How do we distinguish between freedom fighters and terrorists?

The Fenians were Irish Americans seeking to put pressure on Britain to free Ireland and hence could be seen as ‘freedom fighters’. Except that they carried out attacks in Canada and assassinated one of the leaders of Canadian independence. So, are they terrorists instead? Borealis dives into the neverending debate of freedom fighter vs terrorist.

Subscribe:

►Buzzsprouts

►Apple Podcasts

►Google Podcasts

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Email - borealisrisk@gmail.com

Like this podcast? Check Phil Gurski's latest books:

Timestamps:

#Terrorism #FreedomFighter #QuickHits The Fenian Brotherhood was an Irish republican organisation founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organisation to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Members were commonly known as "Fenians". O'Mahony, who was a Gaelic scholar, named his organisation after the Fianna, the legendary band of Irish warriors led by Fionn mac Cumhaill.

The Battle of Ridgeway (sometimes the Battle of Lime Ridge or Limestone Ridge) was fought in the vicinity of the town of Fort Erie across the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York, near the village of Ridgeway, Canada West, currently Ontario, Canada, on June 2, 1866, between Canadian troops and an irregular army of Irish-American invaders, the Fenians. It was the largest engagement of the Fenian Raids, the first modern industrial-era battle to be fought by Canadians and the first to be fought only by Canadian troops and led exclusively by Canadian officers. The battlefield was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1921 and is the last battle fought within the current boundaries of Ontario against a foreign invasion. The Battle of Ridgeway has the distinction of being the first victory in a pitched battle for the cause of Irish independence since the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Thomas D'Arcy Etienne Grace Hughes McGee (13 April 1825 – 7 April 1868) was an Irish-Canadian politician, Catholic spokesman, journalist, poet, and a Father of Canadian Confederation. The young McGee was a Catholic Irishman who opposed British rule of Ireland, and worked for a peasant revolution to overthrow British rule and secure Irish independence. McGee succeeded in helping create the Canadian Confederation in 1867, but was assassinated by Patrick J. Whelan in 1868.