Exclusive: Dowson defends Loyalist gunman

Dowson: At the funeral of UVF founder Gusty Spence in 2011

Britain’s busiest hate-monger Jim Dowson has been busy in Northern Ireland of late, helping stir up trouble behind the flag protests.

The former BNP fundrasier has been vocal in telling his old friends in the BNP to stay out of Belfast while he pushes himself as the spokesperson for the protestors.

Dowson has for the last two days been present in east Belfast, where rioting has grown even more ferocious and he has been reporting back to his fascist followers in England, just how close to the action he is.

Yesterday and today Dowson has been directing his anger at the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in a series of social media exchanges as Loyalists complain that the police have been too heavy handed in dealing with their protests.

Local journalists claim that there is now growing evidence that hardened Loyalist paramilitaries are stepping up their involvement in the near month long protest, though the UDA has itself refuted their alleged involvement, claiming that the protests in fact play into the hands of Republicans.

This afternoon, as clashes again spilled across Belfast and Loyalists and nationalists confronted each other near the Short Strand in east Belfast, a gunman stepped out of the Loyalist protest to fire shots at the police officers. Local sources claim it is the UVF that has been orchestrating the trouble in east Belfast.

Michael Cairns, an Editor with the BBC tweeted: “Police targeted by gunman in UVF part of East Belfast. Any difference in this and the attempt to kill an officer by dissidents a mile away?”

As the shots were being fired at the PSNI, Dowson took to his facebook page to defend the firing of shots at police officers. Following a long rant directed at the PSNI, Dowson wrote “well, if you [PSNI]attack innocent Loyalists, our fighting men will respond”.

UTV (that’s ITV in Northern Ireland), did tend to concur tonight that the protests were peaceful until the clashes with police, which appears to have sparked the gun-shots.

Dowson has a long alleged association with the UVF. The UVF and it satellites have recently had no time for the BNP, either. He has also recently become involved with factions in the EDL and the English Democrats, for whom he raises funds.

Protests: Dowson addresses protest last wek