The new Irish Sea Border: What does it mean? [41], In 2009, the brigade claimed to have decommissioned a substantial quantity of guns and explosives in a single day in the presence of the chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD). [63] At least one journalist was warned of a possible under car booby trap. "Some families had no involvement in drugs at all but still had to pay to escape being put out, or even worse. UDA members turned out in force yesterday for the funeral of Mr Robert Carson, who was gunned down alongside the east Antrim UDA "brigadier", Mr John Gregg, in Belfast's docks area at the weekend. Many of them were innocent - but had to pay up anyway. A taxi driver by trade, he was lured to a meeting in the Monkstown estate in Newtownabbey by his supposed best friend - the former UVF commander in Mount Vernon - who was also expelled. A UDA member originally from the Woodvale Road had moved to Rathcoole where he had been beaten up after it emerged that he was a friend of Joe English, the former brigadier who had been exiled from the estate by Gregg for his anti-drugs stance. His organisation has come under intense scrutiny from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force and he is known to be anxious to get out of the crime business before he is scooped. [27], However, in late 2002 a UDA member originally from the Woodvale Road who had moved to Rathcoole was attacked after it emerged that he was a friend of Joe English, the former brigadier who had since been exiled from the area by Gregg for his anti-drugs stance. He spent six months in jail for rioting in 1977. The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was previously one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association and are heavily involved in the drug trade. This week, a BBC Spotlight programme on the murder of Glenn Quinn investigated the savagery at the heart of one of Northern Ireland's largest loyalist gangs - the South East Antrim Ulster Defence Association (UDA). He told author Ian S. Wood that he had only supported the Combined Loyalist Military Command ceasefire in an effort to ensure the release of imprisoned friends. Representing the UVF was John 'Bunter' Graham and the organisation's 1st Battalion commander Harry Stockman. The organisation is now in the grip of a committee of senior paramilitary veterans with Fisher forced to toe the line. A large portion of the cash was taken from a UVF-controlled taxi firm in which he holds a silent 25 per cent share. [6] His deputy Rab Carson was killed in the same attack, with both men having just returned from Scotland where they were attending a Rangers F.C. [24] The shootings raised some anger on the Shankill, where the three were well-liked figures, and Adair sought to exploit this as a method of getting rid of Gregg. FEARS of a new loyalist feud have emerged after a fanatical UDA faction accused a UVF chief of touting to cops. [11], As brigadier Joe English enjoyed, theoretically, more power than his predecessor, as Andy Tyrie had been removed from the UDA leadership and replaced by a collective leadership of the movement's six brigadiers, including English. Widely known as a man with a fearsome . Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Members of this brigade were believed to be behind the killings of Catholic postman Danny McColgan, Protestant teenager Gavin Brett and Trevor Lowry (the latter kicked to death in the mistaken belief he was a Catholic), and a spate of pipe bomb attacks on the homes of Catholics. Sources in Carrickfergus say that while he retains the . Will the Windsor Framework be enough for the DUP? South East Antrim terror chief Gary Fisher is caught in a trap. "These people are completely ruthless, I believe that it would put my life in danger," he said. The violence that erupted in the East Antrim town of Carrickfergus on Saturday night 21 July was the latest episode in internecine UDA feuding. [66], In July 2021, Doug Beattie, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, told the BBC that the South East Antrim UDA had threatened to kill him twice. UDA Brigadier for South East Antrim, Gregg - who became a loyalist icon when he shot Sinn Fin chief Gerry Adams - was gunned down in Belfast's docklands area nearly 20 years ago. It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, Northern Ireland. [9] They were convicted for the attack the following year. Posted 2 years ago 2 years ago. Gregg, seated in the backseat, was hit at close range and died instantly. Fisher associates subjected Simms to a punishment shooting after he was found with his hands in the till. And now it's emerged the UVF heavy has also given a separate list of UDA-linked dealers to the cops. The secretive mobster looks gaunt and has been described as 'haunted', Fisher is losing his grip on the crime gang. [6] The Irish News described the brigade as 'powerful' and at one time being 'the most bloody and murderous gang operating within the paramilitary organisation'. On 6 January 2010, the UDA announced that it had put its weapons "verifiably beyond use". The secretive mobster has seen his one-time iron-clad grip on the UDA crime gang loosen in recent months, leaving him Brigadier in name only. Senior members of the UDA group want to take out the UVF member who they think is a 'tout'. Snoddy was close to UDA leader Andy Tyrie and was recognised as one of his closest allies amongst the UDA leadership.[7]. The Sunday World also understands Fisher has become increasingly paranoid, believing there is an informant who is passing information about his movements to the PSNI. When the loyalist arrived he was surrounded by four masked UVF members who beat him with baseball bats, breaking several bones. Fisher is no longer the main man in South East Antrim, he has seen his close circle of trusted sidekicks dissolve. Old tensions resurfaced however, and after Adair's men fought with UVF supporters at the Shankill's Rex Bar, Adair launched a pogrom of the lower Shankill, forcing out all UVF members and their families and initiating a loyalist feud. A UDA/UFF South-East Antrim Brigade mural in Newtownabbey. match. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is the largest Ulster loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. [4] A newer mural in the Cloughfern area of Newtownabbey and flags have updated the areas to include Ballycarry, Ballyclare, the rural hinterland of Ballymena called 'Braidside' and despite not being in County Antrim, the town of Newtownards. [15] English was a strong advocate of political means and pushed for the UDA to call a ceasefire in the early 1990s, a position that was anathema, at that point, to Adair. When asked by the BBC in prison if he regretted anything about the shooting, his reply was: UDA mural in Greggs Rathcoole stronghold. [13] The two clashed frequently and, in 1993, Adair even threatened to kill English after English had suggested that the UDA should not claim the murder of Marie Teresa Dowds de Mogollon, which Adair's top hitman Stephen McKeag had perpetrated. [8] Gregg, Colin Gray and Gerry Welsh were immediately arrested by the waiting British Army, who had doctored the bullets to reduce their lethality. The gang's boss in the Mount Vernon estate in north Belfast was another expelled. In late August, Adair had even managed to have Gregg stood down as Brigadier for not being militant enough and replaced by one of Adairs own associates. . [24], Gregg was not close to Johnny Adair but sympathised with his uncompromising attitudes and his anti-UVF views. The killing of Mr Horner, gunned down in front of his three-year-old son Oscar in the Bangor carpark of Sainsbury supermarket, was linked at the time to the South East Antrim UDA feud which claimed the life of his friend, Carrickfergus loyalist Geordie Gilmore, two months earlier. "I think that the powers that be know exactly which individuals are involved. [43] Accusations that the brigade has remained active continued, however, and in 2009, the mother of Jason Ballard, a 20-year-old Greenisland native subjected to a vicious beating at his home, claimed that the attack had been carried out by the South East Antrim Brigade, although they denied any involvement in the attack. Gregg, at the time the head of the UDA commando in Rathcoole, was in charge of a three-man hit team that pulled up alongside Adams car near Belfast City Hall and opened fire injuring Adams and his three fellow passengers, who nonetheless escaped to seek treatment at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. "But Gary Fisher doesn't want the hassle of sanctioning something against him. Close pal Clifford 'Trigger' Irons is currently out on bail awaiting trial on drugs charges. He sought to portray Gregg as unstable and thuggish and spread a rumour that he was about to be replaced as brigadier. On 8 December, a bomb was found under Gregg's car, apparently placed there by one of Adair's allies from the Loyalist Volunteer Force. The coffin was draped in the Ulster flag and the flag of the UFF. These psychos were obviously baying for blood Mod blood, to be exact. John Gregg (1957 - 1 February 2003) was a senior member of the UDA/UFF loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland. . [23] As a result of the attack, three Woodvale UDA members went to Gregg and complained about the attack. In response, graffiti appeared around the walls of Rathcoole in December, stating: Daft Dog and White beware. Video Software we use: https://amzn.to/2KpdCQFAd-free videos.You can support us by purchasing something through our Amazon-Url, thanks :)The UDA South East A. Despite his reputation for gangsterism, Greggs failed attack on Gerry Adams had afforded him legendary status and, under the direction of Jackie McDonald, the remaining UDA brigadiers concluded that Adair had to be removed. He's crossed a line and there are figures in the UDA who won't forget.". Adams was hit five times in the attack but the taxi rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he received treatment and survived. At the service on 6 February, UVF/RHC representatives joined the UDA leadership in a show of anti-Adair solidarity. This has trigged UDA fury - the terror group has been facing an onslaught from crimebusters in South East Antrim while the UVF in the same area have been left relatively untouched. - Free Online Library", "New UDA brigadier link to McColgan and Quail murders", "UDA expels south east Antrim brigade chiefs By Brian Rowan Thursday", PM praises Northern Ireland decommissioning moves, Three more Northern Ireland terrorist groups lay down their arms, UDA Brigade deny being involved in gang attack, "A rebel UDA unit is re-arming in a grim warning to rival drug dealers", "UDA blamed for Larne, County Antrim, 'rampage', "UDA 'on a power trip', says senior police officer after attacks in Antrim", "UDA's Larne mob attack was aimed at brothers who stood up to terror gang", "Larne disorder: Third man is arrested after two are released", "Killer of leading loyalist George Gilmore remains at large", "High-profile loyalist George Gilmore dies after gun attack", "Man arrested in Carrickfergus over murder of loyalist George Gilmore", "Man shot in front of son in Northern Ireland 'victim of UDA internal feud' | UK news", "Police make another arrest over Colin Horner murder", "UDA link revealed as pair jailed over inept effort to buy guns on 'dark net', "Baby narrowly escapes attack on Ards homes by 'South East Antrim UDA', "Newtownards 'South East Antrim UFF' graffiti condemned", "Colin Horner killing: Drama as four men are jailed for life - Belfast News Letter", "Loyalist terrorist group issues threats against two journalists in Belfast", "Police warn politicians about loyalist paramilitary threats", "Loyalist paramilitaries threaten politicians in North", "Loyalists threat against Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life journalist condemned", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UDA_South_East_Antrim_Brigade&oldid=1135430778, This page was last edited on 24 January 2023, at 16:49. During the course of the melee a Shankill Protestant Boys member managed to gouge out Gregg's eye,[12] although it is also claimed that Gregg lost his eye due to a fight with republicans at the same parade. Senior members of the Ulster Volunteer Force and Red Hand Commando also attended. Gregg, seated in the backseat, was hit at close range and died instantly. A lengthy internal investigation into the former 'brigadier' led by convicted UVF bomber and provost marshal Jackie Anderson found that he stole at least 250,000 over the past five years. [89] The UVF leader in East Belfast, who is popularly known as the "Beast of the East" and "Ugly Doris" also known as by real name Stephen Matthews, ordered the attack on Catholic homes and a church in the Catholic enclave of the Short Strand. The deal was discussed at a February meeting in London at the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. 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