The question, “Can terrorism be justified?” will, I imagine, be met with a resounding “No”.

It is good that we feel this way about terrorism, despite the negative sentiments developing around the world against Israel because of the most recent war in Gaza being waged over the last year.

In fact, there is no place in decency for any form of bigotry including anti-Semitism. History has taught us what the consequences of just the idea of hate can create. There are, however, major causes in recent and not so recent history that quite frankly were good causes that choose terrorism as the only medium they had to defend themselves and further their cause.

Israeli groups prior to 1948, like Haganah, were considered by the British to be terrorists. I disagree, but they weren’t a legitimate army either. They were the only protection the Jewish settlers had against attacks by Muslim extremists. So I will agree they were necessary.

The partitioning of Ireland in an attempt by the British to prevent carnage is one that comes to mind because in principle it’s a good cause. Britain was wrong to invade Ireland, it was wrong to settle their people there and it was wrong to partition Ireland to protect the descendants of the people they settled. But frankly speaking, what could they have done differently? It would have ended up being a genocide of the descendants who are quite identifiable by religion and last names.

Always remember, the protestants in Ireland now are the great, great grandchildren of the British descendants. They are Irish people at this point. You can’t expect them all to get up and leave. Only the Government of the Dominican Republic would consider that reasonable (look up what they are doing to their own citizens of Haitian descent).

The response, however, by the terrorist group the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has been horrendous. Killing innocent women and children in England and in Northern Island can never be justified despite the cause being genuine.

So it seems like an easy answer. Terrorism is not an acceptable method to fight your cause. Until, that is, we bring up Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC). Mandela is, hands down, the most prolific human representation of peace since Mahatma Gandhi. After being kept a prisoner for almost three decades, he is released, gets elected to lead the country and forgives the very individuals who kept him imprisoned, tortured him and imprisoned and tortured his wife. Myself in his shoes would have conducted a purge that would have made Stalin look like a puppy.

However, he was the head of the military wing of the ANC and that organisation committed terrorist acts in the name of furthering their cause for racial equality. In fact, he was on a terrorist watch list in the United States of America till 2008. If you doubt me, research the Durban bar bombing or the attack against the air force base in Pretoria that killed 60 civilians in 1983. These were ANC acts of terror whilst Nelson Mandela was in prison.

So, is it acceptable, if the cause is genuine? It’s a tough call. To me, nothing that intends the maiming or murder of innocent civilians as a mechanism of battle is acceptable. Despite this, Nelson Mandela is my favourite political figure of all times. I guess I’m a hypocrite or just simplistic.

The Government of South Africa at that time was a disgrace and one that many countries we look up to, that include the USA and Britain, supported until countries like Jamaica made them look bad. In fact, Norman Manley was condemning the South African Government from 1952.

There are people who consider the Palestinian cause to be genuine. I guess they have a point. The Palestinians are living like refugees within their own country. It is somewhat similar to apartheid in South Africa. I feel their pain.

That being said I cannot accept what happened on October 7, 2023 to be an appropriate response. So let’s look on our local history.

The Morant Bay Rebellion wasn’t legal in its time and if committed now the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) would be looking for Paul Bogle to arrest him.

Fast-forward to the 1970s. If Michael Manley was battling the oligopoly he claimed to have been, does that make his activities right? Making all attempts to convert us to communism despite not allowing the electorate to choose that ideology as their Government of choice, sending young men to train as Brigadistas in Cuba and creating a divided society between the poor and all other classes?

Did this threat justify the actions of the Opposition in that era of arming thugs to fight the country becoming a communist State? I condemn the action of both sides on the ground that there were other choices to achieve the same means. If you wanted to change the country into a communist State then run in the general election on that message. Don’t sneak it upon us after you get elected.

If the Opposition wanted to fight communism find another method than arming thugs. Join the police force and the army and defend the constitution of the country.

So there will be many causes that require drastic action. I get that. But there is no room for any cause that specifically targets innocent people.

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