Nationalist terrorism is a form of terrorism motivated by a nationalist agenda. Nationalist terrorists seek to form self-determination in some form, which may take the form of gaining greater autonomy, establishing a completely independent sovereign state (separatism), or joining another existing sovereign state with which the nationalists identify (irredentism). Nationalist terrorists often oppose what they consider to be occupying, imperial, or otherwise illegitimate powers. Violence may also be directed at immigrants who are seen as a threat to the prosperity of the local or native population of the country. Nationalist terrorism is linked to a national, ethnic, religious, or other identifying group, and the feeling among members of that group that they are oppressed or denied rights, especially rights accorded to others.
As with the concept of terrorism itself, the term "nationalist terrorism" and its application are highly contentious issues. What constitutes an illegitimate regime and what types of violence and war are acceptable against such a state are subjects of debate. Groups described by some as "nationalist terrorists" tend to consider themselves "freedom fighters", engaged in valid but asymmetric warfare.
List of alleged terrorist groups
The following are nationalist groups, which in some circles have been deemed terrorist: Grey Wolves Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) ETA EOKA Partiya Karkerên KurdistanMatovic, Violeta, Suicide Bombers Who's Next, Belgrade, The National Counter Terrorism Committee, (PKK)
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA)Terrorist Group Profiles. DIANE Publishing, 1989. p.32 Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA)Moloney, Ed (2007). A Secret History of the IRA (2nd ed.). Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0141028767. Tamil Tigers (LTTE) Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)Arad, Yitzhak; Arad, Yitzchak (2010). In the Shadow of the Red Banner: Soviet Jews in the War Against Nazi Germany. Gefen Publishing House Ltd. p. 189. ISBN 978-965-229-487-6. "The first UPA unit was officially established on October 14, 1942. …The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Ukrainska Povstanska Armia-UPA) was an arm of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Orhanizatsia Ukrainskikh Nationalistiv – OUN)." Wawelberg Group LehiRalph Bunche report on assassination of UN mediator 27th Sept 1948, "notorious terrorists long known as the Stern group" IrgunPope Brewer, Sam. IRGUN BOMB KILLS 11 ARABS, 2 BRITONS. New York Times. December 30, 1947. Chetniks"Chetnik". Encyclopædia Britannica. Ustashe National Bolshevik Front (NBF)
The label of a group as carrying out "nationalist terrorism" does not preclude it being described in other terms: Nationalist terrorism may overlap with religiously motivated terrorism, so Palestinian nationalist militant groups are also sometimes Islamic (Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad), and Zionist groups are also sometimes Jewish (Kach and Kahane Chai, Gush Emunim Underground). Nationalist terrorism may also be identified with the left wing (for example, ETA, LTTE, IRA) or the right wing (AUC, Sombra Negra)
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