TERRORIST PROPAGANDA Terrorist Propaganda The Red Army Faction and the Provisional IRA, 1968-86 Joanne Wright Lecturer, Department of Government, University of Queensland, Australia Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 978-1-349-11716-1 ISBN 978-1-349-11714-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-11714-7 ©Joanne Wright, 1990 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1990 978-0-333-52711-5 All rights reserved. For information, write: Scholarly and Reference Division, St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. lOOlO First published in the United States of America in 1991 ISBN 978-0-312-04761-0 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wright, Joanne, 1960- Terrorist propaganda: the Red Army Faction and the Provisional IRA, 1968-86 / Joanne Wright. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-312-04761-0 I. Terrorism-Case studies. 2. Propaganda-Case studies. 3. Baader-Meinhof gang. 4. Provisional IRA. I. Title. HV643l.W75 1991 364.I-dc20 90-44352 CIP Contents Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations and Acronyms viii Introduction x PART I CONTEXT 1 Terrorism 3 Terrorist Violence 4 Terrorist Violence and Conflict 7 Guerrillas and Terrorists 7 Terrorism as Strategy 9 Terrorism and International Law 13 2 Historical Background 21 The Red Army Faction 23 The Provisional IRA 27 3 Ideology 35 The Red Army Faction 38 The Provisional IRA 52 Summary 68 PART II PROPAGANDA 4 The Uncommitted Audience 73 The Red Army Faction 80 The Provisional IRA 89 5 The Sympathetic Audience 102 The Red Army Faction 103 The Provisional IRA 117 6 The Active Audience 139 The Red Army Faction 140 The Provisional IRA 151 Summary 166 v vi Contents PART III CONCLUSIONS 7 A Degree of Success 173 The Red Army Faction 173 The Provisional IRA 192 8 Conclusions 225 Reassessment and Further Research 232 Notes and References 237 Bibliography 266 Index 272 Acknowledgemen ts The researching and writing of this book owes a great deal to several institutions and many people. I would like to thank the Department of International Relations, the Australian National University, the Department of Political Science, Melbourne University, and the Department of Politics and International Relations, Aberdeen University, for all the facilities they pro vided me. I am grateful to the Police Staff College, Bramshill, for permission to use its library, and in Northern Ireland the Linenhall Library in Belfast deserves special mention. Special thanks must also go to Mr Geoffrey Jukes, whose support, comments and sense of humour were a considerable source of comfort. Dr John Girling, Professor J. D. B. Miller and Professor Heiko Schroeder showed great patience in read ing the various drafts. Mrs Lynne Payne and Mrs Vana Arfi helped me nurture this book into a presentable form, and Terry and Frantz made valiant efforts to make me IBM compatible. In West Germany, I am particularly indebted to Dr David Schiller. In the UK, I would like to thank Professor Paul Wilkinson and Dr Richard Clutterbuck, and the many others who granted me their time. Needless to say, none of the above are responsible in any way for errors of fact or interpretation. Finally, I must acknowledge the love and devotion of my parents. And to Keith, whose contribution has been the great est, I dedicate this book. JOANNE WRIGHT vii Abbreviations and Acronyms ANC African National Congress APO Ausserparlamentarische Opposition (Extraparli amentary Opposition) BKA Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Criminal Office) CCC Fighting Communist Cells CDU Christlich Demokratische Union (Christian Demo cratic Union) CSU Christlich Soziale Union (Christian Social Union) DKP Deutsche Kommunistische Partei (Communist Party of Germany) Eoka Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Ayoniston EPA Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act FMLN Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional INLA Irish National Liberation Army IRA Irish Republican Army KPD Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (German Communist Party) Noraid Irish Northern Aid PFLP Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine PIRA Provisional Irish Republican Army PLO Palestine Liberation Organisation PTA Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act RTE Radio Telefis Eireann RAF Red Army Faction RIC Royal Irish Constabulary RUC Royal Ulster Constabulary SDLP Social Democratic and Labour Party SDS Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund (German Socialist Student Organisation) SHB Sozialistische Hochschulbund (Socialist Student Federation) SPD Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic Party of Germany) viii Abbreviations and Acronyms ix SPK Sozialistische Patienten Kollectiv (Socialist Pati ents' Collective) SRP Sozialistische Reichspartei (Socialist Reich Party) RZ Revolutionary Cells UDR Ulster Defence Regiment Introduction In one respect this book is a reflection of the success non-state terrorist organisations have had since 1968. Since then the media have overflowed with references to yet more terrorist outrages. The bookshops too have become full of accounts that purport to describe, explain or solve 'terrorism'. Terrorism has inspired countless novels, films and television 'mini-series'. Few events have had a larger or more captive audience than the Black September organisation's seizure of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. Terrorism, it seems, is one of the major dangers facing the modern world. Yet there is much evidence to suggest that this is not the case. Terrorism did not originate in 1968, and on a compara tive scale non-state terrorism is fairly insignificant. Since 1968 over one million people have been killed in the nine year Iran-Iraq war. Many more have died of starvation in Africa. Countless millions have died at the hands of repressive govern ments. The Coca-Cola Company has probably spent more, and can afford to spend more, on promoting its product than Ire land or Greece have spent on countering terrorism. It is cer tainly true that in this comparative sense terrorism has created an impact disproportionate to its significance. And in the sense that terrorism is specifically designed to do this, this book, along with the hundreds of works on non-state terrorism, is guilty of giving terrorists the attention they want. But does this mean non-state terrorism should be ignored? First, non-state terrorism can only be dismissed as insignifi cant on a broadly comparative scale. For those countries par ticularly subject to terrorist attack it is highly significant. Its impact and its casualty rate have had an immense effect on a very small community like Northern Ireland. Even in societies like West Germany, where the casualty rate from terrorism is very small, the overall impact has been great. Second, terrorism as a strategy depends on the response it provokes, therefore selecting the appropriate response level is vital; over-reacting is as dangerous as under-reacting. Because response is so vital, studying terrorism is a legitimate area for academics who may be able to take a more detached and a more complete view x