The growth of terrorism in the 20th and 21st century
Terrorism is not new. However, since the 1960s there has been an increase in terrorist attacks in Britain and an increase in the fear of terrorism.
Terrorists are people who use violent methods, or violent threats, to achieve their demands. Terrorists aim to bring a complete change in the country, such as overthrowing the Government, or forcing a major change in the law or policy.
Irish Republican Army (IRA)
The IRA believed the Catholic population was being discriminated against by the Protestant majority. They wanted to remove Northern Ireland from the UK and make it part of the Republic of Ireland. The UK government was firmly opposed to this.
The British government sent troops to Northern Ireland after the IRA began to use violence. The IRA targeted the troops with bombs and shootings. They attempted to assassinate the UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and her cabinet in Brighton in 1984. Five people were killed and 31 people injured, whilst Thatcher escaped injury. In June 1996, an IRA bomb exploded in the Arndale Shopping Centre in Manchester injuring 212 people.
Between 1969 and 2001 over 3,526 people were killed in terrorist violence in the UK.
Nationalist groups in Wales
From the 1960s onwards there has been a rise in support for nationalist groups in Wales. Between 1963 and 1969 a group known as MAC (Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru) became active in response to the flooding of the Welsh valley and village of Capel Celyn. They bombed Government buildings in Cardiff and attacked pipelines carrying water to Liverpool.
A small number of nationalists engaged in violent attacks, such as planting bombs and arson, as well as the firebombing of holiday homes in the 1980s by Meibion Glyndŵr (Sons of Glyndŵr). They believed that the Welsh language and culture were under threat and that Welsh communities were being destroyed by English-speaking populations moving to Wales.
International terrorism
International terrorist groups like the Palestinian Liberation Front and ETA (Basque separatist group) were active in the late 20th century.
More recently groups like Al-Qaeda have taken responsibility for terrorist attacks, the most well-known being at the World Trade Center, known as the Twin Towers, in New York on 11 September 2001, and the attacks in London on 7 July 2005.
Al-Qaeda is an international terrorist group and an extremist Islamic group. Although there are now cells in many countries, the group was originally formed in Afghanistan by Osama Bin Laden.
Many of their supporters believe they are waging a holy war against Western countries. They want to change the foreign policy of western nations including the USA.