Terror Attack In London

[ummmm]

Breaking News on BBC now.

[Kromovaracun]

Fair enough.

[jake-the-peg]

Terrorist

B2 someone who uses violent action, or threats of violent action, for political purposes

Oh like say the French Resistance, the International brigades, like the Mujahideen fighting Soviet invasion of Africa etc. ?


I think if you want to define a terrorist you'd better include something about civilian targets

Or is that difficult with today's events?

Damn slippery idea this terrorist-idea


Maybe best to say 'someone who we don't like that uses violence'

[jim360]

We can exaggerate the safety fears. It was pointed out that this is "first such incident leading to a death of someone other than the perpetrator since the 2005 London suicide bombings" on the BBC page. We are never 100% safe and have to work harder to stamp this sort of violence out -- but neither need we feel in constant danger.

[jake-the-peg]

Africa? where did that come from? Afghanistan rather - getting late!

[DTCwordfan]

Are you masquerading as Peter Mandleson, jim; that's the sort of spinning garbage that used to come out of his and Toe's mouths.

[ummmm]

Jake, I just got the definition from the dictionary.

[jim360]

Yer wot?

[DTCwordfan]

just ribbing you......

[jim360]

Hmm.

[jake-the-peg]

I don't doubt it ummm

That just proves my point about what a tricky term it is.

A bit like 'insurgents' - kind of those who rush in to fight

Given how many foreign countries we've been invading over the years - there's a bit of an irony is calling Afghan fighters in their own country 'Insurgents' don't you think?

[ummmm]

Yes, very much so.

[naomi24]

Jake, with friends like you, this country doesn't need enemies. A young soldier has just been brutally and barbarically hacked to death by madmen, and what do we get from you? Smart-arse stupidity!

[ChillDoubt]

ummmm's definition was terrorist.

jake's is generally 'freedom-fighter'.

[jomifl]

Jake , where do you buy your dictionaries? or should I say when did you buy your dictionaries, your definition of insurgent is a bit retro.

[jake-the-peg]

If I had to define a terrorist I would have to say it was someone engaged in violent attacks against a civillian targets for political gain.

And I'm still not entirely happy with that

Such a definition does not necessarily cover today's events as terrorist as the target wasn't civillian.

I'm also not quite sure whether you count a lone actor like Timothy McVeigh or Anders Breivik as a terrorist or whether they need to be part of an organised group

[Philoctetes]

Jim is absolutely right. No one is ever safe from a determined individual (or couple), but that does not mean we have to jump at shadows. Or, far worse, put in place meaningless "security measures" that make the situation worse by making everyone tense. I am heartily sickened by the exaggerated responses in some quarters calling for the death penalty (surprise, surprise) to mass deportations. We have here a couple of psychopaths, locals to judge by the accent, who have murdered a stranger and tried to claim some justification. If they were white locals who claimed they were told to kill someone by Ming the Merciless of the planet Mongo, we would shake our heads, try them and lock them up. This should be treated no differently. That is the strongest response anyway to "terrorists" - protect our culture by maintaining its standards whatever they do.

[ChillDoubt]

But McVeigh didn't act alone, others conspired with him.

I also recall from a Sunday magazine that there was a single leg found at the Murragh building that was never identified and was never attributed to anyone, certainly not an employee.

[jake-the-peg]

I think the other way around ChillDoubt

Ummmm defined someone who uses violent actions for political purposes

That captures all sorts of freedom fighters from George Washington down.

The difference is in those that target civillians (although you could argue the toss over collaborators)

[jim360]

I was about to post something in response to the definition of terrorist, then read it and thought, "I'm trying to get elected..."

Thanks Philoctetes for saying it better for me.

[jake-the-peg]

So was McVeigh a terrorist?

I'm a bit split but I'd probably say yes

Of course terrorists can be criminals too - see Baader Meinhoff's bank robberies