Table Of ContentTERRORIST PROPAGANDA
Terrorist Propaganda
The Red Army Faction and the
Provisional IRA, 1968-86
Joanne Wright
Lecturer, Department of Government,
University of Queensland, Australia
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN 978-1-349-11716-1 ISBN 978-1-349-11714-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-11714-7
©Joanne Wright, 1990
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1990 978-0-333-52711-5
All rights reserved. For information, write:
Scholarly and Reference Division,
St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. lOOlO
First published in the United States of America in 1991
ISBN 978-0-312-04761-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wright, Joanne, 1960-
Terrorist propaganda: the Red Army Faction and the Provisional
IRA, 1968-86 / Joanne Wright.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-312-04761-0
I. Terrorism-Case studies. 2. Propaganda-Case studies.
3. Baader-Meinhof gang. 4. Provisional IRA. I. Title.
HV643l.W75 1991
364.I-dc20 90-44352
CIP
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Abbreviations and Acronyms viii
Introduction x
PART I CONTEXT
1 Terrorism 3
Terrorist Violence 4
Terrorist Violence and Conflict 7
Guerrillas and Terrorists 7
Terrorism as Strategy 9
Terrorism and International Law 13
2 Historical Background 21
The Red Army Faction 23
The Provisional IRA 27
3 Ideology 35
The Red Army Faction 38
The Provisional IRA 52
Summary 68
PART II PROPAGANDA
4 The Uncommitted Audience 73
The Red Army Faction 80
The Provisional IRA 89
5 The Sympathetic Audience 102
The Red Army Faction 103
The Provisional IRA 117
6 The Active Audience 139
The Red Army Faction 140
The Provisional IRA 151
Summary 166
v
vi Contents
PART III CONCLUSIONS
7 A Degree of Success 173
The Red Army Faction 173
The Provisional IRA 192
8 Conclusions 225
Reassessment and Further Research 232
Notes and References 237
Bibliography 266
Index 272
Acknowledgemen ts
The researching and writing of this book owes a great deal to
several institutions and many people. I would like to thank the
Department of International Relations, the Australian National
University, the Department of Political Science, Melbourne
University, and the Department of Politics and International
Relations, Aberdeen University, for all the facilities they pro
vided me. I am grateful to the Police Staff College, Bramshill,
for permission to use its library, and in Northern Ireland the
Linenhall Library in Belfast deserves special mention.
Special thanks must also go to Mr Geoffrey Jukes, whose
support, comments and sense of humour were a considerable
source of comfort. Dr John Girling, Professor J. D. B. Miller
and Professor Heiko Schroeder showed great patience in read
ing the various drafts. Mrs Lynne Payne and Mrs Vana Arfi
helped me nurture this book into a presentable form, and Terry
and Frantz made valiant efforts to make me IBM compatible.
In West Germany, I am particularly indebted to Dr David
Schiller. In the UK, I would like to thank Professor Paul
Wilkinson and Dr Richard Clutterbuck, and the many others
who granted me their time. Needless to say, none of the above
are responsible in any way for errors of fact or interpretation.
Finally, I must acknowledge the love and devotion of my
parents. And to Keith, whose contribution has been the great
est, I dedicate this book.
JOANNE WRIGHT
vii
Abbreviations and
Acronyms
ANC African National Congress
APO Ausserparlamentarische Opposition (Extraparli
amentary Opposition)
BKA Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Criminal Office)
CCC Fighting Communist Cells
CDU Christlich Demokratische Union (Christian Demo
cratic Union)
CSU Christlich Soziale Union (Christian Social Union)
DKP Deutsche Kommunistische Partei (Communist
Party of Germany)
Eoka Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Ayoniston
EPA Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act
FMLN Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion
Nacional
INLA Irish National Liberation Army
IRA Irish Republican Army
KPD Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (German
Communist Party)
Noraid Irish Northern Aid
PFLP Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
PIRA Provisional Irish Republican Army
PLO Palestine Liberation Organisation
PTA Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions)
Act
RTE Radio Telefis Eireann
RAF Red Army Faction
RIC Royal Irish Constabulary
RUC Royal Ulster Constabulary
SDLP Social Democratic and Labour Party
SDS Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund (German
Socialist Student Organisation)
SHB Sozialistische Hochschulbund (Socialist Student
Federation)
SPD Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social
Democratic Party of Germany)
viii
Abbreviations and Acronyms ix
SPK Sozialistische Patienten Kollectiv (Socialist Pati
ents' Collective)
SRP Sozialistische Reichspartei (Socialist Reich Party)
RZ Revolutionary Cells
UDR Ulster Defence Regiment
Introduction
In one respect this book is a reflection of the success non-state
terrorist organisations have had since 1968. Since then the
media have overflowed with references to yet more terrorist
outrages. The bookshops too have become full of accounts that
purport to describe, explain or solve 'terrorism'. Terrorism has
inspired countless novels, films and television 'mini-series'. Few
events have had a larger or more captive audience than the
Black September organisation's seizure of Israeli athletes at
the Munich Olympics. Terrorism, it seems, is one of the major
dangers facing the modern world.
Yet there is much evidence to suggest that this is not the
case. Terrorism did not originate in 1968, and on a compara
tive scale non-state terrorism is fairly insignificant. Since 1968
over one million people have been killed in the nine year
Iran-Iraq war. Many more have died of starvation in Africa.
Countless millions have died at the hands of repressive govern
ments. The Coca-Cola Company has probably spent more, and
can afford to spend more, on promoting its product than Ire
land or Greece have spent on countering terrorism. It is cer
tainly true that in this comparative sense terrorism has created
an impact disproportionate to its significance. And in the sense
that terrorism is specifically designed to do this, this book,
along with the hundreds of works on non-state terrorism, is
guilty of giving terrorists the attention they want. But does
this mean non-state terrorism should be ignored?
First, non-state terrorism can only be dismissed as insignifi
cant on a broadly comparative scale. For those countries par
ticularly subject to terrorist attack it is highly significant. Its
impact and its casualty rate have had an immense effect on a
very small community like Northern Ireland. Even in societies
like West Germany, where the casualty rate from terrorism is
very small, the overall impact has been great. Second, terrorism
as a strategy depends on the response it provokes, therefore
selecting the appropriate response level is vital; over-reacting
is as dangerous as under-reacting. Because response is so vital,
studying terrorism is a legitimate area for academics who may
be able to take a more detached and a more complete view
x
