In recent years, Europe has suffered from regular terrorist attacks. In some cases, we are talking about crazy suicide bombers, in others about carefully planned operations, behind which there are powerful terrorist groups. The main goal of the leaders of most European countries was to ban such organizations, however, with a population of 500 million people, it is very difficult to verify absolutely everyone. On the continent there are a number of terrorist groups that are active today. This list will include groups that are officially designated as terrorist groups and terrify the inhabitants of the Old Continent.
1
Revolutionary struggle
The Greek organization Revolutionary Struggle is accused of numerous explosions, including not far from the American Embassy in Greece, when in 2007 a grenade was thrown near the building. Fortunately, there were no casualties from the explosion, but the Greek government announced a reward of $ 1 million for any information about the attack.
The revolutionary struggle adheres to left-wing radical ideas implicated in anarchism, communism and anti-globalism. The first mention of this terrorist group dates back to 2003, when the Revolutionary Struggle claimed responsibility for the explosives planted in the courtroom.
Recently, nothing has been heard about the group, but there have been no announcements of the dissolution of the revolutionary struggle. The reason for the decline in activity may be the arrest of one of the leaders of the Republic of Belarus, Panayota Rupa. Now the organization is considered terrorist both in Europe and in the USA.
2
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front
Formed in Turkey in the 70s, the RNOPF was originally called the Revolutionary Left, but after a split in the mid-1990s, the party changed its name to the present. It is classified as an illegal political party, as well as a terrorist group, banned not only in Turkey, but also in other countries of Europe and the United States.
From the very beginning of its existence, the Revolutionary Left, and later the RNOPF, adhered to extreme leftist views, of a Marxist-Leninist sense, committing a number of violent actions aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country. The underground struggle of the RNOPF consisted in attempts on the military and police, which, according to the leaders of the organization, was supposed to help in the formation of the Marxist state.
Outlawed, the RNOPF is still active, but the authorities cannot name (not surprisingly) either the place of their deployment or the exact number of members of the group. RNOPF enjoy the support of the working class, being very popular in urban ghettos, whose residents have repeatedly helped members of the organization to hide from the authorities. RNOPF are also on friendly terms with the Kurdish movement of the left political orientation.
3
ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna)
Translated into Russian, the name of this organization sounds like "Basque Country and Freedom." In our country, it is better known under the acronym ETA. The idea of the organization is the separation of the Basque region from Spain, as well as the return of part of the territories belonging to France.
Despite the relatively good intentions (no one will undertake to deny the cultural and linguistic difference between the Basques and the Spanish people), ETA methods are terrifying all over the world. The peak of the organization’s activities came at the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s of the XX century, when a number of bombings, killings and thefts were committed. However, only half of the crimes pursued ideological goals, the rest were ordinary crime and a thirst for profit.
During the existence of ETA, many group leaders have been killed or arrested. Now about 700 members of the group are under arrest, while no more than 50 of them remain at large, though there is one caveat. After gaining several seats in the Spanish parliament (this is not confirmed, but thebiggest.ru found information about the involvement of the Amayur coalition in the Basque separatists), ETA leaders announced their dissolution in 2018. Despite such statements, the Spanish authorities have no illusions, realizing that any actions unwanted by the anti-government coalition can lead to new acts of aggression.
4
Red Army Faction
Although the Red Army Faction ceased to exist more than 20 years ago, it is included in this list due to the activity of its former members to this day. Although the 1998 document referred to the dissolution of the faction, it is unlikely that its participants could radically change their views and methods of struggle. The Red Army faction gained fame in the second half of the 1960s as a terrorist left-radical organization operating on the territory of Germany. She received all kinds of support from the GDR, and was responsible for a number of violent acts directed at political figures of that time.
Although the reason for the formation of the RAF was post-war sentiment in society, violent actions by law enforcement agencies against youth and the anti-militarist stance condemning US aggression in Vietnam, the methods of struggle chosen by the organization were unacceptable and criminal. During the terrorist attacks organized in the 70s and 80s, civilians often suffered. Among the acts of the RAF: arson of supermarkets, kidnapping, murders and serious injuries of civilians, robberies of banks and collection vehicles, explosions.
All of the above actions were to lead West Germany to Marxism. The history of the development of the RAF has three generations of its members subjected to arrests and killings. Modern German authorities fear a new round of organization activity. An indirect confirmation of fears may be the detention of two former members of the group who tried to steal € 1 million.
5
Organization of the Mujahideen of the Iranian People
This terrorist organization, known by several names and abbreviations, among which the most popular OMIN and MEK (Mujahhedin-e-Hulk). Its inclusion in the list may also be disputed. Firstly, they have long been excluded from the list of terrorist groups, and secondly, their actions practically did not affect Europe. Also, during the existence of the OMIN, there was a serious split in European society: some considered the group of Iranian mujahideen to be terrorists, others saw them only as fighters for their rights.
OMIN was formed in the mid-60s, setting as its goal the struggle against the shah society of Iran, as well as the creation of a classless state based on the ideas of Karl Marx. Nevertheless, they did not strive for communism, but for the formation of a tawheed society. After the overthrow of monarchical rule as a result of the Islamic revolution of the late 70s, the MEK supported anti-American sentiment, but were persecuted and terrorized by the new government. By the way, there is an interesting article on thebiggest.ru about countries where the communist regime operates de jure.
After a series of terrorist acts aimed at the destruction of government members, the MEK are redeployed to Paris, directing their attacks on the Iranian embassies in Iran. Subsequently, they reorganized into an open army corps operating on the side of Iraq during their war with Iran. It was OMIN that played a key role in exposing the Iranian nuclear program. The fate of the members of the organization was deplorable; during the Iran-Iraq war, the group was defeated, and the remaining participants were subjected to executions and the death penalty.
6
Caucasian Emirate
The original name of this combat group sounds like the Caucasus Emirate. She acted on the territory of our country during the Second Chechen War and until dissolution in the summer of 2016. The organization's goal was to create an independent Islamic emirate in the North Caucasus, which are part of the Russian Federation.
The Caucasus Emirate is the successor to previous organizations that have transformed from groups of nationalist resistance into ramified religious groups. If the initial goal of these groups was to separate a number of territories from Russia, the activities of the Caucasus Emirate were also aimed at the violent spread of Islam. The methods of the new education were much more cruel. This is due to both a decrease in the size of the organization (the less control, the more terror), and the greater control established by the Russian authorities.
Gradually, the Caucasus Emirate lost its already scarce support in the region. Their authority was undermined by constant terrorist acts, resulting in numerous casualties among the civilian population. The liquidation of the organization’s leaders and the general decline in numbers led to the actual disbandment of the group.
Do you know which country leads in the number of neighboring states having a common border? The answer is here!
7
Macedonian UChK
The second name of this terrorist organization is the National Liberation Army. It existed in the early 2000s on the territory of Macedonia, representing the interests of the Albanian people, and was identified by the authorities as separatist. Although the leader of the UChK emphasized that they did not pursue the goals of separating ethnic Albanian regions from Macedonia, their open confrontation with the army of this Balkan state proved the opposite.
As part of the hostilities of the early 00s, the Macedonian UChK captured some regions in the northern and northwestern parts of the country. On the side of the current government, such countries as Bulgaria, Ukraine came forward, and UCHK supported NATO forces (nominally).
The war ended rather predictably: the forces of the National Liberation Army pledged to disarm in exchange for the representation of their members in the parliament of Macedonia. Since then, the group was considered inoperative, however, some participants in the 2001 conflict refused to betray their ideals, conducting underground activities. A few years ago, they claimed responsibility for two terrorist acts, and also unsuccessfully tried to capture the city of Kumanovo.
8
Genuine Irish Republican Army
PIRA is the last branch of the Irish Republican Army in chronology, so the abbreviation NIRA (New Irish Republican Army) can often be found. It was formed in the late 1990s on the wave of disagreement with the ceasefire and a temporary peace between Catholics and Protestants.
PIR members pursue the old goals of uniting the Republic of Ireland with Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. Today, the number of this terrorist cell does not exceed 300 people and their influence is not so great as during the heyday of the IRA, which openly fought with representatives of the royalists.
However, as noted earlier, the less influence the group has, the greater the terror. PIRA representatives are a current threat to the British government. According to Forbes, the organization’s annual revenue exceeds $ 50 million. The group’s funding is possible through kidnapping for ransom, attacks by collectors and bank robberies. The strong financial situation allows us to talk about the sufficient armament of the PIRA, which is now able to carry out a number of major terrorist acts, comparable in strength to the activities of their predecessors in the 80s. And recent Brexit events may make this group stronger against the backdrop of some turmoil. By the way, there is an interesting article about some of the possible consequences of Brexsit’s on thebiggest.ru.
9
Kurdistan Workers Party
The PKK is a multi-ideological militant organization that has been fighting since the late 70s to provide Kurds with political rights in Turkey. In fact, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which created a military branch of the People’s Self-Defense Forces, is waging an open struggle with the Turkish government to provide autonomy or complete independence to Kurdistan. The history of the party began with the gathering of a small group of students, which later grew into a powerful organization that received support from the Kurdish population of Turkey and other countries.
Given that Kurds make up more than 1/5 of the Turkish population, PKK support is really huge. The top of the PKK sees in an open military conflict with the Turkish army the only way to achieve political equality. With the ongoing civil war in Syria, the PKK army is becoming increasingly powerful. Today, their activities are recognized as terrorist in Turkey and the countries of the European Union and many other states.
In Russia, this party is not considered extremist or terrorist. Of the countries of the former union, the PKK is officially banned only in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Moldova.
10
Islamic state
It can be quite unusual to see ISIS on the lists of European terrorist organizations, because they are definitely not based in Europe. However, their criminal activities cover vast territories, including countries of the old continent. Today we can say with confidence about the presence in some European countries - members of the Islamic state that have leaked there with emigrants fleeing war and deprivation. Once again, there is no point in describing ISIS “ideals”, as well as the history of their development, because all their activities are well known.
Whenever a terrorist attack occurs in Europe over the past few years, ISIS takes responsibility for it. Not the fact that they really are the organizers of all the attacks, but several operations were precisely planned by the members of this terrorist organization. You can consider this a conspiracy theory, but a number of EU statesmen recommend checking refugees more carefully, among which there may be Islamic state terrorists. Negligence in this matter can lead to a revival of the activities of a seemingly “broken” organization.
Finally
And this is a map of terrorist attacks, where the yellow dots indicate the attacks of terrorists in 1970-1999, and the red ones in 2000-2017. And which terrorist groups do you think should be on this list? Share your thoughts in the comments on this article.
Author: Maxim Svistunov