Terrorists or Freedom Fighters

[Pax]

Just curious. What makes these groups or individuals terrorists or fredom fighters?

ETA(Basque Seperatists)
Mission: Autonomous state for Basques in Northeast corner of Spain, West corner of France.

Chiang Kai-shek
Mission: Founder of Chinese government in Exile on Taiwan. Ultimate goal unite China or declare Taiwan separate state

American Revolution founding fathers
Mission: Autonomous state for American Colonies

Unabomber Ted Kaczynsky Luddite
Mission: Revolution against the industrial system

Irish Republican Army
Mission: Liberation Norther Ireland from U.K.

Mao Zedong
Mission: Liberate China from Capitalism and Western power

FLN(Front de Libération)
Mission: Autonomous state for Algeria

Doroteo Arango, alias Francisco “Pancho” Villa
Mission: Liberate Mexico from Victoriano Huerta dictatorship

KKK(Ku Klux Klan)
Mission: Preserve,upliftment and solidarity of the white race as the basis for Christian

Menachim Begin
Mission: Establish israel as a recognized state

PLO(Palestinian Liberation Organizatio)
Mission: Autonomous state for Palestine

Henry Kissinger
Mission: ?. I'm too biased to state.

Bolshevik Party
Mission: Liberation of Proletariat(workers) from all economic, political, and social relationships in Russian society of the day.

Mahatma Ghandi
Mission: Autonomous state for India

Civil Rights movement in America
Mission: Equality for minorities as well as the poor in the U.S.

Ho Chi Minh
Mission: Autonomous state for Vietnam

Cuban Revolutionaries
Mission: Liberate Cuba from corrupt Batista government

President G.W. Bush(II)
Mission: ?. I'm too biased to state.

Of course there's many more Revolutionaries, terrorists and causes. Feel free to add some. The question is what separates these people? For instance what's the difference between Arafat and Begin?

[Wezil]

Means not goal.

[Pax]

Almost all of the groups have used violence to acheive their goal. The only exception are the civil rights movement and the Mahatma Ghandi.

[Wezil]

Violence - perhaps. Against whom is the problem.

[Az]

well, Begin never refused a deal to create an Israeli, state, for once.
Arafat never fought against a world-wide covering empire.

[Pax]

So Arafat is the terrorist and begin is the Freedom fighter?

[Az]

Arafat was a terrorist, But Begin was not a freedom fighter. Plus these names are kinda stupid.

[Pax]

All the names here in some way or another attempted of effected a change in the political and social order of society.

[Az]

That's not a definition for a freedom fighter. neither it is for a terrorist.

[Pax]

Every single person or group listed here will tell you they are fighting for freedom for their group.

[yaroslav]

ETA has killed more than 800 people in the last 20 years, mainly with bombs and shoot-in-the-scruff. They're terrorist.

[Az]

So what? what they SAY doesn't matter. I't define it this way:

Freedom fighter: someone who's main goal is the liberation of a certain group of existing opression.

Terrorist: someone who targets civilians, in order to influence the society of the enemy society.

[The Mad Monk]

I don't think Mao would be classed as either -- FF against the Japanese occupation, certainly, but the war that followed against Chiang (who I also wouldn't class as either) had both parties on more or less equal ground. Neither had a "prior claim" to China.

Or am I just showing off my great ignorance of Chinese history, again?

[Rogan Josh]

Re: Terrorists or Freedom Fighters

Originally posted by Pax Africanus
ETA(Basque Seperatists)
Mission: Autonomous state for Basques in Northeast corner of Spain, West corner of France.

Terrorists.

Chiang Kai-shek
Mission: Founder of Chinese government in Exile on Taiwan. Ultimate goal unite China or declare Taiwan separate state

Neither

American Revolution founding fathers
Mission: Autonomous state for American Colonies

Terrorists (to start with at least).

Unabomber Ted Kaczynsky Luddite
Mission: Revolution against the industrial system

Terrorist

Irish Republican Army
Mission: Liberation Norther Ireland from U.K.

Terrorists (but have recently reformed)

Mao Zedong
Mission: Liberate China from Capitalism and Western power

Neither. Just the head of an extrekely nasty faction in civil war.

FLN(Front de Libération)
Mission: Autonomous state for Algeria

Terrorists.

Doroteo Arango, alias Francisco “Pancho” Villa
Mission: Liberate Mexico from Victoriano Huerta dictatorship

Terrorists.

KKK(Ku Klux Klan)
Mission: Preserve,upliftment and solidarity of the white race as the basis for Christian

Terrorists.

Menachim Begin
Mission: Establish israel as a recognized state

Terrorist.

PLO(Palestinian Liberation Organizatio)
Mission: Autonomous state for Palestine

Terrorists (although now not outwardly so).

Henry Kissinger
Mission: ?. I'm too biased to state.

Neither (but not a good man)

Bolshevik Party
Mission: Liberation of Proletariat(workers) from all economic, political, and social relationships in Russian society of the day.

Again, just a faction in a civil war (the revolution itself was too quick and bloodless to count as terrorism inho)

Mahatma Ghandi
Mission: Autonomous state for India

Neither - he showed how it should be done.

Civil Rights movement in America
Mission: Equality for minorities as well as the poor in the U.S.

Neither (although terrorists have operated in their name)

Ho Chi Minh
Mission: Autonomous state for Vietnam

Neither. Again just a civil war

Cuban Revolutionaries
Mission: Liberate Cuba from corrupt Batista government

Hmm... not sure - I would need more info on what they did.

President G.W. Bush(II)
Mission: ?. I'm too biased to state.

Neither (obviously)

[Pax]

By Azazel's definition ETA would be Freedom Fighters.

I believe mao believed the Chinese Nationalists were clearly in the west's pocket. Therefore, offering more of the same domination of China by the west. West includes Japan in this deifinition.