Old tensions resurfaced however, and after Adairs men fought with UVF supporters at the Shankills Rex Bar, Adair launched a pogrom of the lower Shankill, forcing out all UVF members and their families and initiating a loyalist feud.[22]. pockets of the town remain on edge since the murder of a local man, Glenn Quinn, by the South East Antrim UDA. [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. Formed in 1971 from a number of loyalist vigilante groups, the UDA's stated aims were to protect unionist communities from attacks by republican paramilitaries, but it went on to kill hundreds of people during the Troubles using a cover name - the Ulster Freedom Fighters. 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. Stream Rab C - South East Antrim(loyalist) by Mugs1911 on desktop and mobile. 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. In May cops arrested and charged four men in connection with a kilo of cocaine seized back in 2020. A mural in support of the group lists its areas of activity as being Rathcoole (the mural's location), Rathfern, Monkstown, Glengormley . On 8 December a bomb was found under Greggs car, apparently placed there by one of Adairs allies from the Loyalist Volunteer Force. From the 1990s until his shooting death in 2003 by rival associates, Gregg served as brigadier of the UDA's South East Antrim Brigade. Intense police pressure is forcing South East Antrim UDA mob boss Gary Fisher to gradually withdraw from his leadership role. The violence, on the Castlemara estate in the town, saw up to 150 loyalists confront each other as members of the 'mainstream' UDA flooded the area in a show of strength against the . A failure by the paramilitary group's south-east Antrim faction to back the move resulted in a . Members of the loyalist flute band, Cloughfern Young Conquerors dressed in uniform accompanied the coffin. Killing Rage The life and death of Eamon Collins. "When Gary was in complete control, there would have been no suggestion of any leaks, it was a tight, tight operation. 25.043611 121.5625. [59], On 3 January 2019 police reported a baby in a pram narrowly escaped injury after homes were attacked in Co Down by South East Antrim UDA members. The Reaper is coming for you. Tensions in South East Antrim between the UDA and the UVF were already high after a summer of incidents and disagreements. A mural in support of the group lists its areas of activity as being Rathcoole (the mural's location), Rathfern, Monkstown, Glengormley and Whitewell, all of which are part of Newtownabbey, as well Receive today's headlines directly to your inbox every morning and evening, Please check your inbox to verify your details, Winning Spirit of NI award made me want to work even harder, Fury over baby killers move into cushy Maghaberry Prison unit, UDA killer, IRA bomb survivor and widow of murdered MP share experience of the Troubles, PSNI officers told of risk after dissidents shared picture of their school talk, DCI John Caldwell: 10 shots fired by gunmen in botched murder bid, Leading dissident sanctioned DCI Caldwell murder bid from prison cell, Cocaine dealer beaten by UDA as child to be freed for funeral of UFF man, Fraudster claimed 30k from his dead fathers pension, Teen hammer assault accused rumbled by bum-fluff moustache, Mo Courtney: Heroin trade could bring down UDA boss, Bryson and Paisleys unionist think tank rejects Windsor Framework, IRA victim Paul Quinns parents praying for DCI John Caldwells recovery after Omagh shooting, Fire which damaged 11 cars in Newtownards may have been started deliberately, DUPs NI Protocol dilemma: Clear that most of its seven tests not met, DUP wont be given time to deliberate over deal, say parties, World Book Day: Five well-known NI faces share the titles that impacted their lives, World Book Day: Submit your photos as school pupils get all dressed up, Castlerock designer Sara has Oscars fashion all sewn up, Saoradh posts police officers picture and name after stop and search dispute, Sammy Wilson criticises Windsor Framework and very dangerous King Charles meeting, Council watchdog launches investigation into SDLP councillors remarks about East Belfast FC, RBAI produce stunning second half display to see off Wallace and reach Schools Cup Final. Money drives the South East Antrim UDA's criminal interests, made off the backs of communities who are ruthlessly subjected to a code of silence. A mural in support of the group lists its areas of activity as being Rathcoole (the mural's location), Rathfern, Monkstown, Glengormley . [17] According to the Workers' Party (Ireland), English was stood down by the UDA after he had expressed willingness to enter into dialogue with them. He will have run the crime gang . Sources have told us the crime boss is a man under intense pressure. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is the largest Ulster loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. Gregg was married with one son and two stepdaughters. A Northern Ireland group, which includes representatives of loyalist paramilitaries, recently withdrew its support for the Good Friday Agreement. The organisation is now in the grip of a committee of senior paramilitary veterans with Fisher forced to toe the line. She was killed in 2005 and her remains hidden by the son of a veteran member of the Red Hand Commando - a UVF-affiliated group. Sources describe the UVF man, who has no convictions, as being well known for running off to tell tales to the terror group's Shankill boss Bunter Graham on a regular basis. Gregg served as brigadier of the UDA's South East Antrim Brigade. A bomb attack on Adairs house on 8 January 2003 was blamed on Gregg by White, although Adair himself was returned to prison two days later after a dossier detailing his drug-dealing and racketeering activities was shown to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Paul Murphy. It used the name Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) to claim responsibility for attacks and, because the two claimed to be separate organisations, the UDA was able to . Despite the continuing activity of his brigade, and his own earlier maiming, Gregg shared the reluctance of other brigadiers about what he saw as a coming war between the UVF and West Belfast brigadier Johnny Adair. 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. Senior members of the Ulster Volunteer Force and Red Hand Commando also attended. [22], Gregg initially remained aloof from the struggle and instead concentrated on his anti-Catholic campaign. Both men, who lived on Ferris Avenue, had their houses burnt out during the attack. Widely known as a man with a fearsome . [37] In response to the criticism from the rest of the UDA leadership, Fisher withdrew the South East Antrim brigade from the UDA and reconstituted it as a separate movement. He was in attendance along with ex-Labour NI Secretary of State Peter Mandelson and former MI6 operatives. Dissident groups and LVF-linked mobsters have also moved in to claim a slice of the action. He later became part of the UDA South East Antrim Brigade. Many of them were innocent - but had to pay up anyway. UDA. 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. He spent six months in jail for rioting in 1977. Gregg was the most senior UDA member killed since South Belfast brigadier John McMichael was blown up by the IRA in 1987. [67], Threats against journalists and politicians, Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, "Drugs seized in searches linked to South East Antrim UDA", "South East Antrim UDA: 'A criminal cartel wrapped in a flag', "UDA member speaks out about threats and criminality - BBC News", "UDA rebels decommission and condemn McDaid killing", "EXECUTED: Fourth feud killing in four days as loyalist assassins murder UVF man in his flat. They have also asked for an end to historic prosecutions for UVF killings that took place before 2010. In the later 1980s Snoddy took ill with cancer and many of his duties as brigadier were filled by his ally Joe English. The South East Antrim UDA is believed to be responsible for seven unsolved murders in the same area dating back to 1998. It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, Northern Ireland. Convicted killer driver and drug offender Simms was once Fisher's muscle entrusted with keeping a small army of drug dealers in Carrick in check. A large portion of the cash was taken from a UVF-controlled taxi firm in which he holds a silent 25 per cent share. South East Antrim Brigade mural in Ballymena honouring Gregg. "It is notoriously difficult to leave," a senior loyalist source told us. Gregg took this as a threat and, after complaining to senior figures in the West Belfast UDA, ordered the three men to be kneecapped. 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. In late August 1997 this band was one of a number of similar flute bands to travel to Derry for the annual Apprentice Boys of Derry march through the city centre. Simms' demise was the catalyst for the disintegration of Fisher's power base. [19], In late 2001, Gregg's reign of terror in Rathcoole, where drug dealing, knee-capping and savage beatings were the norm, was challenged by local British Labour Party Councillor Mark Langhammer, who also objected to Gregg's close links to neo-Nazi groups in Great Britain. Under Gregg, the South East Antrim Brigade was linked to the killing of UVF member Mark Quail during Adair's feud with the UVF in 2000[25][26] although according to the BBC the killing was not directly connected to Adair's issues with the UVF but rather stemmed from a pub dispute in north Belfast between members of the two paramilitary groups. The move, some say, does not signal a return to violence. Tu-Su 09:00-17:00, closed M. Located just inside the main entrance of Taipei City Hall, this is a good place to know the history and culture of Taipei City. Widely known as a man with a fearsome reputation, Gregg was considered a "hawk" in some loyalist circles. Carson was described by UDA sources as a dear friend of Greggs and a junior member of the South-East Antrim Brigade. 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Gregg, seated in the backseat, was hit at close range and died instantly. Now, the UDA has imploded to such an extent that its west Belfast brigade, run by the re-imprisoned renegade Adair, is accused of murdering south-east Antrim brigadier, John "Grug" Gregg, while . . "He's already under enough heat from the cops. The UDA was only proscribed - or declared illegal - in 1992 and, as the Troubles ended, the group began to fracture. He moved from the SEA power base in the Rathcoole estate to the sleepy backwater of Greenisland as his grip on SEA weakened. In response, graffiti appeared around the walls of Rathcoole in December, stating: Daft Dog and White beware. In late 2001, Greggs reign of terror in Rathcoole, where drug dealing, knee-capping and savage beatings were the norm, was challenged by local British Labour Party Councillor Mark Langhammer, who also objected to Greggs close links to neo-Nazi groups in Great Britain. Spotlight made contact with a former senior PSNI officer who was at the forefront of policing efforts against the gang. The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was previously one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and are heavily involved in the drug trade. South East Antrim UDA mural in Glengormley, North Belfast. As a result of the attack, three Woodvale UDA members went to Gregg and complained about the attack. as a threat to Mad Dog Adair and his ally John White. DIE KOMMENDEN sind nationalpolitisch-strmungsbergreifend. Central role played at UFF parade by veteran crime lord's two underbosses hints at changing of the guard. A volley of shots was fired over his coffin by UDA gunmen outside his Rathcoole home. [52] The South-east Antrim brigadier, who was not named in reports, stated that any brigade members attending Gilmore's funeral would be expelled. [65], On 25 November 2020 the Belfast Telegraph reported that the South East Antrim UDA had passed on a threat against one of their journalists. Representing the UVF was John 'Bunter' Graham and the organisation's 1st Battalion commander Harry Stockman. [58], On 11 December 2018 handguns bought on the 'dark net' by two Co Antrim men linked to a loyalist feud may have been destined for use by the South East Antrim UDA. Gregg was also characterised as a bully, a racketeer, and a sectarian bigot who took particular delight in carrying out vicious punishment attacks and randomly targeting Roman Catholics.. These were carried out under the Red Hand Defenders cover name, with some attacks also blamed on the Orange Volunteers who were active in similar attacks at the time. Free. On February 1 2003, Gregg and fellow UDA man Rab Carson had just returned to Northern Ireland after attending an Old Firm match in Glasgow when their taxi drove into . He's crossed a line and there are figures in the UDA who won't forget.". Since his release, Shoukri had resumed his position as 'brigadier' of the north Belfast UDA while his brother Andre was in prison. However, one major obstacle to overcome before any deal can be agreed is the recovery of the body of missing murder victim Lisa Dorrian. Following the conclusion of the feud with Adair the UDA reconstituted its ceasefire in what they christened the Gregg initiative. SouthEast Antrim UDA crime boss Gary Fisher is facing an internal revolt with even his closest lieutenants saying his time is up. That same night Jackie McDonalds forces invaded the lower Shankill and ran those members of C Company that had remained loyal to Adair, who was still in prison, out of the city. Gregg and his team were apprehended almost immediately by a British Army patrol that opened fire on them before ramming their car. Sources in South East Antrim have told us Fisher has been trying to engineer an exit strategy with enough money to sustain a life away from the UDA. The new Irish Sea Border: What does it mean? The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was previously one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and are heavily involved in the drug trade. His 2IC (second-in-command) was also dismissed after being given a sickening . 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. 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. Security sources say that with more than 2,000 members, the South East Antrim UDA is one of Northern Ireland's largest paramilitary gangs. Each were accused of taxing drug dealers and stealing tens of thousands of pounds from UVF coffers. Martin Quinn says the family has been threatened by the South East Antrim UDA for speaking out, Security sources say the South East Antrim UDA has over 2,000 members, Police intelligence says the South East Antrim UDA is involved in the supply of drugs, Rev Philip McAlister officiated at the funeral of Geordie Gilmore, a BBC Spotlight programme on the murder of Glenn Quinn. A senior police source once described him as a man driven by pure and absolute bigotry. [63], The threats were condemned by Peter Vandermeersch of Independent News & Media and Seamus Dooley, assistant General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists, and by Amnesty International UK. [31] Carson was described by UDA sources as a "dear friend" of Gregg's and a junior member of the South-East Antrim Brigade. 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). [50] Three arrests were made in the days immediately after the attack. [12] As the oldest member, English usually chaired the meetings of this Inner Council, although he often struggled to control UDA West Belfast Brigade brigadier Johnny Adair. But South East Antrim UDA boss Gary Fisher refused to sanction an attack on the UVF man, further weakening his standing with rank-and-file members within his own terror group. However, in the second half of 2002 he was dragged into the conflict after Adair made him a target in his own attempts to take full control of the UDA. Much of this activity was inspired by Greggs personal hatred of Catholics. Tensions between the terror groups is already high, with the UVF trying to muscle in and exploit tensions within Fisher's gang to increase their authority in the Rathcoole estate. The secretive mobster looks gaunt and has been described as 'haunted', Fisher is losing his grip on the crime gang. [31], On 1 February 2003, along with another UDA member, Robert "Rab" Carson, Gregg was shot dead on Nelson Street, in the old Sailortown district near the Belfast docks, while travelling in a taxi after returning from Glasgow where he regularly went to Rangers F.C. Gregg had been a regular visitor to Ibrox Park for a number of years,[11] often in the company of Michael Stone, and had even picked up a conviction for violence at an Old Firm match. As the band prepared to take the train home that evening they met members of the Shankill Protestant Boys, another band in town for the parade that was affiliated to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Law enforcement agencies see the loosening of Fisher's control as an opportunity. 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. The main target proved to be Danny OConnor, a Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) representative on initially Larne Borough Council and then the Northern Ireland Assembly, whose home and office were attacked at least twelve times by Greggs men between 2000 and 2002. 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He was aware that (another UDA Brigadier) had arranged a trip to London for us to speak to people in England, where we would attempt to reorganise and motivate units in . "And if they are a defender of anything, it is their own criminal interests.". . This followed in summer 2002 when a community centre was taken over for this purpose although Greggs UDA objected and daubed the building with the word tout. Golden Brown The Stranglers: Iconic Songs & the story behind them. He sought to portray Gregg as unstable and thuggish and spread a rumour that he was about to be replaced as brigadier. On 14 March 1984, he severely wounded Sinn Fin president Gerry Adams in an attack supposedly ordered as a response to the earlier killings of Ulster Unionist Party politicians Robert Bradford and Edgar Graham. November 22 2014 04:33 PM. 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. The deal was discussed at a February meeting in London at the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. [25], By September 2002, Adair had even circulated stories to contacts in the media that Gregg was under death threat from the UDA. "This isn't the end of it I wouldn't have thought. 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. "Some had to take out loans to buy their safety from this thug and then it turns out he's touting on the UDA's dealers to the cops at the same time.". On 6 January 2010, the UDA announced that it had put its weapons "verifiably beyond use". [30] This briefly occurred in late August when one of Adair's allies took command of the brigade, although this proved short-lived. BUSINESS UDA signs strategic cooperation with Mara Inc to expand facilities management business " data-media=""> 21/02/2023 09:14 PM KUALA LUMPUR, He said there were about 2,000 members of the UDA in the south east Antrim . [61], On 16 January 2019 four men were jailed for life for their involvement in the May 2017 UDA loyalist feud killing of 35-year-old father-of-two Colin Horner. Snoddy was close to UDA leader Andy Tyrie and was recognised as one of his closest allies amongst the UDA leadership.[7]. Watch: Peter Crouch sings the Fields of Athenry with Liverpool fans in Dublin pub, We need government and we need it now Mary Lou McDonald. [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. "The vast majority of it comes in from down south, from one of the well-known crime gangs down there. @caolan-mclaughlin-844507501 this is a UDA song ya muppet why u put f the uvf know yer history kid. Four men were convicted of his murder. Under Gregg the South-East Antrim Brigade were prepared to ignore the terms of the loyalist ceasefire, such as on 25 April 1997 when he dispatched a five-man team to Carrickfergus to set fire to a Catholic church in retaliation for a similar attack on a Protestant church in East Belfast (this earlier attack had actually been organised by dissident loyalists seeking to provoke the UDA into returning to violence). [36] In May of that same year, Alan McCullough was himself killed by the UDA. Sources in Carrickfergus say that while he retains the . Protestant Trevor Lowry (aged 49) was beaten to death in Glengormley by UDA members under Greggs command on 11 April 2001 after he was mistaken for a Catholic. . And until he was deposed, he was known for "telling tales" to the UVF's South East Antrim brigadier Den Elliott who was stood down last year for allegedly running unsanctioned rackets. [1] Gregg was also characterised as "a bully, a racketeer, and a sectarian bigot who took particular delight in carrying out vicious punishment attacks and randomly targeting Roman Catholics. [54] Two men were subsequently charged with the murder. [5] The Guardian has identified it as "one of the most dangerous factions". These psychos were obviously baying for blood Mod blood, to be exact. [63][64] Patsy McGlone, Stephen Farry, Steve Aiken and Doug Beattie also condemned the attacks and were subsequently warned by the PSNI of threats from the South East Antrim UDA. Tommy Lyttle inherited 'Bertie Scott' from a man called Alan Snoddy, the UDA commander or Brigadier in South-East Antrim, a figure who kept a very low public profile. Soon after two pipe bombs were thrown at Greggs house, and his friend Tommy Kirkhams house was shot at. His assassination attempt had made him a loyalist hero and he quickly took over from English as brigadier. The South East Antrim UDA's tally of violence spanning two decades includes a roll call of unsolved murders. Adair ignored the expulsion, erecting West Belfast UDA Business as Usual banners on the Shankill Road, whilst continuing his struggles with the remaining brigadiers, Gregg in particular. [20], Although the UDA was officially on ceasefire, the South East Antrim Brigade remained active in late 1998 and early 1999, undertaking a series of pipe bomb attacks on Catholic properties. Carrickfergus is a town that once inspired a classic Irish folk song about longing. Gregg was born in 1957 and raised in a Protestant family from the Tigers Bay area of North Belfast. Greggs killing proved to be the undoing of Adair. Three men were acquitted of his murder. [13], Along with Jackie McDonald and Billy McFarland, fellow brigadiers on the UDA's Inner Council, Gregg was lacking in enthusiasm for the Belfast Agreement when it appeared in 1998. Martin Quinn is the brother of the murdered Glenn Quinn, who was beaten to . 1 February 2003, along with another UDA member, Robert Rab Carson, Gregg was shot dead on Nelson Street, in the old Sailortown district near the Belfast docks, while travelling in a red Toyota taxi after returning from Glasgow where he regularly went to watch Rangers F.C. John Gregg. [21] Gregg, who was noted for his sectarian beliefs, insisted that such attacks were necessary in order to prevent the "greening" of places such as Carrickfergus and Antrim, a process he claimed had already happened in Glengormley where the Catholic population had experienced significant growth. "The UDA is the biggest paramilitary group in Rathcoole, much bigger than the UVF, and there are some UDA men in the estate who would gladly do the job. "And the blunder of the Housing Executive staff being threatened did him no favours either in the area.". Brawls between the two had been frequent and tensions had been growing between the UDA and UVF leading to a drink-fuelled pitched battle between the two groups at the train station. As the band prepared to take the train home that evening they met members of the Shankill Protestant Boys, another band in town for the parade that was affiliated to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The south Belfast, south-east Antrim and east Belfast brigadiers . [62], On 8 May 2020 a number of journalists working for the Sunday Life and Sunday World newspapers were warned by the PSNI about imminent attacks against journalists by the South East Antrim UDA. In the last 12 months almost a dozen alleged South East Antrim members have been lifted and charged with drug offences by the National Crime Agency working alongside the Paramilitary Crime Task Force. He has since told pals that he has no intention of leaving Rathcoole, where he grew up, but loyalist insiders say that he will have no option but to go. It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles". 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. 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. Tommy Lyttle suspected that Craig had helped the IRA kill South Belfast UDA Brigadier, John McMichael in December 1987 not long after McMichael had aired complaints within the UDA hierarchy and in Craig's earshot, about Craig's dubious business dealings. . 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