UDA Feud Spreads

[Wasp]

Well at least we can agree on something. At last lol

[Harry]

UDA blamed for shooting at house of young family
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Thursday, October 11, 2007

By Deborah McAleese and Claire McNeilly

Loyalists have been blamed for shooting at a house in Carrickfergus where a toddler and a five-year-old child were sleeping.


The children and their parents escaped injury after three shots were fired at the house shortly after 3pm last night.

One went through the living room window of the house at Drumhoy Drive in the Sunnylands estate in Carrickfergus.

Eyewitnesses spotted a gunman emerging from a nearby entry before opening fire.

There have also been unconfirmed reports of a second shooting and an explosion in the town.

The blinds were closed at the house this morning and nobody appeared to be at home.

Speculation was mounting that the shooting is linked to a bitter feud between members of the mainstream UDA and a break away faction in south-east Antrim.

Mayor David Hilditch said the UDA was behind the shooting and added that it is lucky that nobody was hurt in last night's attack.

"Things have been up and down since a policeman was shot in the nearby Castlemara estate in July. There have been dozens and dozens of low level intimidation (incidents) as well as gun and pipe bomb attacks. Things reached a worrying level again last night. We are sick of it here in Carrickfergus," he said.

Mr Hilditch added: "I believe that if you take a gun out and fire at anyone it should be treated as attempted murder."

However, Frankie Gallagher of UDA-linked Ulster Political Research Group denied the claim.

"Under no circumstances was the UDA involved in any form of violence or use of weapons in Carrickfergus. This situation has been created by a criminal third element in opposition to ongoing talks and mediation to resolve any dispute between south east Antrim and the UDA. These criminals think they can now veto progess and raise tension deliberately at this time in an attempt to influence political minds," he said.

Residents and community representatives said today that the feud is showing little sign of abating.

Community workers have been heavily involved in talks between mainstream UDA and the breakaway south-east Antrim group. However, there is currently little sign of a breakthrough.

One community worker today warned: "Negotiations are not going anywhere. I don't see a settlement anytime soon. The way things are going we will soon see someone being taken out in a box."

Last night's shooting was carried out one day after the UDA's deadline to begin decommissioning had passed.

In August Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie threatened to stop funding for a loyalist initiative unless the organisation had begun decommissioning in 60 days.

The deadline passed on Tuesday night and Miss Ritchie is expected to make a statement on loyalist funding later today.

Police have appealed for anyone with information about the shooting to contact them.

A police spokesman said: "A man, woman and two children have escaped injury following a shooting incident at their home in Carrickfergus last night.

"It is believed that three shots had been fired at a house in the Drumhoy Drive area at around 11.25pm.

"Two shots struck the front of the house and the third struck the living room window."

[Wasp]

Apparently both sides in the uda now say a third party was involved trying to disrupt progress. This is difficult to work out because if they are telling the truth then does that mean other members as in a third party are going to have a third side to the uda split?

[bearhunter]

So what's happening is that the U is fighting the D and both are ganging up on the A? Or are they just a lying shower of criminal shite trying to pretend they have some relevance or meaning.

[Blue Angel]

today's sesame st. was brought to u by the U, and the D and the A. Big bird's cocaine was supplied by the brigadier in the shell suit and Ernie and Bert would like to say thank you to the ladies who appeared with them in the bedroom scenes...

[Shades40]

It beggars belief (pun intended)

[earl]

harry said:

anfeardubh said:

It is not a matter of believing one story over another, it is looking to the facts and to see which story they support. Wasp's hearsay and assertions are not supported by any facts. Some facts are the crime figures, and from them we see mainstream loyalism is involved in drug crimes, to a far greater extent than fringe and 'ex-republican'. I see no proof being put forward to support the fantasy claims of Wasp. Where is the proof or evidence of this IRA fortune? I noticed Wasp shut up about the 11 second fuse claim when I pointed out the device was an electrical unit, and no fuse existed, where was his proof there?

If Wasp is seriously suggesting that republicans are so much more clever than loyalists, that they can avoid detection. Then he needs to think about the further implications of trying to compete with us. I think it is stupid to even suggest that republicans so much more intelligent. People need to be able to separate propaganda and smear campaigns from the truth. Start to analyze statements, before they spew them out as facts.

I am not suggesting that criminality and people who have self gain to the forefront of their objectives have not be members of various republican groups. The facts are there to prove that some 'republicans' have been involved in all areas of criminality. The difference is the levels of criminality and the acceptance by the leadership of criminality within its ranks, compared to loyalism. Where criminality is tolerated, facilitated and accepted.

No doubt about it if you want to try and dilute the IRAs involvement in crime then compare them to the Loyalist groups. Loyalism is littered with crime barons, drug barons, they are a cancer on my community. What are we trying to say about the IRA and criminality?? that they aren't or weren't involved in crime?? The IRA are or were one of the biggest crime gangs in Europe. Heavily involved in fuel smuggling, counterfeit goods including alcohol, purfumes,cds,dvds,tobacco. Robberies and tiger kidnappings, training of international terrorists, protection rackets and while drugs weren't tolerated as much as within Loyalist circles they were always a small number of dealers from dissident republicans who the IRA turned a blind eye to in return for a cut of profits. The IRA criminal empire stretched far further than that of any Loyalist groups. Are we saying now that certain crimes are acceptable and others not??

You got in there before me Harry. I heard on one of those reports a few months back on paramillitary activity that it stated that Loyalists were involved in Extorsion, Prostitution and drugs and that the IRA were into smuggling, conterfieting and piracy.
I remember Smirnoff really had the willies up them at one stage because the IRA had managed to get their hands on the formula for their vodka and they also could make the labels and bottles, meaning that other than price, it would have been impossible to tell actual Smirnoff from IRA smirnoff.
I've found an article exlaining as much and more on their shenanigans:
IRA plc turns from terror into biggest crime gang in Europe
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article518611.ece

The main difference is how the IRA's activities are more global and corporate in nature, and don't directly affect the community they live amoungst in the same way extortion, drugs and prostitution does.
Theirs also a more 'ah sure' attitude to the IRA's activities. The ordinary man on the street would probably support fuel and cigarette smuggling! There's a tradition on this island when it comes to illigal alcohol making. this tradition also followed or ancestors on both sides to the U.S. The Ra have just taken it up to a whole different level (even having a quality control dept. according to the article!) Conterfieting money is never really frowned upon that much . The only activity that might affect the ordinary man on the street would be the robberies, and again, that depends on who you talk to. As regards, piracy, well, I take part in quite a few swashbuckling adventures on the internet so I can't really point any fingers!

I just want to make it clear that I don't condone the activities themselves, or the general attitude that it creates. I'm just telling it like it is. It's all about perception. Whilst crime is crime, some folks would see some crimes as being worse than others. Some crimes affect local communities more directly than others, and thus would get more attention. Other crimes are more corporate in nature and the ordinary man couldn't care either way once he wasn't hit in the pocket.