New direction seen for loyalist paramilitaries

In a significant shift for loyalism, both the UDA and UVF paramilitary groups appear to be openly pivoting to racially-motivated violence.

The South East Antrim UDA has now all but claimed responsibility for a race hate arson attack that destroyed an Asian-owned bar and restaurant.

Members of the terror gang burned down the Railway Bar and Steam Dining in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast.

‘Muslim Out’ was also spray-painted on a wall, despite the owner of the business Abjan Acharya coming from a Nepalese Hindu background and living in Ireland for almost 20 years.

Three weeks ago, SEA UDA members blocked a busy road during an anti-immigrant protest in Newtownabbey. Senior figures in the paramilitary gang were prominent at the blockade.

Graffiti threatening immigrants has also recently been spray-painted throughout UDA-controlled areas of Newtownabbey including the sinister message ‘move them out, or we burn them out’.

And top loyalist Dee Stitt, described as the former head of the North Down UDA, was arrested last week on return from a Spanish family holiday over alleged incitement of racial violence.

Stitt, who receives government funding as a ‘community worker’, was arrested over an alleged race-hate social media posting calling for the North of Ireland to be brought to a standstill to “stop the spread of evil Islam”;

The South Belfast UDA was the main driver of an outburst of racist violence directed against businesses in that area of the city earlier this month. A number of prominent loyalist paramilitary figures have been identified in connection with attacks on several Muslim-owned businesses.

And an arson attack on a church in east Belfast is the latest in the series of racially-motivated hate crimes. Two masked men used an angle-grinder to cut a hole in the shutters of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God between 9pm and 10pm on Tuesday.

A flammable substance was thrown inside and set alight. Firefighters put out the blaze, which damaged the shutters and the building’s front hall. More smoke damage was also caused inside in an attack.

Amid questions over the strategy of the violence by the main loyalist paramilitary groups, they have been defended by DUP Assembly speaker Edwin Poots, who has notably failed to condemn the attacks in his South Belfast constituency,

This week he described groups such as the UDA and UVF as “old men’s clubs – they are not what they used to be” and claimed people in the area were “angry and frustrated” at immigration.

South Belfast and Mid-Down MP Claire Hanna said all parties needed to stand up to those involved in and orchestrating the violence.

“This is a time for real leadership, to challenge not just violence and disorder, but the prejudice and disinformation which are driving it,” she said.

Urgent Appeal