Editing Ian Paisley (section)

===Early activism===
In 1949, Paisley formed a Northern Irish branch of the [[National Union of Protestants]], the group being led in the UK by his uncle, W. St Clair Taylor.<ref name="jordan">Richard Lawrence Jordan, ''The Second Coming of Paisley: Militant Fundamentalism and Ulster Politics'', p.222</ref>  Paisley's first political involvement came at the [[1950 United Kingdom general election|1950 general election]] when he campaigned on behalf of the successful [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) candidate in [[Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast West]], the [[Church of Ireland]] minister [[James Godfrey MacManaway]].<ref>[[Clifford Smyth]], ''Ian Paisley: Voice of Protestant Ulster'', p.4</ref> Independent Unionist MP [[Norman Porter]] came to lead the National Union of Protestants, while Paisley became treasurer, but Paisley left after Porter refused to join the Free Presbyterian Church.<ref name="Ian Paisley p.5"/>

Paisley first hit headlines in 1956 when Maura Lyons, a 15-year-old Belfast Catholic doubting her faith, sought his help and was smuggled illegally to Scotland by members of his Free Presbyterian Church. Paisley publicly played a tape of her religious conversion but refused to help with the search for her, saying he would rather go to prison than return her to her Catholic family.<ref name="McCrystal" /> Lyons eventually returned both to her family and Catholicism.<ref name="McCrystal" />

In 1956, Paisley was one of the founders of [[Ulster Protestant Action]] (UPA). Its initial purpose was to organise the defence of Protestant areas against anticipated [[Irish Republican Army (1922-1969)|Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) activity. It carried out vigilante patrols, made street barricades, and drew up lists of IRA suspects in both Belfast and rural areas.<ref>See [[Charles Brett|CEB Brett]], ''Long Shadows Cast Before'', Edinburgh, 1978, pp. 130–131</ref><ref name="encyclopedia-political" >[https://books.google.com/books?id=qps14mSlghcC&dq=%22Ian+Paisley%22+%22Ulster+Protestant+Action%22&pg=PA255 ''Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102175818/https://books.google.com/books?id=qps14mSlghcC&pg=PA255&lpg=PA255&dq=%22Ian+Paisley%22+%22Ulster+Protestant+Action%22&source=bl&ots=2i9IP_GyUb&sig=2-bdewO6ZBzX7QvyhI0OQy8YsgE&hl=en&ei=ZQ4xS7mdBoGRjAekhunRAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CBMQ6AEwBTge |date=2 January 2016 }}, Peter Barberis, John McHugh, Mike Tyldesley, p.255</ref> The UPA was to later become the [[Protestant Unionist Party]] in 1966.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=c5TPHakJ98cC&dq=protestant+unionist+party+1966&pg=PA144 Making the Irish American] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904094905/https://books.google.com/books?id=c5TPHakJ98cC&pg=PA144&lpg=PA144&dq=protestant+unionist+party+1966&source=bl&ots=XpMWEmLXh9&sig=TnEqKpIstgJUHB74Pjp5XK8eV4E&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Wl82T4vqFoGm8gO8_9mqAg&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=protestant%20unionist%20party%201966&f=false |date=4 September 2015 }}, Joseph Lee and Marion R. Casey, p144, NYU Press, 2006</ref> UPA factory and workplace branches were formed, including one by Paisley in Belfast's [[Ravenhill (Belfast)|Ravenhill]] area under his direct control. The concern of the UPA increasingly came to focus on the defence of 'Bible Protestantism' and Protestant interests where jobs and housing were concerned.<ref>See Ian S. Wood, 'The IRA's Border Campaign' p. 123 in Anderson, Malcolm and Eberhard Bort, ed. 'Irish Border: History, Politics, Culture'. Liverpool University Press. 1999</ref> The UPA also campaigned against the allocation of public housing to Catholics.<ref>Coogan, Tim Pat. ''The Troubles: Ireland's Ordeal and the Search for Peace''. Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. p.56</ref>

As Paisley came to dominate UPA, he received his first convictions for public order offences. In June 1959, Paisley addressed a UPA rally in the mainly-Protestant [[Shankill Road|Shankill]] district of Belfast. During the speech, he shouted out the addresses of some Catholic-owned homes and businesses in the area. These homes and businesses were then attacked by the crowd; windows were smashed, shops were looted and "[[Taig]]s out" painted on the doors.<ref>Moloney, Ed. ''Paisley''. Poolbeg, 1986. pp.89–90</ref><ref name="Coogan, p.56">Coogan, p.56</ref>

During the [[1964 United Kingdom general election|1964 UK general election]] campaign, an [[Irish republican]] candidate displayed an [[Flag of Ireland|Irish tricolour]] from the window of his office in a republican area of Belfast. Paisley threatened that if the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (RUC) did not remove the tricolour he would lead a march to the office and take it down himself. The [[Flags and Emblems Act]] banned the public display of any symbol, with the exception of the [[Union Flag]], that could cause a breach of the peace.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1987/Uksi_19870463_en_6.htm |title=Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 463 (N.I. 7) |publisher=Opsi.gov.uk |date=20 September 2000 |access-date=16 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419202543/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1987/Uksi_19870463_en_6.htm |archive-date=19 April 2010 }}</ref> In response, armed officers arrived at the building, smashed their way inside and seized the flag. This led to severe rioting between republicans and the RUC. Thirty people, including at least 18 officers, had to be hospitalised.<ref name=tricolour>Boyd, Andrew. ''Holy War in Belfast''. [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/docs/boyd69.htm Chapter 11: The Tricolour Riots] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827111703/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/docs/boyd69.htm |date=27 August 2011 }}. Anvil Books, 1969. Reproduced on [[CAIN]].</ref>