THE Loyalist Communities Council has broken their silence over a string of attacks in north Down being linked to a feud among rival drug gangs in the UDA.
Since last Wednesday, petrol bomb and brick attacks have been reported on properties in Newtownards, Bangor and Donaghadee.
After elected representatives have called on the LCC - who represent the views of the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando - to speak out, the group released a statement this morning.
A spokesperson said: "The Loyalist Communities Council condemns the illegal peddling of drugs in our communities and rejects the use of loyalist 'flags of convenience' as a cover for criminal activity.
"The LCC considers the recent feud in North Down and Strangford to be the work of competing drug cartels. They are not loyalists. We urge everyone to reject their activity and, in particular, we ask parents to ensure their children are not being used to convey illegal substances."
The spokesperson added: "We remind the public of the commitments made in our Linenhall Library Declaration against criminality in February 2019. In particular that: 'Individuals who use criminality to serve their own interests at the expense of loyalist communities are an affront to the true principles of loyalism.'
"We look to the PSNI to do their job and remove this type of open criminality from our communities."
