Willie Frazer
Encyclopedia
William "Willie" Frazer is the founder and leader of Families Acting for Innocent Relatives
(FAIR) in Northern Ireland
. He was also a leader of the Love Ulster
campaign.
, in Northern Ireland
and is an ex-member of the British Territorial Army. He is a member of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
which was founded by Ian Paisley
. He attended a local Catholic school. His father, Bertie, who was a member of the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment
, was shot dead by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) on 30 August 1975. Over the next ten years four members of Frazer's family - all of whom were members or ex-members of the British Security Forces, were killed by the IRA. An uncle of Frazer's who was a member of the UDR was wounded in a gun attack.
During the Drumcree conflict
, Frazer was a supporter of the hardliners within the Orange Order who were demanding the right to march down the Garvaghy Road against the wishes of local residents. Frazer was president of his local Apprentice Boys club at the time.
For a brief period, Frazer ran a nightclub in Tandragee, County Armagh, which closed down after two Protestant civilians were shot dead in the car park by the UVF
. The incident was believed to be linked with a dispute over drugs. Frazer was confronted in an interview on Radio Ulster about the murders by the father of one of the victims. Frazer applied for a legally held firearm for his personal protection and was turned down, a Chief Inspector said, based on intelligence that he was known to associate with loyalist
paramilitaries.
paramilitary organisations, or for the victims of the security forces. In the past, Frazer had said of loyalist paramilitary prisoners that "They should never have been locked up in the first place", and that he had "a lot of time for Billy Wright". Frazer, a member of the Orange Order and of the Apprentice Boys, has defended security force collusion with loyalist paramilitaries. In an interview with Susan McKay he said: "If you were in the UDR and your brother was shot, are you telling me you wouldn't? [pass information on to loyalists] See if a Paki comes from India
and kills a Provo? I'm going to shake his hand" "He applied for a weapon for his personal protection and was turned down in 2003 because, according to police, of "reliable intelligence" that he "associated with loyalist terrorist organisations". He denied it and sought a judicial review - it was refused in 2004.
In January 2007 Frazer dismissed Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan
's report into security force collusion with loyalist paramilitaries. Frazer also has documented links to extremist groups in America which came to attention when he invited Larry Pratt
of Gun Owners of America
to South Armagh in 2004. Pratt is an advocate of citizen's militias and had written approvingly of their use against insurgencies in Central America and the Philippines.
In September 2010 the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB
) revoked all funding to FAIR (more than £800,000 over 3 years) due to "major failures in the organisation's ability to adhere to the conditions associated with its funding allocation" uncovered following a "thorough audit" of the tendering and administration procedures used by FAIR. In a statement the SEUPB said: "The SEUPB is charged with ensuring the proper use of public money and as such has no option but to revoke all financial assistance, (amounting to approximately £880,000), that has been offered to the organisation... FAIR has been given every opportunity to respond to and address these issues. The decision to revoke and recover all financial assistance given to the project has not been taken lightly, however, given the seriousness of the issues no other recourse is available."
In November 2011 a European funding body announced that it was seeking the return of funding to FAIR and another Markethill victims group called Saver/Naver. FAIR was being asked to return £350,000 while Saver/Naver was being asked to return £200,000.
. He has never been elected, and on most occasions lost his deposit. He ran as an Ulster Independence Movement
candidate in the 1996 Forum Elections and the 1998 Assembly elections, and as an independent in the 2003 Assembly elections and a council by-election.
Frazer came to wider attention in October 2005 when he got into a public argument with a Redemptorist priest, Father Alec Reid
. Frazer made remarks that Catholics had butchered Protestants during the troubles. Father Reid likened Unionist treatment of Catholics to the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis. Reid later apologised for the remark, saying he had lost his temper. Frazer reported Reid to the police for incitement to hatred but no legal action ensued.
Frazer's best electoral showing was 1,427 votes, 25.9%, in a Newry and Mourne District Council
by-election in August 2006 when Frazer had the backing of the local UUP
and DUP
. The total votes polled 5,587 (47.6% of the local electorate); it was a two candidate race for the Fews Area between Frazer and Sinn Féin candidate Turlough Murphy. The combined Unionist vote in 2005 in the area had been 2,446.
In his most recent outing, in the 2010 UK Parliamentary general election Frazer contested the Newry and Armagh
UK Parliamentary constituency as an independent candidate. He received 656 votes (1.5%). The seat was retained by Sinn Féin
's Conor Murphy
who received 18,857 votes.
In the 2011 Assembly elections he was listed as a subscriber for the Traditional Unionist Voice
candidate for the Newry and Armagh constituency, Barrie Halliday.
parade in Dublin that had to be cancelled due to rioting
. In January 2007, Frazer protested outside the Sinn Féin
Ard Fheis in Dublin that voted to join policing structures in Northern Ireland. He "expressed outrage at the idea that the 'law-abiding population' would negotiate with terrorists to get them to support democracy, law and order."
, of Sinn Féin, seeking damages arising from the killing of Frazer's father by the IRA. Sinn Féin and the courts denied that any such writ had been served, but in June 2010 Frazer announced that he would seek to progress his claim in the high court.
When McGuinness stood for election in the Irish presidential election, 2011 Frazer announced that he and FAIR would picket the main Sinn Féin election events. He said, "If the people of the South want a terrorist to represent them around the world as their president then heaven help them."
In October 2011 he attended a protest in Pomeroy
against the use of rubble from a demolished police station to level out the playing field of the local GAA club. Frazer stated that "moving the rubble to the GAA club would cause a lot of heartache for many families. The unionist population is small in Pomeroy and they certainly feel betrayed."
After attending a Sinn Fein conference in November 2011 in Newry he reacted furiously to Ulster Unionist Party
MLA
John McCallister
's comments about Unionists as well as Republicans having difficult and painful questions to ask themselves about the past.Frazer stated people were 'appalled' by McCallister's remarks.
Families Acting for Innocent Relatives
Families Acting for Innocent Relatives is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1998 in South Armagh, Northern Ireland. It describes itself as a "non-sectarian, non-political organisation" that works "in the interests of the innocent victims of terrorism in South Armagh."-Leadership:FAIR is...
(FAIR) in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He was also a leader of the Love Ulster
Love Ulster
Love Ulster was a campaign conducted in Northern Ireland in 2005-08 on behalf of unionist victims of the Troubles, organised by the County Armagh Protestant victims' group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives , led by Willie Frazer.-History:...
campaign.
Background
William Frazer grew up in the village of Whitecross, County ArmaghWhitecross, County Armagh
Whitecross is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Corlat, in the civil parish of Ballymyre. It is part of the Newry and Mourne District Council area. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 285 people....
, in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and is an ex-member of the British Territorial Army. He is a member of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
The Free Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination founded by the Rev. Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its members live in Northern Ireland...
which was founded by Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
. He attended a local Catholic school. His father, Bertie, who was a member of the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment
Ulster Defence Regiment
The Ulster Defence Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army which became operational in 1970, formed on similar lines to other British reserve forces but with the operational role of defence of life or property in Northern Ireland against armed attack or sabotage...
, was shot dead by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) on 30 August 1975. Over the next ten years four members of Frazer's family - all of whom were members or ex-members of the British Security Forces, were killed by the IRA. An uncle of Frazer's who was a member of the UDR was wounded in a gun attack.
During the Drumcree conflict
Drumcree conflict
The Drumcree conflict or Drumcree standoff is an ongoing dispute over a yearly parade in the town of Portadown, Northern Ireland. The dispute is between the Orange Order and local residents. The residents are currently represented by the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition ; before 1995 they were...
, Frazer was a supporter of the hardliners within the Orange Order who were demanding the right to march down the Garvaghy Road against the wishes of local residents. Frazer was president of his local Apprentice Boys club at the time.
For a brief period, Frazer ran a nightclub in Tandragee, County Armagh, which closed down after two Protestant civilians were shot dead in the car park by the UVF
Ulster Volunteer Force
The Ulster Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in late 1965 or early 1966 and named after the Ulster Volunteer Force of 1913. The group's volunteers undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles...
. The incident was believed to be linked with a dispute over drugs. Frazer was confronted in an interview on Radio Ulster about the murders by the father of one of the victims. Frazer applied for a legally held firearm for his personal protection and was turned down, a Chief Inspector said, based on intelligence that he was known to associate with loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
paramilitaries.
FAIR campaign
FAIR claims to represent the victims of IRA violence in South Armagh. It has been criticised for not doing the same for victims of LoyalistLoyalist
In general, a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage, the most common application is to loyalty to the British Crown....
paramilitary organisations, or for the victims of the security forces. In the past, Frazer had said of loyalist paramilitary prisoners that "They should never have been locked up in the first place", and that he had "a lot of time for Billy Wright". Frazer, a member of the Orange Order and of the Apprentice Boys, has defended security force collusion with loyalist paramilitaries. In an interview with Susan McKay he said: "If you were in the UDR and your brother was shot, are you telling me you wouldn't? [pass information on to loyalists] See if a Paki comes from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and kills a Provo? I'm going to shake his hand" "He applied for a weapon for his personal protection and was turned down in 2003 because, according to police, of "reliable intelligence" that he "associated with loyalist terrorist organisations". He denied it and sought a judicial review - it was refused in 2004.
In January 2007 Frazer dismissed Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan
Nuala O'Loan
Nuala Patricia O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan, DBE is a noted public figure in Northern Ireland. She was the first Police Ombudsman in between 1999 and 2007. In July 2009, it was announced that she was to be appointed to the House of Lords. Consequently, she was raised to the peerage as Baroness O'Loan,...
's report into security force collusion with loyalist paramilitaries. Frazer also has documented links to extremist groups in America which came to attention when he invited Larry Pratt
Larry Pratt
Lawrence D. Pratt is the executive director of Gun Owners of America, a U.S.-based firearms lobbying group, and a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates.- Early life :...
of Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America
Gun Owners of America is a gun rights organization in the United States with over 300,000 members. They make efforts to differentiate themselves from the larger National Rifle Association , and have publicly criticized the NRA on multiple occasions for what the GOA considers to be the selling out...
to South Armagh in 2004. Pratt is an advocate of citizen's militias and had written approvingly of their use against insurgencies in Central America and the Philippines.
In September 2010 the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB
Special European Union Programmes Body
The Special EU Programmes Body is a cross-border body in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland which co-ordinates projects funded by the European Union and implemented in Northern Ireland and adjacent regions: the Border region of the Republic of Ireland, and Western Scotland...
) revoked all funding to FAIR (more than £800,000 over 3 years) due to "major failures in the organisation's ability to adhere to the conditions associated with its funding allocation" uncovered following a "thorough audit" of the tendering and administration procedures used by FAIR. In a statement the SEUPB said: "The SEUPB is charged with ensuring the proper use of public money and as such has no option but to revoke all financial assistance, (amounting to approximately £880,000), that has been offered to the organisation... FAIR has been given every opportunity to respond to and address these issues. The decision to revoke and recover all financial assistance given to the project has not been taken lightly, however, given the seriousness of the issues no other recourse is available."
In November 2011 a European funding body announced that it was seeking the return of funding to FAIR and another Markethill victims group called Saver/Naver. FAIR was being asked to return £350,000 while Saver/Naver was being asked to return £200,000.
Political activity
In addition to his advocacy for victims, Frazer has contested several elections in County ArmaghCounty Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
. He has never been elected, and on most occasions lost his deposit. He ran as an Ulster Independence Movement
Ulster Independence Movement
The Ulster Independence Movement was an Ulster nationalist political party founded on 17 November 1988. The group emerged from the Ulster Clubs, after a series of 15 public meetings across Northern Ireland...
candidate in the 1996 Forum Elections and the 1998 Assembly elections, and as an independent in the 2003 Assembly elections and a council by-election.
Frazer came to wider attention in October 2005 when he got into a public argument with a Redemptorist priest, Father Alec Reid
Alec Reid
Father Alec Reid, C.Ss.R. is an Irish priest noted for his facilitator role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Born and raised in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Reid was professed as a Redemptorist in 1950, and ordained a priest seven years later...
. Frazer made remarks that Catholics had butchered Protestants during the troubles. Father Reid likened Unionist treatment of Catholics to the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis. Reid later apologised for the remark, saying he had lost his temper. Frazer reported Reid to the police for incitement to hatred but no legal action ensued.
Frazer's best electoral showing was 1,427 votes, 25.9%, in a Newry and Mourne District Council
Newry and Mourne District Council
Newry and Mourne District Council is a local council in Northern Ireland. It includes much of the south of County Armagh and the south of County Down and has a population of approximately 93,400. Council headquarters are in Newry, the largest settlement and only city in the area; it has a...
by-election in August 2006 when Frazer had the backing of the local UUP
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
and DUP
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
. The total votes polled 5,587 (47.6% of the local electorate); it was a two candidate race for the Fews Area between Frazer and Sinn Féin candidate Turlough Murphy. The combined Unionist vote in 2005 in the area had been 2,446.
In his most recent outing, in the 2010 UK Parliamentary general election Frazer contested the Newry and Armagh
Newry and Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)
Newry and Armagh is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Armagh constituency with the...
UK Parliamentary constituency as an independent candidate. He received 656 votes (1.5%). The seat was retained by Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
's Conor Murphy
Conor Murphy
Conor Terence Murphy is an Irish republican Sinn Féin politician.According to An Phoblacht, Murphy first became involved with the Irish Republican Army during the 1981 hunger strikes...
who received 18,857 votes.
In the 2011 Assembly elections he was listed as a subscriber for the Traditional Unionist Voice
Traditional Unionist Voice
Traditional Unionist Voice is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland founded on 7 December 2007, as an anti-St Andrews Agreement splinter group from the Democratic Unionist Party . Its first and current leader is Jim Allister who, until 2009, sat as an independent Member of the European...
candidate for the Newry and Armagh constituency, Barrie Halliday.
Love Ulster parade
Frazer was an organiser of the Love UlsterLove Ulster
Love Ulster was a campaign conducted in Northern Ireland in 2005-08 on behalf of unionist victims of the Troubles, organised by the County Armagh Protestant victims' group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives , led by Willie Frazer.-History:...
parade in Dublin that had to be cancelled due to rioting
2006 Dublin riots
The 2006 Dublin riots were a series of riots which occurred in Dublin on 25 February 2006, precipitated by a proposed controversial march down O'Connell Street of a unionist demonstration. The disturbances began when members of An Garda Síochána attempted to disperse a group of...
. In January 2007, Frazer protested outside the Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
Ard Fheis in Dublin that voted to join policing structures in Northern Ireland. He "expressed outrage at the idea that the 'law-abiding population' would negotiate with terrorists to get them to support democracy, law and order."
Recent activity
In March 2010 Frazer claimed to have served a civil writ on deputy First Minister Martin McGuinnessMartin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was also the Sinn Féin candidate for the Irish presidential election, 2011. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland....
, of Sinn Féin, seeking damages arising from the killing of Frazer's father by the IRA. Sinn Féin and the courts denied that any such writ had been served, but in June 2010 Frazer announced that he would seek to progress his claim in the high court.
When McGuinness stood for election in the Irish presidential election, 2011 Frazer announced that he and FAIR would picket the main Sinn Féin election events. He said, "If the people of the South want a terrorist to represent them around the world as their president then heaven help them."
In October 2011 he attended a protest in Pomeroy
Pomeroy
- Places :* Pomeroy, County Tyrone, a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland* Pomeroy , a townland in the parish of Desertcreat, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland* Pomeroy, Derbyshire, England* Pomeroy, Iowa, USA* Pomeroy, Ohio, USA...
against the use of rubble from a demolished police station to level out the playing field of the local GAA club. Frazer stated that "moving the rubble to the GAA club would cause a lot of heartache for many families. The unionist population is small in Pomeroy and they certainly feel betrayed."
After attending a Sinn Fein conference in November 2011 in Newry he reacted furiously to Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
MLA
MLA
- Organizations :* Modern Language Association, United States of America** The MLA Style Manual, its works cited page guidelines* Massachusetts Library Association* Medical Library Association, United States...
John McCallister
John McCallister
John McCallister, MLA is a Northern Ireland Unionist politician who, in 2007, was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly as an Ulster Unionist Party member for South Down....
's comments about Unionists as well as Republicans having difficult and painful questions to ask themselves about the past.Frazer stated people were 'appalled' by McCallister's remarks.
Claims
Frazer has made a number of controversial claims about Republicans.- In December 2004 he claimed he was forced to flee from CamloughCamloughCamlough or Camloch is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is near Bessbrook and the slopes of the Ring of Gullion. It had a population of 910 people in the 2001 Census.- 1920s :...
after a Republican lynch mob attacked him because he criticized a Christmas tree.
- In April 2006 he was questioned by police after he stood outside watching a house in NewtownhamiltonNewtownhamiltonNewtownhamilton is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Tullyvallan and the barony of Upper Fews. It is part of the Newry and Mourne District Council area...
.Frazer claimed former INLA leader Dessie O'HareDessie O'HareDessie O'Hare , also known as "The Border Fox", is an Irish republican paramilitary, who was once the most wanted man in Ireland....
was in the house.However police stated no one in the house was wanted for questioning.
- In November 2008 he claimed that dissident republicans had attempted to kidnap him in south Armagh. Conor MurphyConor MurphyConor Terence Murphy is an Irish republican Sinn Féin politician.According to An Phoblacht, Murphy first became involved with the Irish Republican Army during the 1981 hunger strikes...
, a Sinn Féin MLA for Newry and Armagh and the Minister for Regional Development, said that the claims were those of “a well-known fantasist”.
- In April 2009 he claimed that the Irish Government had previous knowledge of a plan by dissident republicans to attack the Love UlsterLove UlsterLove Ulster was a campaign conducted in Northern Ireland in 2005-08 on behalf of unionist victims of the Troubles, organised by the County Armagh Protestant victims' group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives , led by Willie Frazer.-History:...
parade in 2006 with a grenade (no such attack took place). Frazer demanded an audience with the Irish government to discuss the issue.
- In January 2010 he claimed that IRA hungerstriker Raymond McCreeshRaymond McCreeshRaymond Peter "Ray" McCreesh was an Irish republican hunger striker and a volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army .-Background:...
had been one of the South Armagh Republican Action ForceSouth Armagh Republican Action ForceThe South Armagh Republican Action Force was an alleged Irish republican paramilitary group that was active from 1975 to 1977 during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Its area of activity was mainly the southern part of County Armagh. According to writers such as Ed Moloney and Richard English, it...
gunmen responsible for the Kingsmill massacreKingsmill massacreThe Kingsmill massacre took place on 5 January 1976 near the village of Kingsmill in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Ten Protestant men were taken from a minibus and shot dead by a group calling itself the South Armagh Republican Action Force...
. A Sinn Féin spokesperson dismissed Frazer's claims as the “ramblings of a fantasist”.