Love Ulster

Love Ulster was a campaign conducted in Northern Ireland in 2005–08. Acting on the behalf of unionist victims of the Troubles, it was organised by the County Armagh Protestant group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR), led by Willie Frazer.

History

Love Ulster's first public manifestation was in August 2005, when its members symbolically reenacted the Ulster Volunteer Force's Larne Gun Running of 1914. Love Ulster members brought 200,000 copies of a special edition of the Shankill Mirror newspaper into the port of Larne, bearing the banner headline, "Ulster At Crisis Point", reflecting the group's views that Northern Ireland was then about to be "sold out" into a United Ireland.

On 25 February 2006, a planned Love Ulster march in Dublin was prevented from taking place due to protests culminating in rioting. A second Love Ulster rally in Dublin was discussed as a possibility for the latter part of 2007[1][2] and approved by the Garda Síochána.[3] However, it was cancelled following discussions between Frazer and the Irish foreign minister Dermot Ahern.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ "Talks over new Love Ulster rally". BBC News. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  2. ^ "Bigger 'Love Ulster' parade planned for Dublin". Rte.ie. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  3. ^ "Love Ulster gets go-ahead", Metro, page 4, 2007-07-16
  4. ^ "Love Ulster dropping Dublin rally". BBC. 11 October 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Plans for Love Ulster Parade cancelled". Rte.ie. 3 August 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2011.