Irish Republican Army?

Question

Freedom Fighters or Terrorists?

I think some of the earlier ones could have been considered freedom fighters but the PIRA are nothing but terrorists .

Dsclimb1, You could argue that why should they have to move south, when it should really be just Ireland instead of NI & ROI?

I agree.....

Answer 1

they never wore a uniform publically, never openly fought, just attack ran hid.. thus they were never an army, just a bunch of very well organised and funded terrorists.

Just whose freedom were they fighting for? the half of the population that pretend to believe them so they did not get their knees shot out, or the half that did not believe and shot or bombed. hardly representative of the population.

But no worse than Bush who get his army to do the same in the name freedom, whose ?!

To the above, english in ireland, what are you on about. Are the british acutally in northern ireland? or those people who are born there actually british. How about the minority who actually unhappy about who 'governs' them (which is the actual arguement) just move south if it bothers them so much.

The british goverment has been very tolerant in allowing known terrorist to become MP and sit in parliament, 100's of others were released from prison.

ANSWER to above, just let the people vote always seemed to me the fairest way, hard for a fair vote when both sides will intimidate and attempt to swing voting, but anything is better than the past 30+years of fighting.

They probably were freedom fighters in the early days but when it grew into an externally funded organisation, both in terms of money and weaponary then i think the whole ethos and mentality changed.

Answer 2

I am an Irish Republican, I do not agree with every action carried out by the IRA. For those who call us terrorists because of bombing towns and cities. British people may look at Iraq where 50,00 have been killed in the past few years. there were three thousand killed in the north. Who has commited the most terror?

For those of you who label us pimps and drug dealers, you have never been in a republican area. If you had you would have seen how scared these people are of republicans. However the british police force does not complain when giving these pimps and drug dealers your tax money to become spies in republican areas.

For those soldiers who call us terrorists, the army and the RUC were happy to jump into bed with loyalists and indeed provide them with targets and weapons and money.

Force was only introduced when it was clear that democracy was none existant in a unionist manipulated state. Which may i mention was manufactured to ensure a majority on the wishes of london and the UUP. Why did democracy not exist then?

Violence will always emerge when there is no alternative

Answer 3

As a ex squaddie who served there and from a family that were/are republicans. The three sides are terrorists British Army, Loyalists and Republicans. All committed atrocities of one kind or another. We all should hope that the peace treaty works and all the good people on both sides of the Irish sea and both sides of the Irish/Northern/Ulster border get to live in peace and all forms or religious bigotry is outlawed on all sides

Answer 4

IRA = Freedom Fighters
Provisional IRA and subsequent groups = Terrorists

The distinction should always be made. The IRA fought for independence for Irish people from an repressive state. It was much easier for the likes of Canada and Australia to become independent because they were on other sides of the world.

The Provisional IRA did attack civilian targets and that is unforgivable in my eyes. Be it terrorist organisation or government.

Answer 5

They are neither.

They are an organised crime gang these days, running drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling and arms. Not to mention the bank robberies they pull.

All under the auspices of 'The glorious revolution' that the vast majority of people in Ireland couldnt give a damn about.

Mind you the loyalists are exactly the same.

When the people of Northen Ireland WANT to join Eire then they will do so, by the ballot box.

And for the people that harp on about 'England out of Ireland' you need to read a little history, try looking up how Hawaii became an US state for a start.

'America out of Hawaii'..............

Answer 6

Has a now not serving soldier who had the unfortunate experience in fighting this civil war (we are not supposed to call it that), and of Irish extraction ,i feel that i am best placed to answer this question with a certain amount of knowledge, they were terrorist, if you wish to glamourise a person who plants a 1000 pound of explosive in a market sq on market day, or blow up a bus full of families returning to london, or shoot a mentaly retarded young man in the back of his head with a 9mm ''because he was seen talking to an army patrol on his housing estate''. these horrors are not the actions of an army fighting for freedom, these are the actions of cowards and terrorists and criminals, as for the young man who dresses up in a uniform as an avatar ,he calls himself a soldier, he would not last ten seconds with an attitude that he espouses , we paid them off alright in the blood of very many of friends and family, and the innocent population of Ireland, peace has come at a terrible cost.
regards LF.

Answer 7

Freedom from what? There is no British domination, Northern Ireland is indeed free but the sectarian violence will continue nevertheless. Therefore, they are terrorists.

Answer 8

Until the English get out of Ireland and stay out, Freedom Fighters.

Answer 9

Well, if they are terrorists, surely there would be a massive movement of UK and US troops into the area to locate, defeat and destory as part of the War on Terror. So they can't be.

Oh, hang on - there are no oil fields in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.

And why haven't we stormed Spain to sort out ETA?

Answer 10

The British should get out of Northern Ireland....

that simple