In areas of contention, and especially those with colonial histories of direct rule from mother countries, the line separating acts of terrorism from freedom fighting is razor thin. In Northern Ireland specifically, discerning these differences is especially difficult. For example, the majority party in Northern Ireland's Parliament is Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein has garnered votes via legitimate elections, and yet, many of its members were heavily involved with the IRA (Irish Republican Army) in the 1970s during the time of conflict known as the Troubles. This was a period of resistance to British rule and intense fighting for civil rights for the minority Catholic population. The IRA is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, but to many in the Republican population of Northern Ireland, the IRA's acts of violence are likely perceived as freedom fighting acts in response to a history of civil injustices.
Terrorism can be defined as an act which is violent in nature, has political purposes, disregards civilians, and is clandestine in nature. Terrorist methodology is often employed by groups seeking political power or influence, but who do not possess the means by which to field a legitimate military. Therefore, improvisational and ad hoc strategies are often employed by terrorist groups. When most U.S. citizens think of terrorist groups, we think of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. What many might not know is that Al-Qaeda and many other terrorist organizations base their strategies in the tactical style of the IRA. The IRA fits all of the criteria outlined above for a terrorist organization. They are indeed violent, ambivalent toward civilians, politically motivated, and clandestine.
The IRA was born out of the Irish civil rights movement in response to the formation of a new Ulster Volunteer Forces (UVF: the original UVA were volunteers who fought alongside Allied forces in World War I in hopes of gaining independence from the British government as compensation). The new UVF was created in the 1966 and began to incite riots with Catholic sects in Belfast. Catholic families were burned out of their homes and in need of protection that they did not feel they were receiving from the British government. The IRA then stepped in in 1969 to fill that void. There are several instances of violent acts committed by the IRA, among them:
- The instance in Falls Street area in Belfast wherein three Scottish police officers were murdered in response to Catholic anger over the English implementation of a curfew
-Bloody Friday: the IRA's response to the violence of Bloody Sunday wherein twenty one bombs were planted in Belfast City Center and nine people were killed
- And the continuous back and forth retaliation murders throughout the period known as the Troubles throughout the 1970s and into the early 1990s
The IRA shared the traditionalist republican view that the Northern state is illegitimate. Following the attacks on Catholics in Belfast, the IRA used the events to rally Catholic support for their use of military tactics as a way to protect Catholics from further attacks. As British forces became increasingly involved in protection, the amount of sectarian violence and rioting increased on both sides. The IRA's mission then became more and more about the legitimacy of the constitution and the question of a united Ireland rather than simply protection for its people. These aims were squelched following the events of Bloody Sunday, as the Unionist Party regained control of Stormont and introduced direct rule in 1972.
At that point, the IRA came to represent the violent opposition to the standing government, continuing to struggle for political significance through acts of violence in response to Loyalist acts of violence throughout the era known as the Troubles. The era effectively ended in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, a peace treaty. The IRA in particular was ordered to decommission by the British and Northern Irish governments as part of the Agreement. The group took a vow to rid itself of all of its weapons and disengage itself in all terrorist activities. An Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) was established in order to monitor the IRA and assure that the group followed through on its promise. The IICD declared the IRA free of weapons and disengaged from all terrorist activities by 2003. Loyalist groups, however, criticized the IICD for its supposed lack of transparency, but independent groups have declared the IRA to be "committed to a political path."
The violence has since deescalated, but tensions remain. Massive peace walls and gates have been constructed to keep opposing neighborhoods separate but sectarian violence still bubbles under the surface. All in all, roughly 3,500 people died over the course of the Troubles era, many of them civilians. This indicates a lack of regard for civilians, collateral damage of rioting, and/or purposeful targeting of civilians: all characteristic of terrorist groups.
The IRA, much like other terrorist organizations, uses clandestine methods in order to accomplish its aims and prevent its members from becoming political prisoners. The methods often used by terrorist organizations are meant to be small incidents writ large as a part of a larger political mission. However, because terrorist organizations do not possess the legitimacy enjoyed by states (such as global support or a political process by which to make decisions about conflict), terrorist groups are forced to carry out violent acts in a clandestine fashion in order to avoid political imprisonment. In this way, both the IRA and the UVF could be considered terrorist organizations.
As aforementioned, the line between a freedom fighter and a terrorist is often razor thin. In the case of Northern Ireland, the decision as to whether we should consider a group like the IRA to be freedom fighters or terrorists is especially difficult. A freedom fighter, taken literally, is someone who fights avidly for his/her freedom. Using this definition, I think it is clear that the individuals fighting on behalf of the IRA were indeed freedom fighters.
The IRA became active in response to the UVF's and the British government's persecution of Catholics in Belfast in the late 1960s. The Irish civil rights movement began, similarly to the U.S.'s own civil rights movement, as a reaction to the unjust treatment of Catholics in terms of housing, gerrymandering, employment, and other laws. Furthermore, Britain's direct rule of Northern Ireland was likely difficult to swallow for Republicans, a group with no loyalties whatsoever to Great Britain and its government. For all of these reasons, it is easy to see how a Republican group such as the IRA would feel like its freedom was constantly being threatened. Their ethnic identity as Catholics were being devalued and downgraded by the Protestant majority population, and their native homeland was being directly run by a satellite government to which they shared no allegiance.
A more nuanced perception of groups such as the IRA and UVF would define them as freedom fighters that use terrorist tactics. Both groups are fighting over disagreements as to how government should run in this region. Each group has a distinct vision: Republicans advocate a united independent Ireland with a distinct constitution, and Unionists identify with Protestant Great Britain and have loyalties to its government. Each of these groups equate freedom with the fulfillment of their vision of government and are willing to fight with great risk in order to see their vision to fruition. They are, therefore, indeed freedom fighters. At the same time, each of these groups has used violent tactics in order to advance their political ideology. These methods have been politically charged, clandestine, and harmful to civilians. By definition, this implies that these groups are indeed also terrorists.
In conclusion, the situation in Northern Ireland with groups such as the IRA and the UVF is such that there essentially is no line separating the freedom fighters from the terrorists. Of course, there are surely members of each group who represent the extreme. There are always those who riot simply for the sick thrill of rioting and without the political motivations. Conversely, there are individuals on both the Loyalist and Republican ends of the political spectrum who desire cooperation and peaceful negotiation between the two sides. However, the members involved in the IRA and the UVF during the times if the Troubles are perfect examples of the blurry line which narrowly separates terrorists from freedom fighters.
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