Freedom fighter

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Freedom fighter is a person who thinks his native ethnic group is not free, and is working to have the freedom for his group. Most often this aim means in practice that freedom fighter wants his people to have own nation and independency and/or to get rid of oppressor. People who thinks like this thinks in nationalist way.

Freedom fighter is a relativistic term - this means you decide by your point of view do you call some persons or groups freedom fighters or not. Freedom fighter is a positive term - this means that you call a person freedom fighter only if you support his goals. If you do not support his goals, you propably use more negative terms like insurgent, terrorist, rebel or criminal. Freedom fighters are often called terrorists by their opponents if they hurt civilians. However not all freedom fighters hurt civilians. Some freedom fighters damages the opposing military. Some freedom fighters damages property - this is called sabotage. There are also freedom fighters who does not use violence at all. For example Mahatma Gandhi and Dalai Lama are like that.

[edit] "Freedom Fighters"

These are examples of groups who calls themselves freedom fighters.

The African National Congress, c.f. Alfred Nzo's Address to the British Trades Union Congress at its Presentation of a Gold Medal to Nelson Mandela, 1988.
Al-Qaeda
Aryan Nations
Babbar Khalsa (Sikh separatists)
CNRT Conselho Nacional de Resistência Timorense
The Continuity Irish Republican Army
Earth Liberation Front
ETA Euskadi Ta Askatasuna - Basque nationalist organization
GAM Gerakan Aceh Merdeka
Hamas
Hezbolla
Hizbul Mujahideen - Kashmiri separatists
The Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish People's Liberation Organisation
The Irish Republican Army
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil Separatists)
Mahdi Army a milita force created by and loyal to the Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
The New Peoples' Army
The Real Irish Republican Army
The Scottish National Liberation Army
The Ulster Defence Regiment
The Ulster Freedom Fighters
The Ulster Volunteer Force