when americans say there fighting the war on terror, why do so many still fund the ira and the pira and so on?

Question

i thought britian was fighting the war on terror with the usa but many americans still fund the ira and other groups why?

for all the people that say freedom fighters are killing women and childern freedom fighters now that is a terrorist if they kill soldiers there freedom fighters. the usa says when people kill there soilders there terrorists there the freedom fighters.

if the decomisioning of weapons was true why was irish from the ira cought in columbia training them for gurilia attacts. why were the ira in the middle-east training other terror groups. regards terry

just cus there not bombing london at the moment doesn't mean there gone. and the uk is in ni becuse were wanted there just like the usa are in american virgin islands and guam and so on. why do yo u leave them countries i tell you why cus american the hater of imperislim is imperialistic. i agree with the lady who said about the native americans i hope they launch suicide raids agaist homes in the usa. i would support that if i was tony bliar to get the irish americans back for there killings of women and children here and then call them freedom fighters.

Answer 1

Americans are all very different sir, don't put them all under one blanket. Go to New York and see where the collection happens, that will answer your questions. Just like the IRA there are some people that can not forget the past no matter how old it is and still fight over battles that really should be put to rest. I think it's the highest form of being childish in an adult and makes me physically sick. All terror campaigns are the actions of the lesser brained. The coward and the useless.

Answer 2

There is a simple answer. Those who are funding such organisations sympathise with their aims. One of the reasons behind this is because the average American doesn't know what is going on in the world. The media over there does not give a balanced view.

Take a look at Iraq for instance. The average person over there actually believed what the Government was saying about the weapons of mass destruction and therefore supported the war. Now that the truth has come to light, not quite so many trust what the Government says.

Going back to the question. I believe that the fundraisers are very convincing and would make perfect conmen. Only the gullible would believe in such a cause anymore.

Answer 3

I served in NI in 92 and found that the majority of the civilian population wanted us there, Britain has always said that as soon as the majority want us out then we would leave, but considering that 75% of the Northern Irish want to remain part of Britain we will stay, and before somebody starts saying anything nasty in reply to this, i am born Southern Ireland (Dundalk to be exact) naturalised British. The IRA and all the others like the UDA, UVF, UFF are all seeking a democratic solution now and are kicking violence into touch so how is america still supporting the violence. Any money they get from America will now be spent for Political ends, and one other thing, my grandfather was an IRA member and was part of the uprising in the early 1900's. He was also executed by the Irish Military in 1946

Answer 4

I really don't know where you get this information from. Few decent people would have funded the IRA etc. for terrorism, in the USA or elsewhere. I understand that money may have gotten to the IRA etc, in the past, but have no details of any current funding in operation this way. Times have changed and it seems that the IRA has disbanded, through the good works of Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams, etc. They now wish to move on through democratic processes, hence the Good Friday agreement etc. and recent progress at Stormont.

I think the overall US perspectives of both individuals and government has developed against non-democratic methodologies, though Bin Laden and others were supported in the past. This should prevent further murders. I hope that no western government will wish to support terrorism in any form in the future, but I am - perhaps - a little naive, whilst secret agencies operate, without full public scrutiny.

If you know of any newer US IRA-type funding, post it on here, it'll be news to us.

Good luck! Rob

Answer 5

I saw a bumper sticker that said it all: "I love my country but hate my government." Some of us in the U.S. have recognized that we live in an elected dictatorship.

As far as funding the IRA, I think people who do that either don't fully understand what's happening in Britain and Ireland or it's masked. I'm sure if they saw the death and bombings, they wouldn't be so quick to pluck down their dollars.

The problem is, the U.S. government didn't have very many people that could read Arabic. At the start of the war, (which really isn't a war because nobody formally declared it one), I understand there were less than 50 interpreters. Couple that with native Iraq people who spoke English, translated but just didn't understand technical words, leading to mistranslation.

There's a former Iraq person who's Jewish and family was largely wiped out by Saddam, this person does speak and read what typical Americans can't. This person was on TV, in disguse and brought up a website of a group in the Mid East allied against Israil, the English version should children and babies and seeking donations. The Arabic site read quite differently when translated and showed pictures of fighting soldiers.

So, until the U.S. and other governments wake up, see what's going on in other languages and where this money is going, it's still going to be funnelled out to kill people.

BTW, I'm not Jewish.

Answer 6

The answer is plain and simple and has already been stated.

Politics, Propaganda and Patriotism.

I am English and as such was brought up to believe the IRA etc. were mean nasty people who would shoot me on site if ever I went to Ireland. In the US there are indeed a large number of ex-pat Irish who would have seen different news stories about what the British army were doing to their countrymen. Wouldn't you want to help your oppressed kinfolk?

When does a freedom fighter become a terrorist? If the US news showed bombed out cars and houses with dead children inside, instead of riots with soldiers firing guns at youths on street corners, would it have made a difference?

There are two types of fighters. There are those who want to be at the front end killing and maiming people for their own pleasure, if they can do it in the name of a "Cause" then they can clean their conscience. The other type are those who sit in places of power who want to show other people how strong they are although they never get their own hand bloody, they get other to do that for them.

Fighting a war on Terror?. or just fighting for popular opinion?. Who is it who decides who is a terrorist, the government or the populous.

Any two opposing views will always cause conflict of some sort, add the three "P's" and you have a whole new problem.

Answer 7

The US of A is a big country with many diverse ethnic groups. It is true they funded PIRA and the IRA in the 90's and long before, however, they claim to have seen the light after 9/11 and thousands of British dead over here. If the USA was made to pay compensation to every family who had a member slaughtered by PIRA funded from America, they'd be bankrupt. I had a very good mate shot with an M16 in Belfast in the '70s. They just don't get 'terrorism' because apart from Oklahoma and 9/11 all they have had to deal with is gangsters. Oh, crossover point, McGuinness and his muckers were Derry gangsters before they went legit in 1969/70, hi-jacking the peace movement to promote Adams' own political ambitions. Blair sold out to terrorists. Thatcher never would have, she had more balls than Bliar (sic).

Answer 8

It is true that in the past the American people were very generous to fund raisers for the IRA. These were mainly of Irish decent and understood the issues involved. At the moment I couldn’t justify the actions, but the world has moved on. The Politics and the IRA has to a large extent moved on too, but time is the only healer. Try telling a man that has lost his family, friends and relatives in the old days that fighting is wrong.
PS: how many people reading this know that there are certain areas that as a catholic you could not walk down are you would not walk back? 100% GUARANTEED? How many people can say that about where they live? There was a need to have a force, the police could do nothing.

A BIT OF BACKGROUND
The American people believed in the fight against the oppression of the Irish People. People who believed they belonged the Republic of Ireland despite living in Northern Ireland. These were mainly Catholic and were as such persecuted for their beliefs not just on religion but on political beliefs also. They didn’t stand a chance of normal life in their local area they grew up in. But this is largely confined to history.

FUTURE
To a large extent this has changed. The Leader (political) Gerry Adams has indicated that he supports the Police in Northern Ireland. This is a large step in acknowledging that things are changing.


The IRA is moving in the right direction. Deaths aren’t forgiven over night, inequalities are not forgiven over night, but TIME can change a lot.

Answer 9

Terror groups around the world are supported & funded by many different sources.

The IRA has been funded by external sources from around the world for decades ...some private some not so private

The Irish roots grow deep & the IRA have received funding from many western countries , not the governments , but groups with strong affiliation with the ' CAUSE ".

Answer 10

When America talks about a 'war on terror' they really mean a war on the people we view as enemies, or who might become our enemies.
The funded the terrorists in Nicaragua, called the Contras. They destabilised the legitimate government in Chile and helped Pinochet into power.
In Iran, many years ago, they and the British helped overthrow a middle of the road socialist government and replaced it with the rule of the Shah. His rule was so bad that the people turned to the Ayatollahs. Old sins cast long shadows.
Some Irish-Americans supported Irish Republicanism. But the peace process in the north of Ireland will show wha a lot of people knew for a long time. The only way forward here is for the political parties to work together