Night of the Long Knives (1992): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|1992 IRA action in Belfast}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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{{Multiple issues| |
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{{notability|event|date=February 2022}} |
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{{more footnotes needed|date=March 2016}} |
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{{tone|date=March 2016}} |
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}} |
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{{Use Hiberno-English|date=April 2017}} |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
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| conflict = Night of the Long Knives |
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| partof = [[the Troubles]] |
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| image = |
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| caption = |
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| date = 31 October 1992 |
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| place = [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland |
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| coordinates = |
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| result = Successful IRA operation<br /> Surrender of IPLO Belfast Brigade on 3 November <br />and IPLO GHQ on 7 November. |
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| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|IrishRepublicanFlag.png}} [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] [[Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade|Belfast Brigade]] |
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| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|StarryPlough.svg}} [[Irish People's Liberation Organisation]] Belfast Brigade |
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---- |
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{{flagicon image|StarryPlough.svg}} [[Irish People's Liberation Organisation]] Army Council |
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| commander1 = [[Gerard Davison|Gerard "Jock" Davison]] <ref>{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Tony |title=Hitman shot Gerard 'Jock' Davison four times in the face - then walked away calmly |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/hitman-shot-gerard-jock-davison-four-times-in-the-face-then-walked-away-calmly-31212118.html |website=Belfast Telegraph |publisher=Sunday Life |access-date=7 May 2022}}</ref> <ref>{{cite book |last1=Gibson |first1=Paul |title=The Lost Soul of Eamonn Magee |date=20 Apr 2018 |publisher=Mercier Press |isbn=978-1-78117-573-6 |url=https://books.google.ie/books?id=cT3BDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT127&lpg=PT127&dq=%22jock+Davison%22+%22iplo%22+%22ira%22+%22sammy+ward%22&source=bl&ots=g5A7Ei-iov&sig=ACfU3U2aj625uQ2COQnpG05EcLrtZIOqyw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiap_PXuc73AhWoRkEAHc8QC8oQ6AF6BAgQEAM#v=onepage&q=%22jock%20Davison%22%20%22iplo%22%20%22ira%22%20%22sammy%20ward%22&f=false |access-date=7 May 2022}}</ref> |
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| commander2 = [[Sammy Ward]] |
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| strength1 = Up to 100 volunteers{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} |
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| strength2 = Unknown |
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| casualties1 = None |
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| casualties2 = 1 killed<br />about a dozen others shot and injured{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}<br />several others beaten and forced into exile |
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| notes = |
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}} |
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{{Campaignbox Northern Ireland Troubles}} |
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The '''Night of the Long Knives''' is a name given to the night of 31 October 1992 in [[Belfast]], when the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]]'s [[Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade|Belfast Brigade]] launched an operation to wipe out the [[Irish People's Liberation Organisation|IPLO Belfast Brigade]], who most [[Irish republicans]] in the city felt were becoming an embarrassment to Irish republicanism due to their involvement in drug dealing, criminality and internal republican feuds.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haverty |first1=Dan |title=IRA's Night of Long Knives' part in Northern Ireland's peace process |url=https://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/others/iras-night-long-knives-peace-process |website=IrishCentral.com |date=8 November 2019 |access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref> |
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==Background== |
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The [[Irish People's Liberation Organisation]] (IPLO) was created as an [[Irish republican]] and [[Revolutionary socialism|revolutionary socialist]] [[paramilitary]] organisation in 1986, by expelled members of the [[Irish National Liberation Army]] (INLA). They also formed a small socialist political wing called the [[Republican Socialist Collective]]. The IPLO's main goal was to wipe out the INLA and establish itself as the main Irish republican socialist group.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Holland |first1=Jack |title=INLA: Deadly Divisions |last2=McDonald |first2=Henry |publisher=Torc |year=1994 |isbn=1-898142-05-X |edition=First |pages=279–282}}</ref> The feud lasted a year until a truce was called after several people on either side were killed. Important paramilitaries on both sides were killed, like [[Thomas "Ta" Power]], [[Gerard Steenson]], and Tom McAllister.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sutton |first1=Malcolm |title=CAIN: Paramilitary Feuds in Northern Ireland - List of people killed |url=https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/violence/feudkillc.htm |website=CAIN Archive - Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland. |access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref> |
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Throughout the IPLO's campaign from 1986 to 1992 it killed 22 people: eleven civilians, six INLA members, two members of the British security forces, and three [[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] paramilitaries. Most of the civilians killed by the IPLO were killed on purpose in sectarian attacks on Protestant pubs & clubs, like the [[Donegall Arms shooting]] where two civilians were shot dead and five more injured, witnesses said the gunmen shouted "Orange bastards, Orange bastards!" during the attack.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/12/22/Gunmen-open-fire-in-Irish-bar/6957693378000/|title=Gunmen open fire in Irish bar|website=UPI|access-date=8 May 2022}}</ref> |
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The IPLO was accused by other republicans of becoming involved in the illegal drug trade, especially in [[MDMA|ecstasy]]. Some of its Belfast members were also accused of the prolonged gang rape of a woman in Divis Flats in 1990.<ref>{{cite book |author1-last=De Baróid |author1-first=Ciarán |title=Ballymurphy and the Irish War |publisher=Pluto Press |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-7453-0445-8 |page=331}}</ref> A feud followed between two factions terming themselves "Army Council" (previously led by Jimmy Brown) and "Belfast Brigade" (led by Sammy Ward). |
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== Operation == |
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The IRA, embarrassed by the actions of the Belfast Brigade of the IPLO,{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} decided to eliminate them. Launching its operation on 31 October 1992, the IRA shot dead Ward inside a pub on the [[Short Strand]] while he was drinking with two friends.<ref name="CAIN1992">{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1992.html|title=CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths: 1992|first=Malcolm|last=Sutton|website=cain.ulst.ac.uk|access-date=17 May 2017}}</ref> At the same time there were raids on pubs and clubs across west Belfast, where several IPLO members were kneecapped. Many other IPLO members were dragged from their homes, including in the Divis Flats, where 20 IRA men marched across the balconies and told IPLO men to leave the country.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} |
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On 2 November 1992 the second-in-command of the IPLO Belfast Brigade formally surrendered to the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade adjutant, which brought an end to the group in Belfast.{{sfn|Holland|McDonald|1994|p=343}} |
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Outside Belfast, the IRA did not attack any IPLO units and issued statements absolving those in Derry, Newry and Armagh from any involvement in the drugs trade. In Dublin, the IRA reprieved the IPLO Chief of Staff in return for his surrendering a small cache of arms held in Ballybough. The operation is reputed{{who|date=November 2021}} to have involved 100 IRA members.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} |
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Both factions of the IPLO formally surrendered to the IRA's Belfast Brigade leader within a few days of the operation.<ref>{{cite thesis|title=COMPETITION IN THE MARKET FOR POLITICAL VIOLENCE: NORTHERN IRISH REPUBLICANISM, 1969–1998|publisher=Georgetown University|degree=PhD|author1-first=John Paul|author1-last=Sawyer|date=2010-12-08|url=https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/553106/sawyerJohn.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2022}} |
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==Aftermath== |
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The IRA presented the attacks as an operation to wipe out drug dealers from Belfast rather than another of the inter-republican feuds which had taken place in previous years.{{sfn|Holland|McDonald|1994|p=342}} |
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Some IPLO Volunteers rejoined the INLA. One was [[Christopher McWilliams|Crip McWilliams]], who shot dead [[Loyalist Volunteer Force]] leader [[Billy Wright (loyalist)|Billy Wright]] inside the [[Maze Prison]] in December 1997. |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{PIRA}} |
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{{INLA/IRSP}} |
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[[Category:Provisional Irish Republican Army actions]] |
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[[Category:1992 in Northern Ireland]] |
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[[Category:The Troubles in Belfast]] |
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[[Category:1992 disestablishments in Northern Ireland]] |
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[[Category:October 1992 events in the United Kingdom]] |
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[[Category:1992 crimes in the United Kingdom]] |
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Latest revision as of 13:10, 15 August 2022
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