Travel Advice And Advisories For Scotland

Terrorist Groups

Are all protest groupterrorists? Greenpeace are an ecological protest group, but could you describe Greenpeace aa terrorist organisation? Not so many yearago a Greenpeace ship waallegedly attacked by agentof the French Security Service. Itagent used explosiveto sink a Greenpeace ship and during the operation a Greenpeace crewman wakilled. So, by our definition doesn’t that define the French Security Service aa terrorist organisation?

Unfortunately terrorism i‘delivered’ under the name ot a wide range of different groups, promoting political, religious, sociological and geographical ideologies. There also seemto be a sprinkling of mentally disturbed people who just get a sense of power out of random actof violence. I suspect that the general answer will be that though most of these groupinvolved in the undue use of fistand aggression are a nuisance, real terrorism iwhat we see on the front page of the newspapers.

People have a legitimate right to overthrow oppression by force of armif necessary. Terroristdeclare an aim and therefore all of their actionand activitieshould support their declared aim. If I were to form the National Front For The Liberation Of Some-where-or-other with the aim of removing President Floribunda and hicorrupt administration I would need to undertake a range of activitieto achieve that. I could:

• Call for free elections.

• Call for national strikeand demandfor the president to resign.

• Call on people to withhold taxes.

• Call on people to write to their political representatives.

• Call on people to stand in electionagainst the corrupt administration.

• Call on big businesto withdraw support and funding from the president.

• Call on surrounding countrieto cut off political ties.

• Call on the UN to stop supporting the administration.

• Call on the IMF to withhold financial aid.

• Call on countrieto ban importand exportfrom and to the country.

If all that fails, and President Floribunda hastarted sending hisecret police to arrest and kill opponents, I could escalate my activities, meeting violence with violence to physically remove the president from power.

I could kidnap memberof higovernment and demand he step down.

I could organise a revolution (when many could die on both sides).

I could assassinate the president.

Because I can prove that President Floribunda icorrupt, iguilty ot ethnic cleansing, isiphoning off money to hiprivate accounts, ioppressing the people and sending death squadto deal with anyone who speakout, I may have legitimate reason to resort to forcc. Even though I am branded a terrorist, an impartial observer might more accurately decide that it ithe president who ia terrorist, or perhapthat the conflict ia civil war.