Ulster Volunteer Force
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group based in Northern Ireland. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence and criminal activities. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation list of the United Kingdom.
| Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) | |
|---|---|
Above: the UVF emblem, with the Red Hand of Ulster and the motto "For God and Ulster" Below: the UVF flag | |
| Dates of operation | May 1966 – present (on ceasefire since October 1994; officially ended armed campaign in May 2007) |
| Group(s) | Young Citizen Volunteers (youth wing) Protestant Action Force (cover name) Progressive Unionist Party (political representation) |
| Headquarters | Belfast |
| Active regions | Northern Ireland (mostly) Republic of Ireland Scotland (fifteen operations) |
| Ideology | Ulster loyalism British unionism Anti-Irish sentiment Protestant extremism |
| Size | 1,500 at peak in the 1970s (hard core of 400–500 gunmen and bombers) Estimated several hundred members in Active service units by 1990s 300 (2010) 7,500 (total, 2020) |
| Allies | Red Hand Commando South Africa Arkan's Tigers United Kingdom (sometimes) |
| Opponents | Provisional IRA Official IRA Irish National Liberation Army Irish People's Liberation Organization Irish republicans Irish nationalists Loyalist Volunteer Force |
| Battles and wars | The Troubles |
The UVF's declared goals were to combat Irish republicanism – particularly the Irish Republican Army (IRA) – and to maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. It was responsible for more than 500 deaths. The vast majority (more than two-thirds) of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. During the conflict, its deadliest attack in Northern Ireland was the 1971 McGurk's Bar bombing, which killed fifteen civilians. The group also carried out attacks in the Republic of Ireland from 1969 onward. The biggest of these was the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which killed 34 civilians, making it the deadliest terrorist attack of the conflict. The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades.
The Mid-Ulster Brigade was also responsible for the 1975 Miami Showband killings, in which three members of the popular Irish cabaret band were shot dead at a bogus military checkpoint by gunmen in British Army uniforms. Two UVF men were accidentally blown up in this attack. The UVF's last major attack was the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, in which its members shot dead six Catholic civilians in a rural pub. Until recent years, it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. The other main loyalist paramilitary group during the conflict was the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), which had a much larger membership.
Since the ceasefire, the UVF has been involved in rioting, drug dealing, organised crime, loan-sharking and prostitution. Some members have also been found responsible for orchestrating a series of racist attacks.