Page 240 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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218———Loyalist Volunteer Force

over Catholics), the route of which passed through Defenders for sectarian attacks. A spokesperson for
a Catholic nationalist neighborhood. Thousands of the Red Hand Defenders claimed responsibility for
Loyalists assembled at a church in Drumcree for the murder of a Catholic postman, Daniel McColgan,
a protest lasting several days. Billy “King Rat” on January 12, 2002, and issued a threat declaring all
Wright, the UVF representative in Portadown, Catholic civil servants and teachers to be legitimate
threatened violent reprisals if the march were not targets; the threat was retracted several days later.
allowed. The leadership of the UVF had forbidden Many observers believe that members of the LVF or
Wright to break its cease-fire, as this would have the Ulster Defense Association were McColgan’s
resulted in the organization’s suspension from peace actual killers.
talks, but on July 8, a Catholic taxi driver named
Michael McGoldrick was found murdered a few See also IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY; RED HAND DEFENDERS;
miles from Drumcree. Many observers believed the ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE
shooting to be the work of Wright’s men.
Following McGoldrick’s murder, Wright broke with Further Reading
the UVF, taking most of the organization’s Portadown Bryan, Dominic. Orange Parades: The Politics of Ritual,
membership with him, and formed the rival LVF. The Tradition and Control. London: Pluto, 2000. Excerpt on
LVF has been linked to more than a dozen murders; as Drumcree controversy available on the Web at http://
with other Loyalist paramilitary groups, most of its cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/bryan/bryan00.htm.
victims have been Catholics targeted at random. The Cusack, Jim, and Henry McDonald. The UVF. Dublin:
Poolbeg, 1997.
LVF has also been implicated in a string of deaths
Holland, Jack. Hope Against History: The Course of
thought to be the result of disputes over drugs.
Conflict in Northern Ireland. New York: Henry Holt,
In the spring of 1997, Wright was arrested on
1999.
charges of intimidating a witness. On December 27,
McKay, Susan. Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People.
1997, while in prison, he was shot to death by members Belfast: Blackstaff, 2000.
of the Irish National Liberation Army, a Republican McKittrick, David. Making Sense of the Troubles. Belfast:
paramilitary group. His murder sparked a series of Blackstaff, 2000.
vengeance killings among the prisoners and led to two Taylor, Peter. Loyalists: War and Peace in Northern
civilian deaths, as members of the LVF avenged, as best Ireland. New York: TV Books, 1999.
they could, their leader. With the death of the charis-
matic and popular Wright, a serious blow was dealt to
LVF, and no new leader has yet emerged. LTTE. See LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL
In 1998, the LVF declared a cease-fire because it EELAM.
wanted to participate in the early-release program for
paramilitary prisoners set up under the Good Friday
Accords. Despite the cease-fire, the LVF is thought to LVF. See LOYALIST VOLUNTEER FORCE.
be operating still, using the cover name the Red Hand