Ridiculous reasoning for ignoring UDA crime
Posted By: November 19, 2016
IMPUNITY: Decades after this picture was taken, the UDA is still not facing the full force of the law
Newton Emerson. Irish News (Belfast). Saturday, November 19, 2016
As controversy over funding Loyalist-linked organizations refuses to abate, a UDA member has spoken anonymously to the BBC about the organization’s rampant criminality, its grip on communities and its refusal to let people leave. One of the most affecting parts of the man’s testimony was his appeal to the PSNI to take action via the sweeping powers and intelligence it has available, instead of just appealing for information it knows people cannot give for fear of their lives. The PSNI’s repeated insistence that it needs community cooperation to arrest Loyalists is inaccurate, blames the victim and looks like an excuse to do nothing. In an age of catch-all anti-terror legislation— with a Police Service that can launch endless initiatives on racism, drugs, prostitution and everything else the UDA does as long as the UDA is not doing it—the idea that no action can be taken against a proscribed organization without receiving a complaint is transparently ridiculous.
