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How did the Ulster Volunteer Force and Ulster Defence Association support loyalism?
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the Troubles
Local people walking past a British soldier on guard in Northern Ireland, August 1969.
During the period known as the Troubles, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) functioned as loyalist paramilitary organizations dedicated to maintaining Northern Irelandās union with Britain.12
Both groups supported loyalism through:
- Paramilitary Violence: They engaged in campaigns of shootings and bombings, targeting members of the Irish Republican Army as well as Roman Catholic civilians. The UDA often claimed responsibility for such attacks under the pseudonym "Ulster Freedom Fighters".12
- Political Representation: Both organizations developed political wings to represent working-class unionist interests and paramilitary prisoners. The UVF was affiliated with the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), while the UDA established the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP). Both parties participated in the multiparty talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement.12
- Mobilization and Funding: The UDA coordinated local Protestant vigilante groups and utilized both legal and criminal activities, such as racketeering, to fund the unionist cause. Additionally, loyalist paramilitaries backed strikes, such as the one organized by the Ulster Workersā Council, to influence political outcomes.23