Part VI - Sectarian Harassment

The Ulster Defense Association (UDA) and other loyalist paramilitaries continue to pipe and fire bomb Catholic homes and terrorize Nationalist communities. Catholics have been forced from their homes in significant numbers in Counties Antrim and Down and in North and East Belfast. No area in the north is free from sectarian attack and terror.

Loyalism is in disarray, stuck between their own parochial interests and the interests of the British state, which they sometimes attack and sometimes defend. They are volatile and violent. Their internal feuding and murder spree over turf and drugs is just one aspect.

The British government and the Police Service Northern Ireland tolerate them and in many cases encourage them. Murdering Catholics and each other, putting nationalist areas under siege, even terrorizing Catholic school girls is no bother to the British government, PSNI or Unionist political leaders.

It puts the spotlight on the tribal feuding scenario and takes the spotlight off them. In 2001 alone, there were hundreds of pipe bomb attacks against Catholics. Convictions? Less than 2%.

Of the 100 paramilitary murders over the past three years, the vast majority by Unionist/Loyalist murder squads, there has been but ONE conviction, and that of a Republican dissident.

The Political Results: Loyalist violence accomplishes several things:

1) It gives Unionist/Loyalist and other negative politicians an excuse to paramilitarize the problem;

2) It puts pressure on Republican/Nationalist communities and extends Republican activists and resources to the limit;

3) Allows unsubstantiated blame placed on Republicans for starting the violence or for tit-for-tat involvement; and

4) It creates confusion internationally.

Unionist and British Securocrat strategists at various levels hope that besieged Nationalists and Republicans will either despair o f the peace enterprise altogether, or the IRA will be drawn into a shooting war.

There is absolutely no indication that either of the above will happen.

(Click for more info: 1) Chronology of Sectarian attacks 2002; 2) Chronology of Sectarian attacks 2003; 3) Sectarian attacks in the countryside; and, 4) Chronology of Sect attacks 2004)