Do you think the IRA were terrorists or freedom fighters?

I know the IRA did terrible things, but so did the British in Ireland. The British had discriminated against Catholics for years. Unlike ISIS, the IRA did at least usually phone through with warnings and many of their attacks were aimed at causing property damage to damage the economy rather than inflict mass civillian casualties. I know there were exceptions, but they did phone through with warnings which is unthinkable for ISIS to do. I know the general view of Americans and much of the world is that the IRA is not a terrorist group but rather freedom fighters and independence activists.

What is your opinion?

Reply 1

ageshallnot

Two new posts in the History section. Both provocative. I wonder what we have here, people?

Reply 2

SpangleMagnet

Original post by ap.ferro

the IRA did at least usually phone through with warnings and many of their attacks were aimed at causing property damage to damage the economy rather than inflict mass civillian casualties

This is simply not true. One of the IRA's major MO's was to cause as much injury as possible. It's why they used things such as nail bombs.

I'm not disputing the fact that the British did horrible things in Ireland; nor the fact that the Protestant Orangemen were/are not terrible themselves. However, that doesn't change the fact that the IRA were (and are) a terrorist group, by the actual definition of 'terrorism'.

They wanted to cause chaos and terror, hence they would phone in false threats, leave empty suitcases or dummy devices in places. This would shut down the surrounding infrastructure whilst the threat was dealt with, because the chance that it was real and people were going to get hurt was too high not to.

Maybe I feel differently about this because both of my parents were Metropolitan Police Officers in the 80's and one of them specifically worked for the counter-terrorism branch and was the go-to counter terror expert in the 80's, but it always sickens me a little bit when they are painted as independent, revolutionary freedom fighters against the oppressive regime. They may have been fighting against what they saw as an oppressive regime; that doesn't make them not terrorists.

Reply 3

ap.ferro

Original post by SpangleMagnet

Yeah I know, I can understand. Its just that compared to the likes of ISIS the IRA seem to be at least fighting for a more worthy cause if you can call it that. The IRA at least had some intelligence and in their final years their main attacks were against economic targets rather than civillian targets. Like the Manchester bombing, yes millions of pounds of damage was caused but no one was killed or even seriously injured. ISIS or some nutjob would blow up a whole arena of children

Reply 4

gjd800

I don't think any of us condone putting bombs in playgrounds, but as for the cause - right behind it.

Reply 5

londonmyst

The IRA (provos & officials) were appalling terrorist criminals; bombing, murdering, extorting, drug dealing and torturing- hiding behind the cause of nationalist republicanism as they embarked upon their violent crime spree.
As were the UDA, UVF, LVF and RHD- who opted to hide behind the cause of unionist loyalism as a smokescreen for their vile criminal conduct.

Both paramilitary factions sought to portray their cause as noble and motivated by a genuine desire to defend themselves against an evil aggressor waging a brutal war upon them.
Both paramilitary factions sought to portray themselves as legitimate freedom fighters, paramilitary soldiers selflessly sacrificing themselves for a just and moral cause.
Both sides were lying through their teeth, bombs and drug money.
Their atrocities brought nothing but decades of terror, crime and mass carnage- to Ulster, Eire and London.

Reply 6

Andrew97

Entertainment Forum Helper, Debate & Current Affairs Helper

Terrorists.

Reply 7

BenK64

Terrorists, but I agree its a complex issue. Hunger by steve mcqueen is a brilliant film dealing with this issue

Reply 8

Alexty28

I don't support the IRA bombing campaigns on civilians, however it was really the failiure of the British government that lead to the IRA terrorist attacks. For 100's of years Britain discriminated against the Irish, particularly the Catholics. In the 1960s Catholics in Northern Ireland were discrimanted against in housing, employment, education and the police force was overwhelming protestant. I mean just think about Bloody Sunday when British soldiers shot 28 unarmed protestors, this discrimnation happened in the 1970s and has been completely forgotton in mainland Great Britain. The IRA are constantly demonized, while Ulster Loyalist terrorist groups who killed more civilians and were responsible for bomings in NI and the Republic of Ireland never get demonized by the media. Neither is the British army or the NI police force.

IRA were ruthless terrorists, but today this day there are plenty of people living in England who have no clue about the UVF or the origins of the IRA.