Irish Republican News · June 30, 2004

Collusion concerns over spy post deployment

The British Army has installed elements of the notorious Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) in the spy post on the top of Divis Tower in the heart of west Belfast.

The UDR was amalgated into the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) in recent years, but remains controversial because of its history of collusion with unionist paramilitaries.

Mr McCann said the RIR was “little more than a unionist militia” and that residents of Divis Tower and the surrounding community were outraged that it had been installed in the spy post on top of Divis Tower.

“Already they have provoked confrontations with both staff and residents in the tower,” he said.

“Given the history of this regiment and their involvement with the unionist death squads their access to the spy equipment on the roof of the tower clearly has enormous repercussions for the wider West Belfast community. Through this regiment the unionist paramilitaries will have access to the most up to date and accurate intelligence on the nationalist community in the West of the city.

“Given the formation last week of a forum containing the Protestant Churches, Unionist politicians and the death squads to threaten the nationalist community in West Belfast the deployment of another armed wing of unionism within the heart of this community is causing obvious concern.

“The time has long since past that the spy post on the top of Divis Tower was removed and certainly the time is long since past that the spectre of the RIR/UDR is removed from this community.”

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