Being from Belfast myself and growing up close to a Loyalist area. their bigotry is misunderstood. Their bigotry is not directed against catholics because of our religious beliefs but for what we represent
Many loyalist were brought up to believe that all Catholics were nationalists and as such all were a threat to the existence of the 6 counties. Throughout the years they felt and were taught( not all of them by the way) that if they did not employ catholics then these catholics would have to leave to find employment, thus keeping their numbers down. Catholics were seen as a force that would one day unite the country and this mistrust has been kindled by loyalist leaders for generations. I guarantee that if you ask a loyalist what the word " Catholic" means that 90% could not answer. I pity them because of what they have been taught by parents, grandparents etc. Now they see their numbers dwindling and they are in a panic situation, they somehow feel that they will be expelled from the country when unification comes. They somehow feel that so long as thay keep this bigotry and mistrust alive then the situation will never change. Many are afraid of a new generation of loyalists getting to know their nationalist neighbours and discovering that there is really nothing to fear and a united country would not be the hell that they have been brainwashed into believing. Brainwashed by people like Paisley who is the most bigoted person on this planet. The only good thing about his big mouth is that we always knew what he had in mind. Many others are not as vocal but just as bigoted but they work on the sly and are really more dangerous than Paisley. D.S. states that Paisley represents 34% of the electorate which is true but there is still 66% that he does not represent. Loyalist bigotry so not so much a religious bigotry as it is a political bigotry.