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{{Short description|British loyalist}} |
{{Short description|British loyalist}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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'''Brian Robinson''' (c. 1962 |
'''Brian Robinson''' (c. 1962 – 2 September 1989) was a [[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] militant from [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] and member of the [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] (UVF) who was witnessed killing a Catholic civilian. His death at the hands of an undercover [[British Army]] unit is one of the few from the alleged [[shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland]] to have involved a loyalist victim.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Delisle |first1=Claire |last2=Rolston |first2=Bill |date=2002 |title=Unfinished Business: State Killings and the Quest for the Truth |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/25515452 |journal=The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies |volume=28/29 |pages=223 |doi=10.2307/25515452 |jstor=25515452 |issn=0703-1459}}</ref> |
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==Life== |
==Life== |
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Robinson was born in [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] to Rab and Margaret Robinson, and brought up a [[Protestant]] on Disraeli Street in the staunchly [[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] Woodvale district of the [[Shankill Road]]. It is not known when he became a member of the local [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] (UVF). He held the rank of volunteer in its "B Company", 1st Battalion Belfast Brigade.<ref name="cain"/> By the time of his death he had moved to Forthriver Crescent in the Glencairn estate, an area immediately northwest of Woodvale.<ref name=" |
Robinson was born in [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] to Rab and Margaret Robinson, and brought up a [[Protestant]] on Disraeli Street in the staunchly [[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] Woodvale district of the [[Shankill Road]]. It is not known when he became a member of the local [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] (UVF). He held the rank of volunteer in its "B Company", 1st Battalion Belfast Brigade.<ref name="cain"/> By the time of his death he had moved to Forthriver Crescent in the Glencairn estate, an area immediately northwest of Woodvale.<ref name=":2" /> |
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==Death== |
==Death== |
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On 2 September 1989, Robinson and fellow UVF member Davy McCullough were travelling on a motorbike, with Robinson as the passenger armed with a gun, in Belfast's [[Crumlin Road]], close to the [[Irish nationalism|Irish nationalist]] area of [[Ardoyne]]. Upon seeing Paddy McKenna, a |
On 2 September 1989, Robinson and fellow UVF member Davy McCullough were travelling on a motorbike, with Robinson as the passenger armed with a gun, in Belfast's [[Crumlin Road]], close to the [[Irish nationalism|Irish nationalist]] area of [[Ardoyne]]. Upon seeing Paddy McKenna, a Catholic civilian,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1989.html |title=CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths |last=Sutton |first=Malcolm |website=cain.ulst.ac.uk |access-date=2018-01-23}}</ref> walking along the street, Robinson opened fire, hitting McKenna a total of 11 times and killing him. Unbeknownst to the two UVF members, an undercover [[British Army]] unit, linked to the [[Special Air Service]], was in the area. Giving chase in a [[Vauxhall Astra]] car and a [[Fiat]], the soldiers rammed the motorbike, forcing both men off the road. Robinson was shot twice in his torso, then twice more in the back of the head by a female soldier standing over him.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=20 years on, death of a UVF killer still looms large in loyalist memory |language=en-GB |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/20-years-on-death-of-a-uvf-killer-still-looms-large-in-loyalist-memory/28551805.html |access-date=2023-03-13 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite web |last=Friel |first=Laura |date=2007-06-07 |title=Catholic victim 'sacrificed' in FRU plot {{!}} An Phoblacht |url=http://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/16952 |access-date=2018-01-23 |website=www.anphoblacht.com |language=en}}</ref> He was 27.<ref name=":0" /> Upon hearing the news of her son's death, Robinson's mother Margaret suffered a fatal heart attack.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=McKittrick |first1=David |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/46944614 |title=Lost lives : the stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Ireland troubles |last2=Feeney |first2=Brian |last3=Thornton |first3=Chris |last4=McVea |first4=David |last5=Kelters |first5=Seamus |date=2001 |publisher=Mainstream |isbn=1-84018-504-X |edition=Revised |location=Edinburgh |pages=1178 |language=En |oclc=46944614}}</ref> The two were buried on the same day. |
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The UVF leadership in west Belfast would later claim that the intelligence leading to Robinson's death had been provided by one of their own men, Colin "Crazy" Craig, who |
The UVF leadership in west Belfast would later claim that the intelligence leading to Robinson's death had been provided by one of their own men, Colin "Crazy" Craig, who had, they alleged, been a police informer for several years. Craig was killed by the [[Irish National Liberation Army]] on 16 June 1994, along with fellow UVF members [[Trevor King]] and David Hamilton. A UVF commander was quoted as mourning King and Hamilton, but adding that Craig was in line to be shot by the UVF anyway.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Cusack |first1=Jim |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/232479893 |title=UVF : the endgame |last2=McDonald |first2=Henry |date=2008 |publisher=Poolbeg |isbn=978-1-84223-326-9 |edition=Revised |location=Dublin |oclc=232479893}}</ref> Republican sources claim that the security forces infiltration of the UVF was even deeper, including Trevor King and "the most senior UVF figure in the North".<ref name=":3" /> |
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==Funeral== |
==Funeral== |
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| ⚫ | Robinson's funeral was well-attended as it left his home in Forthriver Crescent. Despite his membership of the UVF there were no paramilitary displays at the funeral, and the coffin was covered in the [[Union Jack]] instead of a UVF standard. Robinson was a member of the 'Old Boyne Heroes' lodge of the [[Orange Order]], and several members wearing their sashes flanked the coffin. The cortege then met up with Margaret Robinson's funeral as it left her home in Crimea Street. A lorry carrying floral tributes led the cortege. Both mother and son were buried in [[Roselawn Cemetery]].<ref name=":2" /> A death notice from Robinson's Orange lodge was published in the local press, which caused controversy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kennaway |first=Brian |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63136276 |title=The Orange Order : a tradition betrayed |date=2006 |publisher=Methuen |isbn=978-0-413-77535-1 |location=London |pages=50 |oclc=63136276}}</ref> |
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[[File:Brian Robinson mural.JPG|thumb|Brian Robinson mural on Disraeli Street, February 2012]] |
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| ⚫ | Robinson's funeral was well-attended as it left his home in Forthriver Crescent. Despite his membership of the UVF there were no paramilitary displays at the funeral, and the coffin was covered in the [[Union Jack]] instead of a UVF standard. Robinson was a member of the 'Old Boyne Heroes' lodge of the [[Orange Order]], and several members wearing their sashes flanked the coffin. The cortege then met up with Margaret Robinson's funeral as it left her home in Crimea Street. A lorry carrying floral tributes led the cortege. Both mother and son were buried in [[Roselawn Cemetery]].<ref name=" |
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==Commemorative parades== |
==Commemorative parades== |
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Robinson's death is commemorated annually in a band parade attended by loyalist bands in the Belfast area. One band, Star of the Shankill, has "In Memory of Brian Robinson" written on its crest and emblazoned upon its bass drum.<ref name=" |
Robinson's death is commemorated annually in a band parade attended by loyalist bands in the Belfast area. One band, Star of the Shankill, has "In Memory of Brian Robinson" written on its crest and emblazoned upon its bass drum.<ref name=":1" /> The band also attracted controversy when it appeared at a parade organised by the [[Apprentice Boys]] that passed near the area in which Robinson killed his victim.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-12-02 |title=Parade decision 'must be reversed' |url=http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/parade_decision_must_be_reversed_1_1892228 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916150509/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/parade-decision-must-be-reversed-1-1892228 |archive-date=2018-09-16 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=The Newsletter}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-08-03 |title=Tensions flare after meeting over Apprentice Boys parade |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/tensions_flare_after_meeting_over_apprentice_boys_parade_1_1867305 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916150511/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/tensions-flare-after-meeting-over-apprentice-boys-parade-1-1867305 |archive-date=2018-09-16 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=The Newsletter}}</ref> In 2010, Rab Robinson, the brother of Brian, issued an appeal to the parades organisers to postpone the parade that year, owing to the death of his younger brother earlier that year.<ref>[http://www.u.tv/articles/article.aspx?cat=News&guid=79c31b19-2855-49e3-ba74-1ecbafe6be04 UTV News]</ref> |
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Robinson is commemorated in a mural on Disraeli Street, off Woodvale Road in Belfast.<ref name="cain">[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/viggiani/west_mural.html Physical Memorials of The Troubles in West Belfast-CAIN]</ref> |
Robinson is commemorated in a mural on Disraeli Street, off Woodvale Road in Belfast.<ref name="cain">[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/viggiani/west_mural.html Physical Memorials of The Troubles in West Belfast-CAIN]</ref> |
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In 2015, his son Robert removed a [[Special Air Service]] flag that had been erected by the loyalists at |
In 2015, his son Robert removed a [[Special Air Service]] flag that had been erected by the loyalists at Twaddell Avenue protest camp.<ref>{{Cite book|last=McCallion|first=Harry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hqfsDwAAQBAJ&q=SAS+2015+Robert+Robinson+Belfast&pg=PT160|title=Undercover War: Britain's Special Forces and their secret battle against the IRA|date=2020-08-06|publisher=John Blake|isbn=978-1-78946-334-7|language=en}}</ref> The Shankill UVF was later said to be reviewing its policy of flying the flag.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barnes |first=Ciaran |date=20 July 2015 |title=Son of UVF man rips down SAS flag at Twaddell protest camp in Belfast |language=en-GB |work=belfasttelegraph |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/son-of-uvf-man-rips-down-sas-flag-at-twaddell-protest-camp-in-belfast-31389099.html |access-date=2020-07-12 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> |
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In 2022 more than 50 loyalist bands and their supporters celebrated the sectarian murderer on the Shankhill Road. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Latest revision as of 16:26, 8 September 2024
Brian Robinson (c. 1962 – 2 September 1989) was a loyalist militant from Belfast, Northern Ireland and member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) who was witnessed killing a Catholic civilian. His death at the hands of an undercover British Army unit is one of the few from the alleged shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland to have involved a loyalist victim.[1]
Life
[edit]Robinson was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland to Rab and Margaret Robinson, and brought up a Protestant on Disraeli Street in the staunchly loyalist Woodvale district of the Shankill Road. It is not known when he became a member of the local Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). He held the rank of volunteer in its "B Company", 1st Battalion Belfast Brigade.[2] By the time of his death he had moved to Forthriver Crescent in the Glencairn estate, an area immediately northwest of Woodvale.[3]
Death
[edit]On 2 September 1989, Robinson and fellow UVF member Davy McCullough were travelling on a motorbike, with Robinson as the passenger armed with a gun, in Belfast's Crumlin Road, close to the Irish nationalist area of Ardoyne. Upon seeing Paddy McKenna, a Catholic civilian,[4] walking along the street, Robinson opened fire, hitting McKenna a total of 11 times and killing him. Unbeknownst to the two UVF members, an undercover British Army unit, linked to the Special Air Service, was in the area. Giving chase in a Vauxhall Astra car and a Fiat, the soldiers rammed the motorbike, forcing both men off the road. Robinson was shot twice in his torso, then twice more in the back of the head by a female soldier standing over him.[5][6] He was 27.[4] Upon hearing the news of her son's death, Robinson's mother Margaret suffered a fatal heart attack.[3] The two were buried on the same day.
The UVF leadership in west Belfast would later claim that the intelligence leading to Robinson's death had been provided by one of their own men, Colin "Crazy" Craig, who had, they alleged, been a police informer for several years. Craig was killed by the Irish National Liberation Army on 16 June 1994, along with fellow UVF members Trevor King and David Hamilton. A UVF commander was quoted as mourning King and Hamilton, but adding that Craig was in line to be shot by the UVF anyway.[7] Republican sources claim that the security forces infiltration of the UVF was even deeper, including Trevor King and "the most senior UVF figure in the North".[6]
Funeral
[edit]Robinson's funeral was well-attended as it left his home in Forthriver Crescent. Despite his membership of the UVF there were no paramilitary displays at the funeral, and the coffin was covered in the Union Jack instead of a UVF standard. Robinson was a member of the 'Old Boyne Heroes' lodge of the Orange Order, and several members wearing their sashes flanked the coffin. The cortege then met up with Margaret Robinson's funeral as it left her home in Crimea Street. A lorry carrying floral tributes led the cortege. Both mother and son were buried in Roselawn Cemetery.[3] A death notice from Robinson's Orange lodge was published in the local press, which caused controversy.[8]
Commemorative parades
[edit]Robinson's death is commemorated annually in a band parade attended by loyalist bands in the Belfast area. One band, Star of the Shankill, has "In Memory of Brian Robinson" written on its crest and emblazoned upon its bass drum.[5] The band also attracted controversy when it appeared at a parade organised by the Apprentice Boys that passed near the area in which Robinson killed his victim.[9][10] In 2010, Rab Robinson, the brother of Brian, issued an appeal to the parades organisers to postpone the parade that year, owing to the death of his younger brother earlier that year.[11]
Robinson is commemorated in a mural on Disraeli Street, off Woodvale Road in Belfast.[2]
In 2015, his son Robert removed a Special Air Service flag that had been erected by the loyalists at Twaddell Avenue protest camp.[12] The Shankill UVF was later said to be reviewing its policy of flying the flag.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Delisle, Claire; Rolston, Bill (2002). "Unfinished Business: State Killings and the Quest for the Truth". The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies. 28/29: 223. doi:10.2307/25515452. ISSN 0703-1459. JSTOR 25515452.
- ^ a b Physical Memorials of The Troubles in West Belfast-CAIN
- ^ a b c McKittrick, David; Feeney, Brian; Thornton, Chris; McVea, David; Kelters, Seamus (2001). Lost lives : the stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Ireland troubles (Revised ed.). Edinburgh: Mainstream. p. 1178. ISBN 1-84018-504-X. OCLC 46944614.
- ^ a b Sutton, Malcolm. "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ a b "20 years on, death of a UVF killer still looms large in loyalist memory". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ a b Friel, Laura (7 June 2007). "Catholic victim 'sacrificed' in FRU plot | An Phoblacht". www.anphoblacht.com. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ Cusack, Jim; McDonald, Henry (2008). UVF : the endgame (Revised ed.). Dublin: Poolbeg. ISBN 978-1-84223-326-9. OCLC 232479893.
- ^ Kennaway, Brian (2006). The Orange Order : a tradition betrayed. London: Methuen. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-413-77535-1. OCLC 63136276.
- ^ "Parade decision 'must be reversed'". The Newsletter. 2 December 2009. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "Tensions flare after meeting over Apprentice Boys parade". The Newsletter. 3 August 2010. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ UTV News
- ^ McCallion, Harry (6 August 2020). Undercover War: Britain's Special Forces and their secret battle against the IRA. John Blake. ISBN 978-1-78946-334-7.
- ^ Barnes, Ciaran (20 July 2015). "Son of UVF man rips down SAS flag at Twaddell protest camp in Belfast". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 July 2020.