Red Hand Commando

Red Hand Commando (RHC) was a small loyalist paramilitary group. Its chief aim was to maintain Northern Ireland as part of the UK, and to oppose by force the republican movement that aimed to make Northern Ireland part of a unified Ireland free of British control. RHC was closely allied to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), one of the largest loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. The two groups had separate command structures but shared weapons and moved together on major political issues, jointly engaging in the peace process and ultimately decommissioning their weapons in 2009. The UVF and RHC together are believed to be responsible for over 500 deaths in the course of the modern Northern Ireland conflict, mainly of Catholic civilians.