The way i was taught irish history/the troubles was to think how you would feel if the same thing hapened to you. Heres another way of looking at it. lets say that new zealand actually had a big enough army and decided to invade australia. They then establish their own government, which focuses mainly on discrimination, and claims australia as their own. 400 odd years later, us aussies are getting bloody sick of the kiwis screwing up the country and decide that we want it back. The kiwis set out a treaty that divides the country into two. The east coast belongs to them and the west becomes a new country, with new laws, government, etc.
Would you be pissed off at the partition?? I probably would be. And would use whatever means to get it back. The British did not listen when they tried to talk to them, so they resorted to other means. These means finally led to an agreement in 1998, which started the peace process.
Im not saying i agree with everything the IRA did, as some of the things they did went too far over the line, but they had a right to be angry with the british government. And the British dont/didnt exactly help things much anyway. Has anyone actually heard of the UVA, UDA and other unionist paras decomissioning their weapons lately? No. And the soldiers that murdered 14 people on bloody sunday were knighted by the queen for their "efforts." I could write 10 pages on this, but i think there is a word limit, so ill stop now.
But the thing is No matter how harshly we are being treated, the killing of innocents no matter what thier nationality
is wrong.
I've read more about Irish history and English oppression than any other subject and I know that England was a cruel and restrictive dictatorship
but that will NEVER justify the killing of innocent civilians no matter what thier race.
Soldiers and confirmed enemies that have or plan to attack you, in a war (and that's what it was, make no mistake) are justified but random car bombs in the street especially in London cannot be justified.
That is why war is so horrible because none of them have zero civillian cassulties.
The IRA parratroopers who blew up seven car bombs on the streets of Belfast, parked on a footpath on Black Friday are no worse than
a bomber pilot whose target is a civillian target.
There are some Loyalists who are just as bad as the IRA and both have commited mass atocities.
