Real Ulster Freedom Fighters
Encyclopedia
The Real Ulster Freedom Fighters, otherwise known as the Real UFF, is a loyalist
paramilitary
group in Northern Ireland
. It was founded in early 2007 by former members of the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) and "Ulster Freedom Fighters" (UFF).
and Sinn Féin
, as the two largest parties, agreed to share power in the Northern Ireland Assembly
. In a statement, the group said:
The Real UFF also claimed to have an arsenal that includes rocket launcher
s, AK-47
assault rifles, handgun
s, pipe bomb
s, coffee-jar bombs and under-car booby-trap devices.
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
group in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It was founded in early 2007 by former members of the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA) and "Ulster Freedom Fighters" (UFF).
Formation
The group announced its existence on 1 April 2007, shortly after the Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
and Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
, as the two largest parties, agreed to share power in the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
. In a statement, the group said:
We have had enough of people telling us what to do - if the opportunity arises we will take out the entire UDA leadership because they are selling us out. ProtestantThe group claimed to have drawn-up a "death list" that included:ProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
areas are still awash with drugs and we are not going to stand by while so-called loyalists line their pockets.
- Leadership of the Ulster Defence Association
- Ousted Ulster Defence Association commander Johnny AdairJohnny AdairJonathan Adair, better known as Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is the former leader of the "C Company", 2nd Battalion Shankill Road, West Belfast Brigade of the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" . This was a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association , an Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisation...
- Alleged Special Branch agents William 'Mo' CourtneyMo CourtneyWilliam "Mo" Courntey was an Ulster Defence Association activist. He was a leading figure in Johnny Adair's C Company, one of the most active sections of the UDA, before later falling out with Adair and serving as West Belfast brigadier.-Early years:In the late 1970s and early 1980s Courtney was...
and north Belfast crime boss Jim SpenceJim Spence (loyalist)Jim Spence is a Northern Irish former loyalist activist. Spence became notorious for his time in the Ulster Defence Association , serving two spells as Brigadier in West Belfast... - Suspected loyalist drug dealers
- Leadership of the Continuity Irish Republican ArmyContinuity Irish Republican ArmyThe Continuity Irish Republican Army, otherwise known as the Continuity IRA and styling itself as Óglaigh na hÉireann, is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that aims to bring about a united Ireland. It emerged from a split in the Provisional IRA in 1986 but did not become active until...
and Real Irish Republican ArmyReal Irish Republican ArmyThe Real Irish Republican Army, otherwise known as the Real IRA , and styling itself as Óglaigh na hÉireann , is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation which aims to bring about a united Ireland...
The Real UFF also claimed to have an arsenal that includes rocket launcher
Rocket launcher
A rocket launcher is any device that launches a rocket-propelled projectile, although the term is often used in reference to mechanisms that are portable and capable of being operated by an individual....
s, AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
assault rifles, handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
s, pipe bomb
Pipe bomb
A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
s, coffee-jar bombs and under-car booby-trap devices.
Timeline of attacks
- 24 July 2009: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for a pipe bombPipe bombA pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
attack on a house in Brantwood Gardens, AntrimAntrim, County AntrimAntrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...
. Five people narrowly escaped injury when the device exploded in the front garden. The house was owned by a CatholicIrish CatholicIrish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
family and was in a mixed Catholic-Protestant area. - 25 September 2009: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for leaving a small bomb outside a house in the Fountain Lane area of Antrim. It failed to explode.
- 15 January 2010: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for planting two explosive devices near a community centre in Antrim that was being used by members of the Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
. Police described the devices as "crude but non-viable". - February 2010: The Real UFF made a death threat against the Sinn FéinSinn FéinSinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
MLAMembers of the Northern Ireland AssemblyThe Northern Ireland Assembly elected in November 2003, never met as such, since Northern Ireland's devolved government and representative institutions were suspended following the re-introduction of direct rule by the United Kingdom government on 14 October 2002....
for North Belfast, Gerry KellyGerry KellyGerard "Gerry" Kelly is an Irish republican politician and former Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer who played a leading role in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998...
. - 13 March 2010: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for a gun attack on a house in Antrim. A shot was fired through a window, but no-one was injured in the attack.
- 11 August 2010: The Real UFF claimed responsibility for leaving a pipe bomb on the windowsill of a house on Fir Grove Lane, Antrim. It failed to explode. The house was owned by a Catholic family.
- 12 August 2010: The Real UFF were blamed for planting two pipe bombs ouside separate houses in Antrim. One of the bombs partially exploded, causing damage to the front of a house. Both were later defused by the British Army.
- 6 September 2010: The Real UFF were blamed for planting a pipe bomb in the grounds of a Catholic primary school (St Comgall's) in Antrim. The bomb was found by an eight-year-old boy, who handed it to a teacher. The school was then evacuated and the bomb was defused by the British Army.
See also
- Timeline of Ulster Defence Association actionsTimeline of Ulster Defence Association actionsThis is a timeline of actions by the Ulster Defence Association , a loyalist paramilitary group formed in 1971. Most of these actions took place during the conflict known as "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland....
- Red Hand DefendersRed Hand DefendersThe Red Hand Defenders is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1998 by loyalists who opposed the Belfast Agreement and the loyalist ceasefires. Its members were drawn mostly from the Ulster Defence Association and Loyalist Volunteer Force...
- Orange VolunteersOrange VolunteersThe Orange Volunteers or Orange Volunteer Force is an Ulster loyalist and Protestant fundamentalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland.-Origins:...