Europe at Present [Spring 2003]

Terrorism in Europe

Some terrorists groups that operates in Europe are well organised, with clear structure and usually with political party as a legally existing wing. They have many members of which some are very well trained and can cause lots of dangerous situations. Often such organisations are supported financially from other countries. This kind of terrorism exists in the Northern Ireland and in Spain where minorities want to separate from the matrix and gain sovereignty and later create an independent country.

There are also groups that are usually smaller and their actions are more spontaneous. Their arguments are not as strong as those who call for their own country. Sometimes they just assume shape of anarchical movements that oppose legal authorities however can be very dangerous and threaten the society.

There are also terrorists operating outside their native country and often pretend to have a normal life as a refugee or an emigrant in one of the European places. However they still have connections with their motherland’s terrorist organisations and can be dangerous to their new home country. As far as nations are concerned I see mostly Muslims that practise such terrorism.

While there is a talking about terrorism in Europe, most of the people would start thinking about Ireland and the IRA. The IRA, Northern Ireland’s biggest republican paramilitary group, was founded more than 80 years ago to fight for a united Ireland. Throughout many years the IRA changed a lot, split into fractions and took different lines. Irish Republican Army is not the only terrorist group that operates in Ireland.⁵¹⁵ Besides IRA there are four other organisations that fight with legal power in order to achieve sovereignty for Northern Ireland. They are: Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), Red Hand Defenders (RHD) and Ulster Defence Association/Ulster Freedom Fighters (UDA/UVF). Those organisations count up to 5000 members⁵¹⁶, with several hundred active in paramilitary actions.

So how it is possible that so many terrorists groups exist in a developed country? Ireland gained independence in 1921 from the UK for 26 southern counties, after the guerrilla warfare. But still there were 6 northern counties (Ulster) that remained as a part of Great Britain.⁵¹⁷ This region became the bone of contention between those two countries. The UK was directly committed to the terrorist problem of Ulster, but the republic of Ireland also had imported role having in its constitution notice about aiming to the unification of an island.

In the 60’s the problem was intensified and started to be perceived as the civil war, where catholic and protestant fighters were clashing at the streets. British army forces had to intervene. But these solutions only strengthen the hatred and terrorists groups were active for many years. The attacks occurred also in the Great Britain and even that following British prime ministers had tried to resolve the issue, not much changed. Finally the IRA declared a ceasefire in August 1994 following the Dowing Street Declaration. This was broken by the Docklands bombing in early 1996, but restored in July 1997. This move allowed Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA, to join the peace talks with new Prime Minister Tony Blair.⁵¹⁸ The agreement was signed in April 1998, and it states that the unification of the Ulster to the Ireland and also any other changes in its status have to be adopted by the most of citizens. The native differentiation of Irish Catholics is accepted and Parliament is the main authority where the proportional principle protects Catholics against the total power of Protestants. The referendum of May 22, 1998 brought peace to this region, however there are still those that fight for independence of Ulster. The death toll of the conflict between Catholics and Protestants was more than 3 thousand of people while another 67 thousand were injured.⁵¹⁹

But it seems that the problem is not completely solved. Still there are attacks of terrorists group in which people die. Not long time ago, in March of this year, there was an apparent political attack on two man in Cullavill, Armagh County, Northern Ireland and as a result one person was killed and another one was injured.⁵²⁰

Another well-organised terrorist group with hundreds of members and many supporters from all around the world is ETA. Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, is a secret organisation that operates in Spain and by using terrorists attacks on the Spanish officials tries to win the independence for Basque country. It was founded in 1958 and is being perceived as the military wing of the National Party of the Basques.⁵²¹

For the last three decades ETA has waged a bloody campaign for independence for the seven regions in northern Spain and southwestern France that Basque separatists claim as their own. Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, whose name stands for Basque Homeland and Freedom, first emerged in the 1960s as a student resistance movement bitterly opposed to General Franco's repressive military dictatorship. Under Franco the Basque language was banned, their distinctive culture suppressed, and intellectuals imprisoned and tortured for their political and cultural beliefs. The death of Franco in 1975 changed all that, and the transition to democracy brought the region of two million people home rule.⁵²²

But despite the fact that Spain's Basque country today enjoys more autonomy than any other - it has its own parliament, police force, controls education and collects its own taxes - ETA and its hard-line supporters remain determined to fight for full independence.

That fight has led to some 800 deaths over the last 30 years⁵²³, many of them members of the Guardia Civil, Spain's national police force, and both local and national politicians who are opposed to ETA's separatist demands.

ETA seems to be not the only terrorist problem in Spain. Although week, First of October Antifascist Resistance Group, has conducted and attempted several attacks against US targets since 1977. This organisation was formed in 1975 as the armed wing of the illegal Communist Party of Spain during the Franco era. Advocating the overthrow of the Spanish Government and replacement with a Marxist-Leninist regime, GRAPO is vehemently anti-US and calls for the removal of all US military forces from Spanish territory.⁵²⁴ The group issued a communiqué following the 11 September attacks in the United States, expressing its satisfaction that "symbols of imperialist power" were decimated and affirming that "the war" has only just begun.

GRAPO has killed more than 90 persons and injured more than 200. The group’s operations traditionally have been designed to cause material damage and gain publicity rather than inflict casualties, but the terrorists have conducted lethal bombings and close-range assassinations. The French and Spanish authorities arrested several key leaders in 2002, however fewer than dozen of active members still can threaten the nation. ⁵²⁵

There are more organizations and other informal groups in Europe that oppose the power of the United States. Not well known, but they show their presence every once in a while. For example Anti-Imperialist Territorial Nuclei (NTA) leftist extremist group that appeared in the Friuli region in Italy in 1995. Fights against what it perceives as US and NATO imperialism and condemns Italy’s foreign and labour polices. They criticize the US/NATO presence in Italy and put their words into action by attacking property owned by USAir Forces personnel at Aviano Air Base.⁵²⁶

Some of the Greek organisations also do not like the US either other regimes: NATO and even the European Union authorities. Revolutionary Organisation of 17 November is a radical leftist group established in 1975 and named for the student uprising in Greece in November 1973 that protested the military regime. Although it is presumed to be small it has some considerable actions on its account. Initial attacks were assassinations of senior US officials and Greek public figures. They added bombings in 1980s. Since 1990 has expanded targets and now include EU facilities and foreign firms investing in Greece. Most recent attack claimed was the murder in June 2000 of British Defence Attaché Stephen Saunders.⁵²⁷

Europe is also an arena where huge and powerful organisations from other continents play their role. Al-Qaida seems to be the most dangerous among many Islamic groups that exists in European environment. Al-Qaida, meaning "the base", was created in 1989 as Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan and Osama Bin Laden and his colleagues began looking for new jihads.⁵²⁸ The organisation grew out of the network of Arab volunteers who had gone to Afghanistan in the 1980s to fight under the banner of Islam against Soviet Communism. The "Arab Afghans", as they become known, were battle-hardened and highly motivated. In the early 1990s Al-Qaida operated in Sudan. Since 1996 its headquarters and about a dozen training camps have been in Afghanistan, where Bin Laden forged a close relationship with the Taleban. However, the organisation is thought to operate in 40 to 50 countries, not only in the Middle East and Asia but also in North America and Europe. In western Europe there are known or suspected cells in London, Hamburg, Milan and Madrid. These are important centres for recruitment, fundraising and planning operations.⁵²⁹

In Austria and in the United Kingdom has its presence Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group, IG), Egypt’s largest militant group, and active since the late 1970s. Primary goal of the IG is to overthrow the Egyptian Government and replace it with an Islamic state, but its disaffected members may be also interested in carrying out attacks against US and Israeli interests. The Egyptian Government believes that Iran, Bin Ladin, and Afghan militant groups support the organization. Their most spectaculars attacks were aimed at the tourists in Egypt, most notably the attack in November 1997 at Luxor that killed 58 foreigners.⁵³⁰

Aum Supreme Truth (Aum) is a cult established in 1987 by Shoko Asahara in Japan. The Aum aimed to take over Japan and then the world. With its ridiculous arguments this group managed to gather over 40 thousands members all around the world including in Europe. The actions were only taken in Japan however there are known cells in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, the former Yugoslavia, and the United States. The biggest terrorist action was taken in Tokyo where twelve persons were killed, and 5,700 were injured in a Sarin nerve gas attack on a crowded subway station in the centre of city. A similar attack occurred nearly simultaneously in the Yokohama subway system.⁵³¹ Although the group is not as strong as it used to be in 90’s, still there may be some follies of its members.

Besides all the groups that operate in Europe of which some are very well organised and other that are the fanatics who take just movements with radical slogans also individual actions. Sometimes it is hard to draw a clear line between the terrorist, the organised crime groups and politicians. Often there are many connections between those three worlds. On March 12, 2003 pro-Western and reform-minded Zoran Djindjic, Prime Minister of Serbia, was assassinated in Belgrade. Many scenarios are possible while Prime Minister had many enemies including people from his closest surroundings.⁵³²

Terrorism in Europe has got many faces. There are many groups and organisations that can be described as terrorists. However still European countries are generally safe and even that brutal actions take place on streets of the old continent many people do not fear the danger. Most of the governments already know how to deal with so called old kind of terrorism where there is a fight for sovereignty. For instance, the most bloody organisation, IRA, has signed the peace agreement and seems to follow the rules. But these days other actions are more probable. Individual fanatics and single members with radical slogans can cause more people to die than before. The attacks of September 11, 2001 show the real power that small group may have. The international authorities were to stand together to fight terrorism, but the actions that the US has taken do not satisfy most of the European society. As a result there are different ideas about the ways to resolve the problem of terrorism. Europe is now divided and seems to suffer a lot because of the Iraq war.
Justyna Borudzka, Monika Hryciuk, Magdalena Marciniak, Jakub Frantówka