Left-wing terrorism
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Left-wing terrorism or far-left terrorism is terrorism motivated by left-wing or far-left ideologies, committed with the aim of overthrowing current capitalist systems and replacing them with communist or socialist societies.[2] Left-wing terrorism can also occur within already socialist states as criminal action against the current ruling government.[3][4]
The majority of left-wing terrorist groups originated in the
Ideology
Left-wing terrorist groups and individuals have been influenced by various communist and socialist currents, including Marxism.[4] Narodnaya Volya, a 19th-century revolutionary socialist political organization and left-wing terrorist group operating in the Russian Empire that killed Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1881[6] and developed the concept of "propaganda of the deed", is considered a major influence.[7]
According to Sarah Brockhoff,
David Brannan writes that left-wing terrorists and insurgents tend not to engage in indiscriminate attacks on the public as it not only runs contrary to the socialist ideals they espouse of being protectors of the working class, but they also do not want to alienate large swaths of the working population as such organizations and individuals seek to gain their support.[12] Other researchers argue that left-wing terrorism may not be less indiscriminate than its right-wing counterpart.[13][14][15]
History
Left-wing terrorism has its roots in the 19th and early 20th-century
United States
This section is missing information about the 1919 anarchist bombings, and the 1920 Wall Street bombing.(December 2023) |
The
In October 2020, the
19 May Communist Organization
The
Latin America
Stefan M. Aubrey describes the
FARC
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist organization in Colombia which has engaged in vehicle bombings, gas cylinder bombs, killings, landmines, kidnapping, extortion and hijacking as well as guerilla and conventional military. The United States Department of State includes the FARC-EP on its list of foreign terrorist organizations, as does the European Union. It funds itself primarily through extortion, kidnapping and their participation in the illegal drug trade.[31][32] Many of their fronts enlist new and underage recruits by force, distribute propaganda and rob banks. Businesses operating in rural areas, including agricultural, oil, and mining interests, were required to pay "vaccines" (monthly payments) which "protected" them from subsequent attacks and kidnappings. An additional, albeit less lucrative, source of revenue was highway blockades in which guerrillas stopped motorists and buses in order to confiscate jewelry and money. An estimated 20 to 30 percent of FARC combatants are under 18 years old, with many as young as 12 years old, for a total of around 5000 children.[33] Children who try to escape the ranks of the guerrillas are punished with torture and death.[33][34]
Shining Path
The Communist Party of Peru, more commonly known as the
likewise regard Shining Path as a terrorist group and prohibit providing funding or other financial support.According to Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the actions of the Shining Path claimed between 31,331 and 37,840 lives.[39]
Asia
Stefan M. Audrey describes the Japanese Red Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as the main left-wing terrorist organizations in Asia, although he notes that the LTTE later transformed into a nationalist terrorist organization.[3]
Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Naxalites
Armed
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)
The
After the United People's Front of Nepal (UPF)'s Maoist wing, CPN-M, performed poorly in elections and was excluded from the 1994 election, the Maoists turned to insurgency. They aimed to overthrow Nepal's monarchy and parliamentary democracy, and to change Nepalese society, including a purge of the nation's elite class, a state takeover of private industry, and collectivization of agriculture.[44][45] In Nepal, attacks against civilian populations occurred as part of Maoist strategy, leading Amnesty International to state:
The CPN (Maoist) has consistently targeted private schools, which it ideologically opposes. On the 14 April 2005 the CPN (Maoist) demanded that all private schools shut down, although this demand was withdrawn on 28 April. Following this demand, it bombed two schools in western Nepal on 15 April, a school in Nepalganj, Banke district on 17 April and a school in Kalyanpur, Chitwan on 21 April. CPN (Maoist) cadres also reportedly threw a bomb at students taking classes in a school in Khara, Rukum district.[46]
Communist Party of the Philippines
The Communist Party of the Philippines has been responsible for several attacks on government and civilian targets. It was founded in 1968 by Jose Maria Sison, 4 years prior to Martial Law. They aimed to overthrow the Philippine President and the national government, and to change Philippine society, including a purge of the nation's elite class, a state takeover of private industry, and collectivization of agriculture thru National Democracy.[47][48][49] The CPP's Armed wing, New People's Army is responsible for attacking the military in the Philippine Mountains. Between 2002 and 2005, these groups are designated as terrorists by the United States[47] and the European Union.[50]
Japanese Red Army
The Japanese Red Army (JRA) was founded in 1969 as the "Red Army Faction" by students impatient with the Communist Party. In 1970, they hijacked a plane to North Korea, where nine of their members were interned. Fourteen members were killed during an internal purge. In 1971, the renamed JRA formed a connection with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and established a base in Lebanon. Their major terrorist acts included an armed attack on the Tel Aviv airport, hijacking planes to Libya and Bangladesh, kidnapping the French ambassador to the Hague, and bombing a United Service Organizations (USO) nightclub in Naples, Italy. By the mid-1990s, their level of activity had declined and the US State Department no longer considered them a terrorist threat. In 2001, their leader announced the dissolution of the group, although some of its members were in prison and others were still wanted by police.[51]
Europe
Typically small and urban-based, left-wing terrorist organizations in Europe have been committed to overthrowing their countries' governments and replacing them with regimes guided by Marxist–Leninist ideology. Although none have achieved any degree of success in accomplishing their goals, they have caused serious security problems in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, Portugal and Spain.[52][53]
Action Directe
Communist Combatant Cells
The
First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups
The First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups (GRAPO) was a Maoist terrorist group in Spain that was founded in 1975.[57] Since its inception until 2007, it assassinated 84 people, including police, military personnel, judges and civilians; either by bombings or shootings. The group has committed a number of kidnappings, initially for political reasons, later on, mainly for extortion. Its last attack was committed in 2006, when GRAPO militants shot dead Ana Isabel Herrero, the owner of a temporary work agency in Zaragoza.[58]
Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) is an Irish republican communist paramilitary group formed on 10 December 1974, during "the Troubles". It seeks to remove Northern Ireland from British control and create a socialist republic encompassing all of Ireland. It is the paramilitary wing of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP).
The INLA was founded by former members of the
The INLA is a Proscribed Organisation in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000 and an illegal organisation in the Republic of Ireland.[62][63]
Irish People's Liberation Organisation
The Irish People's Liberation Organisation (IPLO) was a breakaway group of the Irish National Liberation Army, formed in 1986 by former prominent INLA members. However unlike the INLA & IRA whose main targets were British soldiers and police, the IPLO mainly targeted loyalist paramilitary members.[64] It had a small political wing known as the Republican Socialist Collective. During The Troubles, between 1986 -1992, the group was responsible for the deaths of 22 people, including Loyalist & Republican paramilitary members, British security forces and civilians.[65]
In November 1992 the group was forcibly disbanded by the Provisional IRA (PIRA) after the group was purged of members in Belfast by the PIRA.[66]
Popular Forces 25 April
The
Red Army Faction
The
Red Brigades
The
Revolutionary Organization 17 November
The Revolutionary Organization 17 November, also known as 17N or N17, was a Greek urban terrorist organization named in commemoration of a 1973 mass demonstration and riot against the military junta. By 1975 the group had killed 23 people, including U.S. officials, NATO officials and Greek politicians, magistrates and businessmen. Attempts by the Greek police, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Scotland Yard to investigate the group were unsuccessful. The group was captured in 2002, after one of its members was wounded by a bomb he was carrying.[74] It has been recognized as a terrorist organization by the Greek State, the US and international law enforcement agencies.[75][76][77]
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front
The
See also
- 1919 United States anarchist bombings
- Communist terrorism
- Eco-terrorism
- Left-wing extremism and anti-government in the United States
- Propaganda of the deed
- Religious terrorism
- Right-wing terrorism/Far-right terrorism
- Wall Street bombing
Notes
- ^ "CQ Almanac Online Edition". library.cqpress.com. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ S2CID 143560023.
- ^ a b c d Aubrey, pp. 44–45
- ^ a b Moghadam, p. 56
- S2CID 159356487.
During the last two decades, left-wing terrorism has commonly been perceived as a relatively minor phenomenon even if at times predictions have been made about its return. [...] During the last two decades left-wing terrorism has been a relatively minor phenomenon in the whole spectrum of terrorism.
- United Press Association. 7 May 1881. p. 2.
- ^ Moghadam, p. 50
- ^ Brockhoff, Krieger, and Meierrieks
- ^ Brockhoff, Krieger and Meierrieks, p. 3
- ^ a b Brockhoff, Krieger and Meierrieks, p. 17
- ^ Brockhoff, Krieger and Meierrieks, p. 18
- ISBN 9781857435795.
- ^ Silke, Andrew, ed. (2018) Routledge Handbook of Terrorism and Counterterrorism. Routledge.
- ^ Ahmed, Ranya (2018) "Terrorist ideologies and target selection." Journal of Applied Security Research v.13, n.3, pp.376-390.
- ^ Stohl, Michael. The politics of terrorism. CRC Press, 2020, pp.159, 166-167
- ^ Brockhoff, Krieger, and Meierrieks, pp. 2–3
- ^ LCCN 2018955266.
- LCCN 2020050360.
- ^ Kis-Katos, Krisztina, Helge Liebert, and Günther G. Schulze. "On the heterogeneity of terror." European Economic Review 68 (2014): 116-136.
- ^ "Weather Underground Bombings - Federal Bureau of Investigation". Federal Bureau of Investigation. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "American Experience | Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst | PBS". www.pbs.org. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ "San Francisco: A City of Violence", The Washington Post
- ^ Smith, pp. 24–25
- ^ Brockhoff, Krieger and Meierrieks, pp. 13, 19
- ^ Beckett, Lois (22 October 2020). "White supremacists behind majority of US domestic terror attacks in 2020". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Who are Antifa?". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "In Depth: Terrorism in America After 9/11: Part IV. What is the Threat to the United States Today? (main text and details after clicking Dataset, then "Download as CSV")". New America Foundation. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ISBN 1-85984-167-8. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
- ^ doi:10.2172/780410. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and the Responses to Terrorism, DHS (1 March 2008). "Terrorist Organization Profile: May 19 Communist Order". National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and the Responses to Terrorism. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ BBC News. "Colombia's Most Powerful Rebels." 19 September 2003. Available online. Accessed 1 September 2006.
- ^ International Crisis Group. "War and Drugs in Colombia." 27 January 2005. Available online. Accessed 1 September 2006.
- ^ a b Human Rights Watch. "Colombia: Armed Groups Send Children to War." 22 February 2005. Available online. Accessed 1 September 2006.
- ^ Human Rights Watch. "'You'll Learn Not to Cry: Child Combatants in Colombia." September 2003. Available online. Accessed 1 September 2006.
- ^ Burt, Jo-Marie (2006). "'Quien habla es terrorista': The political use of fear in Fujimori's Peru." Latin American Research Review 41 (3) 32–62.
- ^ US Department of State, "Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)" 11 October 2005. Available online Accessed 1 February 2006.
- ^ Council Common Position 2005/936/CFSP. 14 March 2005. Available online. Accessed 27 September 2006.
- ^ Government of Canada. "Listed Entities". Available online Archived 19 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 27 September 2006.
- ^ Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación. Annex 2 Page 17. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "Indian Maoist Violence". Reuters. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ Gupta, Kanchan (25 November 2004). "Naxals, India's enemy within". Rediff. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ "India's Naxalites: A spectre haunting India". The Economist. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ Guerilla zone, Cover Story, Frontline, Volume 22, Issue 21, 8–21 Oct. 2005 DIONNE BUNSHA in Gadchiroli "Guerilla zone". Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
- ^ "Viasat Internet | Provider of Fast Satellite Internet". ViaSat Internet Provider. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "Nepal Terrorist Groups - Maoist Insurgents". www.satp.org. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "Nepal: Children caught in the conflict - Amnesty International". 7 November 2005. Archived from the original on 7 November 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 – Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army". Refworld. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "Executive Order 13224 Terrorist Designations Under Amended Executive Order To Modernize Sanctions To Combat Terrorism". US Department of State. Bureau of Counterterrorism. 23 September 2001. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "The Council of the European Union on updating the list of persons, groups and entities subject to Articles 2, 3 and 4 of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism, and repealing Decision (CFSP) 2019/25". Office Journal of the European Union. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ Atkins, pp. 157–58
- ^ Plushinsky, p. 16
- ISSN 0002-8282.
- ^ Pluchinsky, p. 134
- ^ "Europe wary of banning parties". BBC News. 28 August 2002. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
- ^ Atkins, pp. 62–63
- ISBN 978-0-7146-3488-3.
- ^ "Libertad Digital: El último grupo de los GRAPO tenía previsto volver a atentar". Archived from the original on 26 December 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ Sutton, Malcolm. "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1983". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ^ "Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)". fas.org. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "Terrorism Act 2000". Schedule 2, Act No. 11 of 2000.
- ^ "Department of Justice" (PDF). www.gov.ie.
- ^ "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1987". cain.ulster.ac.uk.
- ^ Sutton, Malcolm. "Crosstabulations (two-way tables)". CAIN Web Service. CAIN. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ISBN 978-1898142058. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho obituary". the Guardian. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Castelo-Branco, Manuel. "À lei da bala. Os 25 anos sobre a amnistia às Forças Populares-25 de Abril". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ a b Kushner, p. 148
- ^ Jamieson, A., "Identity and Morality in the Italian Red Brigades" in Terrorism and Political Violence, 1990, pp. 508–15
- ISBN 978-0-415-38478-0.
- ^ Willan, Philip (9 May 2003). "Moro's ghost haunts political life". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Atkins, p. 278
- ^ Leventhal, Todd (20 January 2006). "Misinformation about "Gladio/Stay Behind" Networks Resurfaces". Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
- ^ Foreign Terrorist Organizations, The National Counterterrorism Center
- ^ Press release, Greek Police (in Greek)
- ^ "TÜRKİYE'DE HALEN FAALİYETLERİNE DEVAM EDEN BAŞLICA TERÖR ÖRGÜTLERİ". Terörle Mücadele ve Harekat Dairesi Başkanlığı. 27 January 2005. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (8 April 2008). "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ "Council Common Position 2008/586/CFSP updating Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Common Position 2007/871/CFSP". (52.3 KB), Official Journal of the European Union L 188/71, 16 July 2008
- ^ Communications Directorate (4 October 2005). "Proscribed terrorist groups". Terrorism Act 2000. Home Office. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
References
- Atkins, Stephen E. Encyclopedia of modern worldwide extremists and extremist groups. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004. ISBN 0-313-32485-9
- Aubrey, Stefan M. The new dimension of international terrorism. Zurich: vdf Hochschulverlag AG, 2004. ISBN 3-7281-2949-6
- Brockhoff, Sarah, Krieger, Tim and Meierrieks, Daniel, "Looking Back on Anger: Explaining the Social Origins of Left-Wing and Nationalist Separatist Terrorism in Western Europe, 1970–2007" (2012). APSA 2012 Annual Meeting Paper. Available at SSRN: Looking Back on Anger: Explaining the Social Origins of Left-Wing and Nationalist Separatist Terrorism in Western Europe, 1970-2007
- Bush, George (task force). Terrorist Group Profiles. DIANE Publishing, 1989. ISBN 1-56806-864-6
- ISBN 0-7619-2408-6
- Moghadam, Assaf. The roots of terrorism. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0-7910-8307-1
- Pluchinsky, Dennis A. "Western Europes's red terrorists: the fighting communist organizations". In Yonah Alexander and Dennis A. Pluchinsky (Eds.), Europe's red terrorists: the fighting communist organizations. Oxford: Frank Cass and Company, 1992. ISBN 978-0-7146-3488-3
- Smith, Brent L. Terrorism in America: pipe bombs and pipe dreams. Albany: SUNY Press, 1994 ISBN 0-7914-1760-3