Special Report Transcript Episode 20, Section 5, Time 36:10

It’s clear that there’s always been a range of surrogate vehicles through which the state security apparatuses effectively destabilized their opponents throughout the 1980s. Precisely because this is a hidden hand the nature of so-called third force activity has always been covert. It’s very hard to establish clear evidence of the links between them. But there’s very little doubt, just on the sheer weight of information available, that there was extensive involvement particularly of criminal youth gangs in attacks on politically targeted individuals and groupings.

Notes: Graeme Simpson (Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation); Newspaper clippings Weekly Mail ‘The Third Force: Two hit squad men speak’

References: there are no references for this transcript