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Belfasttelegraph

News [1]
Opinion [2]
Business [3]
Sport [4]
Life [5]
Entertainment [7]
Travel [8]
Sunday Life [9]

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Loyalist protests are playing into the hands of republicans, says leading UDA figure

Jackie McDonald has warned that loyalist protests cannot succeed in having the Union flag reinstated above Belfast City Hall

Loyalist protestors and PSNI officers pictured at Belfast City Hall on 22 December 2012

Loyalists block the Sandy Row area of Belfast as part of a mass protest over flags

Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt and First Minister Peter Robinson were among those holding talks about the Union flag dispute in Belfast

Loyalists protesting around the village area in south Belfast December 17 2012

Loyalists protesting, blocking traffic in Derry

Loyalist hold protests around the village area in south Belfast

Loyalists taking part in a protest over the restrictions of flying the Union flag protesting outside Belfast City Hall

Up to 1,000 people took part in the cross community Peace Gathering in Belfast city centre

Loyalists in Belfast have been protesting against a decision to reduce the number of days the Union flag will fly from City Hall

Protest outside the Alliance Party office in East Belfast belonging to Naomi Long, following the decision by Belfast City Council to stop flying the union flag every day. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday December 4, 2012. See PA story ULSTER Flag. Photo credit should read: Paul Faith/PA Wire

Alliance party office which was set on fire in Carrickfergus after a protest rally over the Union flag

Alliance party office which was set on fire in Carrickfergus after a flag protest

Police in Carrick come under attack from protestors following a fire at the Alliance party office

Aftermath of riots in Carrickfergus. Photograph by Mark Winter

Loyalist hold protest at Naomi Long's east Belfast Alliance office following a council vote last night which will see the Union Flag only follow certain days. Loyalist protesters pictured on the Newtownards Road during the protest

Northern Ireland- 4th December 2012 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Loyalist hold protest at Naomi Long's east Belfast Alliance office following a council vote last night which will see the Union Flag only follow certain days. Loyalist protesters pictured on the Newtownards Road during the protest.

Loyalist protestors carrying Union flags clash with police outside the City Hall in Belfast

Loyalist protestors pictured at Belfast City Hall

Jackie McDonald has warned that loyalist protests cannot succeed in having the Union flag reinstated above Belfast City Hall

Martin McKeown

Loyalist protestors and PSNI officers pictured at Belfast City Hall on 22 December 2012

Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

Loyalist protestors and PSNI officers pictured at Belfast City Hall on 22 December 2012

Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

Loyalist protestors and PSNI officers pictured at Belfast City Hall on 22 December 2012

Mark McCormick

Loyalist protestors and PSNI officers pictured at Belfast City Hall on 22 December 2012

Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

Loyalist protestors and PSNI officers pictured at Belfast City Hall on 22 December 2012

Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

Loyalist protestors and PSNI officers pictured at Belfast City Hall on 22 December 2012

Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

Loyalist protestors and PSNI officers pictured at Belfast City Hall on 22 December 2012

Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

Loyalists block the Sandy Row area of Belfast as part of a mass protest over flags

Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt and First Minister Peter Robinson were among those holding talks about the Union flag dispute in Belfast

Loyalists protesting around the village area in south Belfast December 17 2012

Loyalists protesting, blocking traffic in Derry

MCLAUGHLIN ©

Loyalists protesting, blocking traffic in Derry

MCLAUGHLI ©

Loyalists protesting, blocking traffic in Derry

MCLAUGHLIN ©

Loyalist hold protests around the village area in south Belfast

Loyalists taking part in a protest over the restrictions of flying the Union flag protesting outside Belfast City Hall

Up to 1,000 people took part in the cross community Peace Gathering in Belfast city centre

Loyalists in Belfast have been protesting against a decision to reduce the number of days the Union flag will fly from City Hall

Protest outside the Alliance Party office in East Belfast belonging to Naomi Long, following the decision by Belfast City Council to stop flying the union flag every day. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday December 4, 2012. See PA story ULSTER Flag. Photo credit should read: Paul Faith/PA Wire

Paul Faith

Alliance party office which was set on fire in Carrickfergus after a protest rally over the Union flag

Alliance party office which was set on fire in Carrickfergus after a flag protest

Alliance party office which was set on fire in Carrickfergus after a protest rally over the Union flag

Police in Carrick come under attack from protestors following a fire at the Alliance party office

Aftermath of riots in Carrickfergus. Photograph by Mark Winter

Loyalist hold protest at Naomi Long's east Belfast Alliance office following a council vote last night which will see the Union Flag only follow certain days. Loyalist protesters pictured on the Newtownards Road during the protest

Loyalist hold protest at Naomi Long's east Belfast Alliance office following a council vote last night which will see the Union Flag only follow certain days.

Northern Ireland- 4th December 2012 Mandatory Credit - Photo-Jonathan Porter/Presseye. Loyalist hold protest at Naomi Long's east Belfast Alliance office following a council vote last night which will see the Union Flag only follow certain days. Loyalist protesters pictured on the Newtownards Road during the protest.

Loyalist protestors carrying Union flags clash with police outside the City Hall in Belfast

Paul Faith

Loyalist protestors carrying Union flags clash with police outside the City Hall in Belfast

Paul Faith

Loyalist protestors carrying Union flags clash with police outside the City Hall in Belfast

Paul Faith

Loyalist protestors carrying Union flags clash with police outside the City Hall in Belfast

Paul Faith

Loyalist protestors pictured at Belfast City Hall

Paul Faith

Loyalist protestors pictured at Belfast City Hall

Paul Faith

Loyalist protestors pictured at Belfast City Hall

Jackie McDonald has warned that loyalist protests cannot succeed in having the Union flag reinstated above Belfast City Hall

By Liam Clarke

January 02 2013 08:47 AM

Veteran UDA leader Jackie McDonald has warned that loyalist protests cannot succeed in their aim to have the Union flag reinstated above Belfast City Hall — and are instead playing into the hands of republicans.

The prominent loyalist also revealed that one protester told him he would have “laughed” if dissident republicans had succeeded in killing a police officer and his family in east Belfast on Sunday.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, McDonald said it was clear that the Union flag is not going to be reinstated above Belfast City Hall all-year round after councillors voted to fly it on designated days only last month.

“I share the anger in the loyalist community but somebody needs to stand up and tell the truth, which is that the flag is not going to go up again without an election or agreement,” McDonald said.

“Sinn Fein has achieved this and until there is a change in the balance of power in City Hall, the flag decision won’t be reversed. There is no point giving people false hope.”

The Union flag flew constantly on City Hall until last month when nationalists tabled a motion to remove it permanently. However, they eventually supported an Alliance Party amendment that it be flown on a number of designated days, such as royal birthdays.

The council’s decision sparked a wave of protests in which roads were blocked and the Alliance Party was targeted for revenge.

The protest disruption also caused deep damage to Belfast retailers in the crucial Christmas trading period and, at times, erupted into violence which left police officers injured.

“Alliance won't buckle or reverse their vote under this pressure. They may even get a bit of a sympathy vote out of the whole thing,” the senior loyalist added.

McDonald sympathised with the protests which are set to continue well into the new year. Four demonstrations were scheduled for yesterday, including a province-wide release of red, white and blue lanterns at midnight. One protest is expected to be held on Cambrai Street, north Belfast, today.

McDonald has attended several protests and stressed that he would support them if they persist.

Yet he strongly believes a new strategy is needed to replace them because they risk becoming counterproductive and spinning out of control.

“We are all angry,” he |argued.

“But people need to take stock, draw a deep breath and realise that everything they are doing is suiting Sinn Fein. We are just running about like headless |chickens.”

Just yesterday one person |involved in organising protests told him he would have laughed if the police officer who found a bomb under his car on Sunday had instead been blown up with his family.

“I told him that meant he had more in common with dissident republicans than he did with the police,” Mr McDonald said.

“That is the direction this thing could be heading, with the Protestant people even more divided.”

He called on police to meet with protesters and use more sensitive tactics to try and defuse the situation. “The only thing that is going to help is if loyalism and unionism get together and listen to each other’s point of view.

“People are saying they will never vote again, or that they |certainly don’t intend to vote for the DUP or Mike Nesbitt’s UUP |party.

“I say that if we want to reverse the flags decision, people need to register to vote and then turn out to vote when there is an election. If we had voted last time, this wouldn’t have happened.”

There will be a council election in 2014. In the meantime, McDonald called for a strategy that could “unite the entire Protestant family”.

However, he cautioned that plans for one single unionist party were impractical.

He called for talks with non-unionist parties, like Alliance and the nationalists, to try and agree an improvement on the present flags policy.

“Republicans brought the flag down. Instead of coming together and saying ‘we have to make sure this doesn’t happen again’, we loyalists are actually imploding and turning in on each other. It all suits Sinn Fein” he said.

Profile

Jackie McDonald (65) is widely regarded as the most senior figure in the UDA and is its south Belfast ‘brigadier’. He is also a spokesman for the Ulster Political Research Group. He came to public notice during the Ulster Workers’ Council Strike in 1974. He was jailed for extortion, blackmail and intimidation of businessmen in 1989 and released in 1994. He was a key opponent of Johnny ‘Mad Dog’ Adair, the UDA leader who was exiled to Scotland after a loyalist feud. McDonald has advocated a peaceful way forward. He formed a friendship with Mary McAleese, the former Irish President, and her husband Martin.

Belfast Telegraph