wise up! | 03.07.09, 13:56 GMT
22 Comments