23 February 2006 Edition
UDA murders: Violence ignored by unionists and media
UDA kills again
"Unionist politicians are ignoring the daily violence being carried out unionist paramilitaries," says Sinn Féin's South Belfast Assembly member Alex Maskey.
Maskey, himself the target of a UDA death squad, was speaking to An Phoblacht in the aftermath of the latest UDA killing of 49-year-old Thomas Hollran who was beaten to death in Carrickfergus last weekend.
And just last week, 14 February, the body of 30-year-old Ronald Todd was recovered from the River Lagan. Todd an alleged drug dealer was missing since late December and was also thought to have suffered from severe head injuries which caused his death. The UDA is also being accused of his killing.
Thomas Hollran was bludgeoned to death on Saturday night 18 February as he walked to his sister's house in the loyalist Woodburn Estate in Carrickfergus, County Antrim. He had been forced to leave his home in the town a number of months earlier after the UDA accused him of indecent exposure.
Hollran's sisters were advised against viewing his body such was the ferociousness of his injuries.
Meanwhile 30-year-old Ronald Todd's body was discovered in the River Lagan on Tuesday 14 February almost a month after he was abducted from a pub in Maghaberry, County Antrim.
Speaking to An Phoblacht Alex Maskey said unionist politicians and some sections of the media had a history of ignoring the activities of unionist paramilitaries.
"This is the second killing in which unionist paramilitaries have been involved in recent weeks and as usual unionist politicians bury their heads in the sand in the hope that people don't realise what is going on within unionism."