Another Man's Freedom Fighter Case Study

Throughout the years it’s often quoted that “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”. The characteristics that define terrorists are if an organisation is attacking specific groups, committing violence, wanting to change government policies and they do not form part of the government structure. The Irish Republican Army covered all these characteristics, in 1972 the IRA set off 22 bombs in Belfast within a space of an hour. The IRA also declared that their fight was not aimed at innocent victims but focused on government officials or anyone who worked or was linked to Government. The reason for these scare tactics was to force the end the British rule in Northern Ireland. However, it can be said that the IRA were Freedom Fighters as they fought for Ireland’s freedom and they were

In other incidences in the later part of 1984, one of an IRA members, Patrick Magee planted a bomb in the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, killing 5 people and injuring 31 people and in 1998 there was a car bombing that killed 29 people. The IRA continued these acts of violence in order to force the British Government to end their rule over Northern Ireland and wanted to reinforce their position as an independent country. They continuously demonstrated how vulnerable London was by arranging bombings in heart of Britain. The IRA started a new tactic in British mainland known as the London Bombing Campaign, in March 1992 the terror attack left a scar in British history as two young boys were killed by an explosion in Warrenpoint. These Campaigns in London were not very successful as they lacked local support and the IRA struggled with logistics. These violent attacks influence the reason why the IRA are viewed as