[happy character pointing at a painting of a french resistance fighter holding a molotov cocktail] Freedom fighters! Those people were heroes for fighting against oppression
[angry character shoving their smartphone in our face with a picture of a palestinian holding a rock] Evil terrorists! Those people are monsters for fighting against oppression
i think terrorist is when you attack random civilians for the purpose of inciting terror to further a political cause, like a suicide bomber on a city bus…
Not sure why they're down voting you but you're right
However, freedom fighters pretty much will have to resort to doing just that. You can't meet a country on the battlefield, you'll get wiped out, so you'll have to resort to guerilla tactics, which terrorists also do.
The entire point of my post was to say exactly that; there is no difference between terrorists and Freedom fighters, except the side you're on.
Terrorists usually fight for a cause. You may like and or support that cause without wanting to support terrorism, but if the cause is big and ornsire enough, terrorism may be the only way out. This includes attacking civilian targets, unfortunately. Reminds me of "star Trek, deep space nine" which had many episodes related to this, blurring the lines between who is "good" and who is "bad". I highly recommend it, great great show (seasons 1&2 are mostly notably weaker, the rest is amazing)
Of course in the real world, lines get even more blurry very fast. Terrorist groups get funded by other states, that may add to or change the direction and rules these groups follow. Terrorist groups tend to splinter frequently as well, causing splinter cells that may have different goals. Freedom fighters many times start out with lofty goals but over time need funding for their struggles, so then resort to crime like drug trafficking or even kidnapping to support their cause.
Farc, in Colombia also officially fights for freedom but has done atrocious acts, including child murder. The US, as another example, has famously financially backed countless freedom fighter groups (including Osama bin Laden) which committed atrocious acts, and fought against other terrorist groups that simply wanted freedom
Of course the US will claim that the ones they backed were freedom fighters, and the ones they're fighting are terrorists. War against terror! Except for the terror that we spread around!
Life is complicated
i agree with pretty much everything you say, but i do differ in that terrorism is actually more about tactics than the viewpoint….
like, if you hold an elementary school hostage with some demands to someone, that’s always terrorism…
also why israel are terrorists….
but controlling powers tend to call everyone terrorists.
the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act makes it “terrorism” to get a job at a slaughterhouse or other meat plant and secretly record video….