Loyalist Violence Threatens Nationalists
Nationalists are often the biggest losers from feuding between pro-British death squads, Éirígí spokesperson Daithí Mac An Mháistír has warned. His warning comes at the end of a weekend which has seen a simmering feud between rival factions of the pro-British Ulster Defence Association (UDA), escalate into serious street violence.
On Saturday evening over 150 loyalists from rival UDA factions fought running street battles in the County Antrim town of Larne. During the violence several people where injured and a member of the colonial police force was shot in the back.
The fighting stems from a recent decision by the so-called ‘inner council’ of the UDA to replace its ‘south-east Antrim’ brigadier and expel several other leading members of the organisation in that area. Members of the UDA’s political front group the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG) were also dismissed in this latest purge.
Internecine Loyalist feuding has become commonplace in many areas of the occupied Six Counties over the past decade. Dozens of members of pro-British death squads have been killed since the year 2000, when a feud between the UDA and the equally sectarian, Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) erupted.
Inevitably, and tragically for many nationalist families, these feuds often reach a conclusion when the protagonists decide to ‘stop killing their own’ and instead turn their guns on innocent nationalist civilians.
Commenting on the violence, Daithí said ‘I would urge nationalists in the Larne area and across County Antrim to be extra vigilant in the days ahead. Despite the UDA focusing its violence internally during the course of the past few days, recent history teaches us that before too long, nationalists may become the target.’