Provos, Loyalists and Brits

The first of a three-part series in which Peter Taylor investigates the origins and evolution of the loyalist paramilitary movement in Northern Ireland. Members discuss how and why they terrorised the local Catholic community.

In the late 1970s the conflict in Northern Ireland reached new levels of brutality. Among those caught up in the violence was UVF member Billy Giles, who retaliated against IRA acts by murdering a Catholic workmate.

Former Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) prisoners Gerry Spence and Bobby Philpott claim that Loyalist violence in the early nineties made the IRA realise they could not win. Peter Taylor reveals the true face of the Loyalist paramilitaries and assesses the prospects for peace in the face of continuing sectarian tensions.