Jamie Bryson | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | 4 January 1990 Donaghadee, Northern Ireland |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Independent |
Jamie Bryson (born 4 January 1990 in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland) [1] is a Northern Irish loyalist activist who originally attracted media attention as a leading figure in the Belfast City Hall flag protests. [2] He is the author of four books and is the editor of Unionist Voice, a monthly unionist newsletter and online site. [3] He also runs a consultancy business focusing on loyalist public relations, legal work and advocacy.
Bryson, an Ulster Protestant from Donaghadee, was born in 1990 to David and Louise Bryson. [4] According to Bryson, he has been "involved in loyalism" since his "school days". [5] He first came to public attention as the vice-chair of the North Down Somme Society, in which role he led complaints that the Royal British Legion (RBL) were excluding the society from participation in Remembrance Day events due to its alleged loyalist paramilitary links. Reportedly, the RBL were so opposed to the North Down Somme Society's involvement it had warned it would "walk away" from events if the group attended. [6] He became a youth cohesion worker, and in December 2010 helped found the Community Partnership political party. [7] He stood for the party in Bangor West at the 2011 Northern Ireland local elections, but took only 167 votes and was not elected. [8]
In 2011, Bryson was active in a campaign against North Down Borough Council's allocation of Peace III funding, through which he met with Martin McGuinness. [9]
Early in 2012, he was convicted of carrying an extendible baton, which he stated was to protect himself from drug dealers angered by his role as a community activist. Later in the year, he published The First Shades of God, a book which argued that churches should adapt to popular culture. [10]
At the end of 2012 Bryson, serving for a time as chair of the Ulster People's Forum, became a leading figure in the Belfast City Hall flag protests. [11] In December 2012 Belfast City Council voted to limit the number of designated days for flying the Union Jack. Bryson, Jim Dowson and Willie Frazer coordinated a series of street protest against the decision. [12]
He was taken into custody in Bangor on 28 February 2013 for questioning in connection with public order offences. [13] Bryson was one of three protest leaders arrested, the others being Frazer and former British National Party funder Jim Dowson, with Dowson the only one of the three to be granted bail. [14] In protest at this, it was announced Bryson would begin a "hunger and thirst strike", however it was subsequently revealed the strike only lasted a number of hours. [15] In early March Bryson was charged with six matters relating to the protests. [16]
Bryson spent five weeks on remand in HM Prison Maghaberry. Shortly following his arrival he requested to be transferred to the loyalist paramilitary wing where members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Red Hand Commando (RHC) (a smaller group tied to the UVF) [17] were held. [18] Bryson told the Sunday Life newspaper that he had requested the transfer because "[he viewed himself] as a loyalist political prisoner". Bryson also said in this time he grew close to UDA prisoner Michael Stone, whom he described as "very smart man". [19] A later report on a separate case by an Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) committee found that the segregated loyalist paramilitary wing of Maghaberry Prison was open only to UVF and UDA members, upon invitation from the UVF or UDA. [20]
In March 2015 Bryson was found guilty of taking part in unlawful public processions and obstructing traffic due to his role in the protests [21] and given a six-month suspended jail sentence. [22]
Bryson has drawn condemnation for various comments made regarding the Ulster Volunteer Force (a paramilitary organisation proscribed as a terror group in the United Kingdom), [23] including claiming that they were "patriots that defended us", [24] that they were not terrorists, [25] [26] and that UVF flags erected in housing estates were "perfectly lawful UVF commemorative flags". [27] He has also said that Brian Robinson, a member of the UVF who was shot dead by the British Army in Belfast shortly after killing a Catholic civilian, was "murdered by the State he fought to defend." [28]
In 2018 Bryson was arrested in relation to a UVF criminality probe. [29] The PSNI sought to impose police bail conditions on him, restricting Bryson from discussing this arrest. Bryson did not comply with the police bail conditions, publishing a video online and giving newspaper interviews arguing that his arrest had nothing to do with any UVF activity, but rather was only in connection with an investigation by a regulatory body in relation to a door supervisory business. [30] The PSNI dropped the conditions less than one week after Bryson's arrest. [31]
As part of the arrest, the PSNI seized materials later claimed in court to have been leaked classified documents relating to the 'On the Run' [32] (OTR) scandal, as well as British Army and RUC files relating to the Kingsmill massacre. The coroner wrote to Bryson demanding these files. Bryson claimed journalistic privilege and refused to hand them over after the court had ordered the PSNI to return them, as regardless of their classified status, they fell into the scope of journalistic material. [33]
In 2018, Bryson launched High Court action against the PSNI and the Security Industry Authority claiming the seizure of material was unlawful and arguing that, because he was a journalist, a different legal processes should have been followed to allow his home to be searched. In May 2019, Bryson succeeded in his judicial review, with the High Court of Northern Ireland declaring the warrants unlawful. [34]
In August 2019 Bryson was questioned by The Nolan Show host Stephen Nolan how he could "be close to [UVF] thinking and know what they're thinking if you're not a spokesperson for them"". Bryson replied "To be a spokesperson for the UVF would be a criminal offence, the UVF are an illegal organisation, the UVF can speak for themselves." [35] In December 2019, following the general election, Bryson was asked by Nolan if given his "connections" to the UVF he was hinting at loyalists in Northern Ireland resorting to violence to obstruct the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. [36] Nolan later asserted on the programme that Bryson had "clear links with the UVF". [36] In March 2022, Nolan introduced Bryson as a "loyalist linked to the East Belfast UVF". [37] Bryson denied he represented the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), UVF or any other group and stated he only spoke in a personal capacity; Nolan responded that the BBC was "confident" in how it introduced Bryson. [37]
In April 2022 at a rally held in Newbuildings in County Londonderry in opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, attended by Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson and Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister, Bryson warned dissident republicans that any "attack" on his community "would have significant, and ultimately unwanted consequences, but consequences nonetheless". Bryson was responding to a threat against "loyalist leadership figures" issued by dissident group Óglaigh na hÉireann in the wake of recent "UVF and UDA" activity. [38]
Bryson has described life peer Kate Hoey as a "close personal friend." In January 2022 Bryson thanked Hoey and TUV leader Jim Allister for assisting him in a legal challenge to confirm whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had intelligence linking him to the UVF. [39] The case centred on a PSNI statement in August 2018 when Bryson was arrested in connection with a Security Industry Authority investigation into the illegal supply of pub door staff, which the PSNI said was part of a probe of criminality linked to the East Belfast UVF. He was later released without charge. [40]
Bryson initially put himself forward for the European elections in 2014 as an independent candidate but failed to raise the funds (£5,000) for the deposit necessary for him to stand. [41]
In 2015, Bryson made a number of allegations concerning the sale of loans and properties by the National Asset Management Agency on his blog. This culminated in him giving evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly's Finance Committee, in which he accused the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson, of corruption. [42]
In August 2016 Bryson was accused of leaking the name of his source in the NAMA revelations, [43] an accusation he strongly denied. The leak of the information regarding Daithí McKay, resulted in the MLA resigning his seat. [44]
Bryson is to be put on trial on a charge of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. He issued a High Court challenge seeking to prevent his prosecution in 2021. [45] His challenge failed in November 2021. [46]
On 29 January 2024, Bryson again came to prominence when he live-tweeted a private meeting of the DUP party executive. The meeting was called to discuss a proposal to bring the DUP back into power-sharing government and the party had gone to great lengths to ensure that the proceedings remained private. Shortly after the meeting started, Bryson began to share what was being discussed on his X account. The following day it was reported that a senior DUP executive member was wearing a wire which was used to relay the proceedings directly to Bryson. [47] Following the incident, political professor Jonathan Tonge dubbed Bryson "The Man Behind the Wire", a humorous reference to the republican protest song, The Men Behind the Wire . [48]
Bryson is an amateur footballer who previously played for Linfield F.C., Bangor F.C. and Crusaders F.C. [49] Bryson subsequently signed for East Belfast, [50] before giving up playing to become a manager. As of 2021, he coaches amateur league team Donaghadee FC. [51]
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group based in Northern Ireland. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former Royal Ulster Rifles soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence and criminal activities. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation list of the United Kingdom.
A loyalist feud refers to any of the sporadic feuds which have erupted almost routinely between Northern Ireland's various loyalist paramilitary groups during and after the ethno-political conflict known as the Troubles broke out in 1969. The feuds have frequently involved conflicts between and within the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) as well as, later, the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF).
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. It is currently led by Gavin Robinson, who initially stepped in as an interim after the resignation of Jeffrey Donaldson. It is the second-largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and won five seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom at the 2024 election. The party has been mostly described as right-wing and socially conservative, being anti-abortion and opposing same-sex marriage. The DUP sees itself as defending Britishness and Ulster Protestant culture against Irish nationalism and republicanism. It is also Eurosceptic and supported Brexit.
Peter David Robinson is a retired Northern Irish politician who served as First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2008 until 2016 and Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2008 until 2015. Until his retirement in 2016, Robinson was involved in Northern Irish politics for over 40 years, being a founding member of the DUP along with Ian Paisley.
Ulster loyalism is a strand of Ulster unionism associated with working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland. Like other unionists, loyalists support the continued existence of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, and oppose a united Ireland independent of the UK. Unlike other strands of unionism, loyalism has been described as an ethnic nationalism of Ulster Protestants and "a variation of British nationalism". Loyalists are often said to have a conditional loyalty to the British state so long as it defends their interests. They see themselves as loyal primarily to the Protestant British monarchy rather than to British governments and institutions, while Garret FitzGerald argued they are loyal to 'Ulster' over 'the Union'. A small minority of loyalists have called for an independent Ulster Protestant state, believing they cannot rely on British governments to support them. The term 'loyalism' is usually associated with paramilitarism.
George Seawright was a Scottish-born unionist politician in Northern Ireland and loyalist paramilitary in the Ulster Volunteer Force. He was assassinated by the Irish People's Liberation Organisation in 1987.
Billy "Hutchie" Hutchinson is a Northern Irish Ulster Loyalist politician and activist who served as leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) from 2011 to 2023, now serving as party president. He was a Belfast City Councillor, representing Oldpark from 1997 to 2005, and then Court from 2014 to 2023. Hutchinson was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast North from 1998 to 2003. Before this, he had been a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was a founder of their youth wing, the Young Citizen Volunteers (YCV).
William Frederick Frazer was a Northern Irish Ulster loyalist activist and advocate for those affected by Irish republican violence in Northern Ireland. He was the founder and leader of the pressure group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR). He was also a leader of the Love Ulster campaign and then, the Belfast City Hall flag protests. In 2019, from evidence gained in a police report, journalist Mandy McAuley asserted that the Ulster Defence Association had been supplied weapons, in the late 1980s, by the Ulster Resistance and that Frazer was the point of contact for those supplies. She asserted that multiple sources also confirmed this to be true. Those weapons were linked to at least 70 paramilitary murders.
Ulster Resistance (UR), or the Ulster Resistance Movement (URM), is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary movement established by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland in November 1986 in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
The Real Ulster Freedom Fighters, otherwise known as the Real UFF, is a dissident loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was founded in early 2007 by former members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) /Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF). They reportedly committed 24 attacks from 2009 to 2011 in County Antrim. They are believed to number fewer than 50 members.
The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was previously one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and are heavily involved in the drug trade. It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east County Antrim, Northern Ireland. A mural in support of the group lists its areas of activity as being Rathcoole, Rathfern, Monkstown, Glengormley and Whitewell, all of which are part of Newtownabbey, as well as Carrickfergus, the Shore Road, Greenisland, Ballymena, Whitehead, Antrim and Larne. A newer mural in the Cloughfern area of Newtownabbey and flags have updated the areas to include Ballycarry, Ballyclare, the rural hinterland of Ballymena called 'Braidside' and despite not being in County Antrim, the town of Newtownards. The Guardian has identified it as "one of the most dangerous factions". The Irish News described the brigade as 'powerful' and at one time being 'the most bloody and murderous gang operating within the paramilitary organisation'. Since 2007 the South East Antrim Brigade has operated independently of the UDA following a fall-out.
Kenneth Gibson was a Northern Irish politician who was the Chairman of the Volunteer Political Party (VPP), which he had helped to form in 1974. He also served as a spokesman and Chief of Staff of the loyalist paramilitary organisation, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
Winston Churchill Rea, known as Winkie Rea, was a Northern Irish loyalist from Belfast. He was the leader of the Red Hand Commando (RHC), a paramilitary organisation that was active during the Troubles. Part of a leading loyalist family, Rea was involved in paramilitary activity from the early years of that conflict.
Thomas English, usually known as Tommy English, was an Ulster loyalist paramilitary and politician. He served as a commander in the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and was killed by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) as part of a violent loyalist feud between the two organisations. English had also been noted as a leading figure in the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) during the early years of the Northern Ireland peace process.
During the 2012 North Belfast Riots sectarian disorder and rioting between loyalists and republicans occurred when rival parades, authorised by the Parades Commission, took place.
On 3 December 2012, Belfast City Council voted to limit the days that the Union Flag flies from Belfast City Hall. Since 1906, the flag had been flown every day of the year. This was reduced to 18 specific days a year, the minimum requirement for UK government buildings. The move to limit the number of days was backed by the council's Irish nationalists while the Alliance Party abstained from the vote; it was opposed by the unionist councillors.
The independent Assessment on Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland was announced by the United Kingdom government in September 2015 in response to the political crisis in Northern Ireland. The assessment sought to establish "the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland." The report was delivered to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 19 October 2015 and published the next day. It concluded that: "all the main paramilitary groups operating during the Troubles are still in existence including the Ulster Volunteer Force, Red Hand Commando, Ulster Defence Association, the Provisional IRA and Irish National Liberation Army." But that "the leaderships of the main paramilitary groups are committed to peaceful means to achieve their political objectives".
The 2005 Belfast riots were serious loyalist riots and civil disturbances in Belfast, Northern Ireland in September 2005. The violence broke out after the Protestant Orange Order Whiterock parade was re-routed to avoid the Irish nationalist Springfield Road area. Clashes also broke out in several towns in County Antrim. The incidents took place amid a fierce feud between members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), who are also thought to have orchestrated the riots.
Events from the year 2021 in Northern Ireland.
A series of riots in loyalist areas of Northern Ireland began in Waterside, Derry, on 30 March 2021. After four nights of rioting in Derry, disturbances spread to south Belfast on 2 April, where a loyalist protest developed into a riot involving iron bars, bricks, masonry and petrol bombs. Following this, civil unrest spread to Newtownabbey on 3 April, where cars were hijacked and burnt, and petrol bombs were also used against police. Carrickfergus in southern County Antrim also saw serious civil unrest on the night of 4 April and morning of 5 April, where loyalists created roadblocks to keep police out of local estates and threw petrol bombs at police vehicles.