Right-wing terrorism draws its inspiration from a variety of ideologies and beliefs, including neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, racism and opposition to foreigners and immigration. Incidents of this type of terrorism have been sporadic with little or no international cooperation.[1] Their actions are generally poorly coordinated and there are few identifiable organizations. Modern right wing terrorism began to appear in western Europe in the 1980s and in eastern Europe following the collapse of Communism.[2]
The objective of right-wing terrorism is the overthrow existing governments and their replacement with nationalist or fascist-oriented governments.[1]
Right-wing terrorists generally are inspired by 19th century and early 20th century nationalist writers such as Arthur de Gobineau, Houston Stewart Chamberlain and Heinrich von Treitschke.[3] The core of this movement includes neo-fascist skinheads, right-wing hooligans, youth sympathisers and intellectual guides who believe that the state must rid itself of foreign elements in order to protect rightful citizens.[4] However, they usually lack a rigid ideology.[3]
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Right-wing terrorism came to widespread attention after the August 1980 Bologna bombing, when a group of right-wing terrorists exploded a bomb at a railroad station in Bologna, Italy, killing 84 people and injuring more than 180. Two months later, a right-wing terrorist attack in Munich, Germany killed the attacker and 14 other people, injuring 215. Fears of an on-going campaign of major right-wing terrorist attacks did not materialize.[1]
In 1983, Gordon Kahl, a Posse Comitatus activist, killed two federal marshals and was later killed by police. Also that year, the white nationalist revolutionary group The Order (also known as the Brüder Schweigen or Silent Brotherhood) became involved with terrorism, including: robbing a sex shop, several banks and armored cars;[5] bombing a theater and a synagogue; and murdering radio talk show host Alan Berg.[6][7]
During the 1980s, more than 75 right-wing extremists were prosecuted in the United States for acts of terrorism, although they carried out only six attacks during the decade.[8] The success of law enforcement in capturing and preventing terrorists has been credited to their efforts to investigate terrorists before they turned to violence.[8] The April 19, 1995 attack on the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma, by the right-wing extremist Timothy McVeigh, which killed 168 people, would become the worst domestic terrorist attack in American history.[9] It was reported he had ties to a Michigan militia group.[10]
David Copeland planted a series of bombs over 13 days in April 1999. He caused explosions in Brixton, south London Brick Lane in east London and a nail bomb in Soho, central London. The final blast at the gay pub the Admiral Duncan killed Andrea Dykes, 27, who was pregnant, and friends John Light, 32, and Nik Moore, 31, from Essex. His intention was to ignite a race war across Britain. In addition to the three killings, he injured 139 people including a 23 month old todler who had to have a 4 inch nail removed from his brain.
During July 2009, Neil Lewington was planning on waging a terror campaign using tennis balls and weedkiller targeted against those he thought classafied as "non British".[11]
Robert Cottage, a former BNP member was convicted in July 2007 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.[12]
Martyn Gilleard, a British Nazi sympathizer was jailed in June 2008 after police found nail bombs, bullets, swords, axes and knives in his flat.[13]
Again 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 books and manuals containing "recipes" to make bombs and detonators using household items such as weedkiller were found by police at Worrell's flat.[14]
On July 22, 2011, Norwegian right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik bombed several government buildings in Oslo, Norway killing eight people and injuring more than 30. After the bombing, he made his way to Utøya island in a fake police uniform and began firing on people attending a political youth camp for Norway's left-wing AUF political party, killing 68 and injuring more than 60. The 2011 Norway attacks became the largest mass killing of people committed by a single person during peacetime, excluding use of bombs.