IRA - terrorists or freedom fighters?

Question

I just want the numbers. Try to give your grounds briefly. This is a kind of a bit ticklish question but please do try to avoit stuff like "terrorist scumbags rot in hell" even if it's your point. Hopefully it's not a discussion so it'll be easier to avoid. Thanks.

Sorry, have to give a detail. Saying "I need numbers" i just mean i want to know how many peole consider IRA to be his way or that.

Answer 1

I haven't read too much into the IRA, but I think they were more like freedom fighters. I think they used some questionable tactics, but at least they identified themselves as soldiers and wore uniforms. They didn't cover their faces and hide like cowards, and then kill innocent women and children like these Islamic terrorists do now. Sure their tactics were questionable, but no comparison can be made. I could be wrong, but that's just my opinion.

Added info:
Well, like I said, I haven't read much about the IRA, mostly what I've heard. If you take a look at the attached link, Molly, you will see a group of men without faces covered. Perhaps I should read more on this, but I am not the only one.

Answer 2

I Do Not Believe what I am hearing. I doubt many people posting on this are British, and believe me, if you were, your opinions would much different. The IRA are terrorists, I assure you. Al Qaeda are freedom fighters also, then. They are trying to destroy the hold America has over the East. Now I dont believe that, but saying the IRA are freedom fighters is just the same as saying it about Al Qaeda.

Answer 3

The fact is the British Government was recently found to have been colluding with unionist terrorist organisations during the troubles. Unionist terrorist groups killed many innocent civilians, lawyers etc, with the British Governments blessing..

The IRA (although the most well known) werent the only successful terrorist group operating in N.Ireland. The British Government (who they opposed) were recently revealed as being state sponsors of terrorism (by any modern definition).

So if the IRA's enemy is a state sponsor of terrorism - how can the IRA be?

Answer 4

TERRORISTS.

I have always had some sympathy for the Irish "cause" and if it was my call (and I was actually around at the time), I would have given Ireland back to the Irish at least by the beginning of the 20th Century. And I take my hat off to Sinn Fein for abandoning violence.

However, having lived in the UK since 1979 and been a victim of the IRA's relentless and bloody campaign during the following two decades, there is no way that I could consider them "freedom fighters". Obliterating the city centre of Manchester. Setting off bombs in Harrods department store. Setting off bombs in Victoria Station (where a friend of mine was seriously injured). Setting off bombs in Canary Wharf (where my husband was nearly killed). Setting off a nail bomb in the Kings Road, killing innocent people on the street. Setting off a bomb in a shopping mall in Warrington, killing toddlers. Blowing up pubs all over the mainland. Rousting innocent families out of their beds in Northern Ireland and executing them. Blowing up churches. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

"Freedom fighters" do not deliberately target civilians. The IRA did, for much of its existence. Hundreds of innocent people were not just caught in the crossfire, but killed wantonly, because the IRA's attacks on infrastructure and on government and military targets (if you want to call blowing up a pavillion where an Army band was performing, or the horses at the Royal Horseguards "military targets"), did not cause the UK government to hand over half an island which is Royalist and Protestant over to a radical militia.

Also, let me remind you in case you forgot that the IRA has trained and cooperated with terrorist groups in South America and the Middle East, including Al Qaeda. They have funded themselves by selling drugs and weapons.

There is no doubt what they are, and I find it rather shocking that anybody who has any knowledge of the IRA would still consider them to be anything but TERRORISTS.

Answer 5

What numbers? IRA were Freedom fighters and still are! They are considered heroes to Ireland, for they have been used by Great Britain for years to sacrifice in the front lines in every war too. They might have used some guerilla warfare, but that is because they couldn't win their freedom against britain fighting a conventional war. But they only wanted their freedom! They were not religious fanatics, brainwashed zombies committing suicide in a country that did not have them by the throat! like the islams?
They bombed the innocent and we were not the ones that enslaved them and they had no rythme or reason to that ignorant tragedy. we are not oppressing their ragged out butts. It is just the opposite, we gave them too many liberties. We should have just built those rigs and sent our guys to farm the oil and take it! We paid for it all anyway! The IRA has nothing to hold over anyones head like oil? What do they have? Irish linen? Whiskey?
They are a very good people and meak and hard working more than most here in America the Irish paid their dues for sure!

Answer 6

I believe they started out as freedom fighters but are now just an extremist"terrorist" group the 6 counties in the north will never be part of Ireland and a majority of the people in the north like being part of the UK but everyone has their battles I guess

Answer 7

Terrorists !!!


The one who kills the innocent and that too for wrong purpose is teorrists ! and they are doing g this for the past 100 years and have done dozens and dozens blast killing thousands of peoples !! They are terrorists !

Answer 8

"Freedom fighters" is a buzzword created by stupid liberals who think that a word can hide the true character of people.

Anyone who takes it upon themselves to blow up innocent men, women and children is a terrorist and a murderer. You can't paint a pig pink and expect it to smell like a petunia!

Answer 9

Cold blooded murderers alias TERRORISTS and if TE doesn't think they hide their faces and didn't kill women or children maybe he should read some more or maybe watch the movie OMAGH they are no different to Al-Queda they had cause and nobody was allowed to stop them.Micheal Collins one of their leaders realized that to really hurt the enemy you terrorise them sound familar.Also do you know they helped the Nazis in WW2.

Answer 10

Don't have enough info, but if they targeted innocent women and children then yes they were terrorists.