Terrorist Attack Or Hatred Attack?

[saintpeter48]

Why are most news outlets saying that last nights attack was a 'terrorist attack'!
Thats not the way I see it, it was some deluded idiot, with his own agenda, who felt the need to attack people who follow Islam, surely thats not a terrorist attack.
Has it been given that title to try and appease muslims?

[hellywelly4]

I thought the same as you. Still a dreadful thing to do though.

[Baldric]

Hatred Attack of course, someone who for whatever reason has just had enough.

[Jackdaw33]

To be honest I'm surprised this sort of thing hasn't happened before now.

[DTCwordfan]

looks like a Paul Nutter attack or even more to the right.....

[jourdain2]

I agree -and, yes, very possibly - but it will exacerbate things, so it is very unwise. Do they want a religious war?

[saintpeter48]

I agree hellywelly, it was an awful and despicable attack on innocent people, but not a terrorist attack, and jackdaw, I cannot agree with you, ISIS, Islamic extremists and such like, have a different view on life as we know it, they are willing to die for their cause thinking that they are going to a better place, hailed as a martyr, etc, whereas we change things by the ballot box, or march against the people in power, or demonstrate to bring change.
The odd one, like this lunatic, will try something, but in general we value life on Earth more than life in the hereafter.
Only my view btw.
I hope the perpetrator of this cowardly act goes to prison for a very long time.

[mikey4444]

I seem to remember someone saying that there was a second person involved, or did I imagine that ?

[Old_Geezer]

These terms are loosely​ defined. If an individual makes a hatred attack yet causes terror to a whole group who is to say that can't be defined as a terrorist attack ? For sure no terrorist group was involved but if it caused terror ?

[ll_billym]

It did sound a little odd to the ear to me as the word is usually associated with 'groups' or 'movements' not a loner which it's currently looking like he is and also I guess my gut feeling is that he was retaliating to recent events rather than believing he was serving a religious or ideological purpose. All speculation on my part at this point though.

I wonder if it feels strange to me because I didn't actually feel any terror after this attack knowing that I was never the target demographic of that attacker - unlike most of the other attacks where it has made me scared afterwards. I suppose if some Muslims are now scared that they may now get attacked also then it's a terror attack whether it was 'meant to be' or not but it's getting down to semantics.

[-Talbot-]

Probably had a 'Falling Down' episode but if you want to kill people for such reasons as 'they're Muslims' then imo when you act upon that you are a terrorist.

Although I do think the quick decision to call it a terrorist attack was to appease Muslims.

[Baldric]

Acted alone according to this

https://www.telegraph.co.uk › News
30 mins ago - How the Finsbury Park mosque terror attack unfolded ... Driver said to have screamed: 'I'm going to kill all Muslims'; Police treating attack after ... the attacker who drove into people near Finsbury Park Mosque had acted alone.

[youngmafbog]

So OG, all the high school murders in the US an similar in the UK are terrorist attacs then, because they certainly caused terror.

What rot. This is not a terrorist attack, some idiot has labelled it so to appease the Muslim 'community' (or so they think) but all they will have achieve its to bring this idiot notoriety and in spire others.
Far better to have called him a vile murderer as that is what he is.

[-Talbot-]

Like Billy says it is semantics

Let's say this man was in contact with a network of Muslim haters and e-mailed anti-muslim material to and fro would he then be regarded as a terrorist?

[237SJ]

Terrorists used to be defined as people who use terror for political gain (such as old style hijackers etc) but I guess that now means religious gain as well

[youngmafbog]

If that group was promoting and carrying out violence then yes. But at present i have seen nothing to suggest that.

[youngmafbog]

It is yet another word from the English language that has been hijacked by the pc brigade by the looks of things.

[-Talbot-]

youngmafbog
If that group was promoting and carrying out violence then yes. But at present i have seen nothing to suggest that.


He runs people over hoping to kill them ... did this of his own bat ... not a terrorist.

He runs people over hoping to kill them ... after chatting to like minded people on the internet ... terrorist.


See how bonkers that is?

[youngmafbog]

That is not quite what I said Talbot is it?

[-Talbot-]

I take it you get my point?

I feel confident that had this been a Muslim running over non-muslims who had no contact with any radical groups what so ever ... you would be quite content to label him a terrorist.

[youngmafbog]

I do get your point and if you look at other threads you will see I have been very vocal in that he is NOT a terrorist from the information I have to date.