Griffin’s Ulster: Mad Dogs and Sectarian killers

Mad Dog: Would Griffin be this daft?

Nick Griffin must have been on some dubious high energy drinks of late. Not only has he been fighting a war at home against the EDL which has turned up the odd humorous headline and one-liner, he appears to have been waging a one-man battle to reignite conflict in Northern Ireland.

This dangerous quest, the roots of which lie, it would appear, in a series of difficulties that he has had historically with both Republicans and some Loyalists, now sees Griffin on the very real brink of finally over-stepping the mark. There is a very real danger that Griffin is bringing very real trouble to his own party’s doorstep.

It’s not unusual for British fascists to poke their noses into the goings on in Northern Ireland. Griffin has been doing it for years since he was both in the National Front and now the BNP. His motivation has been mixed; occasionally wanting to make friends with the religious Catholic right and at other times to make friends with Protestant, Loyalist paramilitaries. The overriding motivator for Griffin has always been power, notoriety, influence and of course, cash.

Since Griffin fell out with an alleged Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) aligned printer he has been wary about his time spent in the province. On his rare visits there, he seems to either court or attract controversy.

The UVF aligned Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) have been hugely critical of Griffin and the BNP. And sources in Belfast claim that Griffin has been desperately trying to send signals to their rivals in the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) that he is politically important to Loyalism.

Yesterday an Irish newspaper exclusively named and shamed a BNP member in Northern Ireland that had been handing out leaflets with the BNP leader on his recent visit as a convicted sectarian murderer. Griffin has not responded to the claim. It’s claimed that the alleged killer was part of a mob who beat a 35 year-old Catholic man to death with lumps of wood in 1992.

Entering the fray yesterday also was one “Mad Dog” Johnny Adair. Adair is one of the most controversial and hated people to emerge from the troubles in Northern Ireland. A rabid and hated Loyalist, Adair is currently living away from the province under the threat of being murdered by almost every Loyalist and Republican paramilitary group.

We revealed last year that Adair’s estranged wife was already active with members of the British far-right, while Adair has aligned himself with the likes of Paul Ray who, like Griffin, is in dispute with the EDL.

Adair said yesterday that he was going to join the BNP. He also said he admires Griffin. Adair has a long history with the far-right and marched with the NF in Belfast in the 80’s when marchers openly sniffed glue while chanting sectarian songs. Later, Adair was to perform at Griffin’s family farm in Norfolk as part of a white-power band.

If Adair does go ahead and join the BNP, not only would it upset the UDA, who are having a regular bout of internal squabbles at the moment, but the rival UVF would be likely to combust with anger and rage. They have not forgiven Adair for helping to promote their lunatic splinter group the LVF which led to internecine murders between all three Loyalist Paramilitary groups.

This is a dangerous time to be crossing lines. Griffin is on the brink of doing just that.

Adair: On the NF’s infamous "glue march" through Belfast