Families of victims killed with weapons linked to Ulster Resistance have called on the DUP to provide a full account of its role in the organisation's formation and arms importation. The call came at the launch of a new publication, 'Ulster Resistance and the Role of the DUP in its Formation', held in St Comgall's on Tuesday, the 40th anniversary of the Ulster Hall rally where the group was founded.

Ulster Resistance was launched on November 10, 1986, at an invitation-only rally of some 3,000 men in the Ulster Hall. The rally was chaired by Sammy Wilson, then Belfast Lord Mayor, and addressed by DUP leader Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson. Noel Little, father of current deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, was also present and is now known to have been a central figure in the importation and distribution of weapons for loyalist paramilitaries. Senior DUP figures appeared at further rallies in the weeks that followed, wearing the group's distinctive red berets.

Paul 'Topper' Thompson (25) was murdered by the UFF in Springfield Park on April 25, 1994. A VZ58 assault rifle used in his murder was part of a haul of weapons imported by Ulster Resistance in 1988 in association with the UVF and UDA. Ulster Resistance is linked to at least 98 murders.

Briege Wright, a cousin of Paul Thompson, said the report sets out the human consequences of decisions made by DUP leadership. She called on the DUP to answer three questions: whether it will acknowledge the role of its senior figures in establishing and promoting Ulster Resistance; what it knows about the organisation's arms procurement and the 1987/88 importation and distribution of weapons to the UDA and UVF; and whether it will provide families with a full account of its involvement. She said the party cannot distance itself from an organisation whose formation was actively promoted by its most senior figures.

Ciarán MacAirt, spokesperson for the Time for Truth Campaign, said that within weeks of the Ulster Hall launch, Ulster Resistance was planning to import guns with the UVF and UDA, which were later used to kill loved ones. He said the families' stated view is that there must be an independent, thematic investigation into Ulster Resistance, its political sponsorship, the arms importation, the role of state agencies and the subsequent killings.

North Belfast MP John Finucane also spoke at the launch. He said the DUP's attempts to distance itself from Ulster Resistance must be examined against the public role its leading figures played in establishing and promoting the organisation. He added that there are fundamental questions about what British state agencies knew, the handling of intelligence, the role of informants and the extent of collusion surrounding the importation and distribution of weapons. He said the passage of time does not diminish families' rights to truth and justice.