Right-wing terrorismRight-wing terrorism is terrorism motivated by a variety of far right ideologies and beliefs, including
anti-communism,
neo-fascism,
neo-Nazism,
racism,
xenophobia and
opposition to immigration. This type of terrorism has been sporadic, with little or no international cooperation. The terrorist acts are generally poorly coordinated, and few identifiable organizations have been involved. Modern right-wing terrorism first appeared in western Europe in the 1980s and in eastern Europe following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Right-wing terrorists aim to overthrow governments and replace them with
nationalist or
fascist-oriented governments. The core of this movement includes
neo-fascist skinheads,
far right hooligans,
youth sympathisers and
intellectual guides who believe that the state must rid itself of foreign elements in order to protect rightful citizens. However, they usually lack a rigid ideology.
The Norwegian far right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik (born 13 February 1979) who killed eight people by setting off a van bomb amid government buildings in Oslo, then shot dead 69 participants of a Workers' Youth League (AUF) summer camp on the island of Utøya On 22 July 2011.FranceA photo taken on May 8, 2011 shows members of "Jeunesses Nationalistes Révolutionnaires" (JNR) movement taking part in a French far-right groups rally to denounce "globalization," around the Madeleine church in Paris.Neo-Nazis of the French and European Nationalist Party were responsible for a pair of
anti-Muslim terror bombings in
1988. Sonacotra hostels in
Cagnes-sur-Mer and
Cannes were bombed, killing Romanian immigrant
George Iordachescu and injuring 16 people, mostly
Tunisians.
In an attempt to frame
Jewish extremists for the
Cagnes-sur-Mer bombing, the terrorists left leaflets bearing
Stars of David and the name "
Masada" at the scene of the crime, with the message "
To destroy Israel, Islam has chosen the sword. For this choice, Islam will perish."
The far-right National Front secured the votes of 25 percent of the French electorateGermanyIn 1980, a right-wing terrorist attack in
Munich, Germany killed the attacker and 14 other people, injuring 215. Fears of an ongoing campaign of major right-wing terrorist attacks did not materialize.
In addition to several bank robberies, the German
National Socialist Underground was responsible for
the Bosphorus serial murders (2000-2006),
the 2004 Cologne bombing and the murder of policewoman
Michéle Kiesewetter in
2007. In November 2011, two members of
the National Socialist Underground committed suicide after a bank robbery and a third member was arrested some days later.
National Socialist Underground members Beate Zschäpe, Uwe Böhnhardt and Uwe Mundlos.German police officer Michéle Kiesewetter was murdered by the German National Socialist UndergroundMore info about the National Socialist Underground:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_UndergroundIrelandMembers of the far right Ulster Defence Association march in Northern-IrelandIn
the Republic of Ireland and in
Northern Ireland (UK), far-right
Ulster loyalists are known to have formed armed militias like
the Ulster Defence Association,
Real Ulster Freedom Fighters and
Red Hand Defenders, that in some cases had been classified as terrorist groups by the
UK,
US, and
Ireland, for their extremists and violent actions toward civilians and public servants, both in
Ireland and the
UK.
Mural of the Real Ulster Freedom Fighters in Northern-Ireland in a Protestant Unionist neighbourhoodItalyIn the
August 1980 Bologna bombing, a group of right-wing terrorists exploded a bomb at a railroad station in
Bologna,
Italy, killing
84 people and injuring
more than 180. According to the
Italian police, the perpetrators were
Valerio Fioravanti and
Francesca Mambro, two members of the neo-fascist organization
Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari. Both of the accused denied any connection with the attacks.
The August 1980 Bologna bombingIn December 2011, far right
CasaPound activists took part in targeted shooting of
Senegalese traders in
Florence, killing two and injuring three.
Members of the Italian far right CasaPound (
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CasaPound )
NorwayNorwegian Neo-nazi Kristian "Varg" Vikernes greeted supporters outside the court after Thursday's hearing in Paris, France, 2013 (
www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24556167 )
On July 22, 2011, Norwegian right-wing extremist with Nazi and fascist sympathies,
Anders Behring Breivik, carried out the 2011 Norway attacks, the largest mass killing of people in Norway by a single person during peacetime, excluding use of bombs. First he bombed several government buildings in Oslo, killing eight people and injuring more than 30. After the bombings, he went to
Utøya island in a fake police uniform and began firing on people attending a political youth camp for
the Worker's Youth League (
AUF), a left-wing political party, killing 68 and injuring more than 60.
Norwegian police enters Utøya island after Breivik killed 68 young Norwegian Social-democrats of the the Worker's Youth League.United KingdomThe British Neo-Nazi David CopelandIn April 1999,
David Copeland, a neo-Nazi, planted a series of nail bombs over 13 days, causing explosions in
Brixton,
Brick Lane (in east London), and
Soho (in central London). His attacks, which were aimed at London's
black,
Bangladeshi and
gay communities, resulted in three people being killed and more than 100 being injured. Copeland was a former member of two far right political groups, the
British National Party (
BNP) and the
National Socialist Movement. Copeland told police, "
My aim was political. It was to cause a racial war in this country. There'd be a backlash from the ethnic minorities, then all the white people will go out and vote BNP."
The Admiral Duncan bombing was the third of three nail bomb attacks carried out by David Copeland who wanted to stir up fear and hatred so that the British National Party would be elected. Luckily his plan failed but not before he had planted three bombs over the course of three weeks targeting the Black communities of Brixton (17th April), the Asian communities of Brick Lane (24th April) and the Gay communities of Soho (30th April).In
July 2007,
Robert Cottage, a former
BNP member, was convicted for possessing explosive chemicals in his home – described by police at the time of his arrest as the largest amount of chemical explosive of its type ever found in this country. In
June 2008,
Martyn Gilleard, a British Nazi sympathizer, was jailed after police found nail bombs, bullets, swords, axes and knives in his flat. Also in
2008,
Nathan Worrell was found guilty of possession of material for terrorist purposes and racially aggravated harassment. He was described by anti-terror police as a "
dangerous individual". The court heard that police found books and manuals containing "
recipes" to make bombs and detonators using household items, such as weedkiller, at Worrell's flat. In July 2009,
Neil Lewington was planning on waging a terror campaign using weapons made from tennis balls and weedkiller against those he classified as "
non British".
British Neo-nazi Nathan WorrellIn 2012, the British
Home Affairs Committee warned of the threat of far right terrorism in the UK, claiming it had heard "
persuasive evidence" about the potential danger and cited the growth of similar threats across Europe.
Members of
Combat 18 (
C18), a neo-Nazi organisation based on the concept of "
leaderless resistance", have been suspected in
numerous deaths of immigrants,
non-whites, and
other C18 members. Between
1998 and
2000,
dozens of Combat 18 members in
the UK were arrested on various charges during dawn raids by the police. A group calling itself
the Racial Volunteer Force split from
C18 in
2002, although it has retained close links to its parent organization. Some journalists believed that
the White Wolves are
a C18 splinter group, alleging that the group had been set up by
Del O'Connor, the former second-in-command of
C18 and member of
Skrewdriver Security. Racist attacks on immigrants continue from members of
C18. Weapons, ammunition and explosives have been seized by police in
the UK and almost every country in which
C18 is active.