Terrorism, And IRA: The Events Of Terrorism And The IRA

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Terrorism and the IRA:
The events of Bloody Sunday through the eyes of music and terrorism.
By Noah McCammon
When I say the word terrorism, what do you think of? 9/11? Muslim Extremists? Most kids our age living in the U.S. have had their idea of what terrorism is shaped by events that have happened to our country since we’ve been alive. But terrorism, in many different forms, has been going on for hundreds of years, for hundreds of reasons. But to understand what links acts of violence between a group of people, you first have to know what terrorism actually is.
The FBI’s definition of terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment there-of in furtherance of political or social objectives.
So, what does that even mean? Let me give you a couple examples to help you. The events of 9/11 were listed as acts of terror because it was an attack against the American government and population with the goal of scaring and weakening the United States. They targeted the World Trade Center, because it is the financial hub of the nation, the Pentagon because it is the military headquarters, as well as the White House, the home of our President.
Now take the school shooting at Sandy Hook. 26 people were killed by one man, but his actions were not listed as terrorism. Why? That’s because he acted alone, and he had no known agenda against any person or government.
Throughout history, groups have been using violence all over the world to try and coerce governments to give into their demands. Today I am going to talk to you a bit about the terrorist group, the Irish Rebublican Army (IRA) and the events known as Bloody Sunday.
The IRA trac...

... middle of paper ...

...song here) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQZLPV6xcHI
According to some sources, the lead singer Bono initially wrote this song to condemn the terrorist acts of the IRA, but later changed them to highlight the horrors of war on both sides. He felt the violence between the IRA and the British government didn’t benefit either side and only hurt the Irish people who were being killed in the fighting.
I think the song lyrics try to say that murdered and the wounded were not the only victims that day. Society as a whole suffered; some tried to understand why it happened and others were so angry they decided to join the revolution.
I hope you learned a little about terrorism and why it can be so bad. My recommendation – if you have a problem, don’t blow up people. Solve it peacefully. Or write a song. In the famous words of a t-shirt I saw once, Ukes not Nukes, guys.

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