UK TERRORISM
Steven Greer, Professor of Human Rights at the University of Bristol Law School, looks at the development of countering terrorism in the UK, from the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland to the Islamic Jihadi threat
NORTHERN IRISH ‘TROUBLES’ TO GLOBAL ISLAMIST JIHAD F
ifty years ago this summer the British army was deployed in Northern Ireland, initially to protect Catholic/Nationalist communities from attacks by loyalist mobs, a task the Royal Ulster Constabulary had performed neither effectively nor impartially. A symbolic milestone for the onset of 30 years of violent unrest, which the locals euphemistically call ‘the Troubles’, was thereby provided. In 1998 the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement finally extinguished all but a few smouldering embers of this tragic conflict which claimed over 3,000 lives. 2003 was the last year annual fatalities reached double figures. Yet, by an unfortunate quirk of fate, a mere three years after the Belfast Agreement was signed, the events of 9/11 provided a grimly spectacular milestone for another species of terrorism, the jihadi or Islamist brand. In
2005, 56 people, including four bombers, were killed and hundreds injured in London by those committed to this cause, a domestic fatality rate which has almost doubled since. The UK has also experienced other forms of terrorism on its own turf. However, in spite of current concerns about the increasing threat from the far right, none has yet had anything like the deadly impact of the Troubles or jihadi varieties. Yet, while each of these is a species of the same phenomenon – violent activity by politically weak but highly motivated militants targeting civilians, and public institutions, processes and services – they have almost nothing else in common. The respective environments, grievances, ideologies and modes of mobilisation could hardly be more different. The Troubles were essentially a local conflict over whether Northern Ireland E
ISSUE 39 | COUNTER TERROR BUSINESS MAGAZINE
31