Why Is the Killer of British MP Jo Cox Not Being Called a “Terrorist”?

[FearGod]

A debate between me and @Aquitaine about whether the killer of UK labour MP Jo Cox
was a terrorist which is what i think of him while Aquantaine think of it more to be an assassination
than terrorism,

What do you think of this crime of killing the Labour MP Jo Cox, is it an assassination or a terrorist act?

The same thoughts i found in an article by Glenn Greenwald.
https://theintercept.com/2016/06/17...itish-mp-jo-cox-not-being-called-a-terrorist/

 

[Sunstone]

A terrorist is someone who uses violence or the threat of violence against civilian targets in order to create terror as a means of achieving political goals. Does Cox's murderer fit that description? If so, what were his political goals?

 

[Godobeyer]

A debate between me and @Aquitaine about whether the killer of UK labour MP Jo Cox
was a terrorist which is what i think of him while Aquantaine think of it more to be an assassination
than terrorism,

What do you think of this crime of killing the Labour MP Jo Cox, is it an assassination or a terrorist act?

The same thoughts i found in an article by Glenn Greenwald.
https://theintercept.com/2016/06/17...itish-mp-jo-cox-not-being-called-a-terrorist/

Many magazins don't call the massacre of norway terrorism.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/23/norway-attacks

on contray they claim he made that crime because "Muslims " ,Holy **** we are also linked to their crimes

Don't suprise when someone said Hitler is Muslim,and Nazis are linked to Alqaeda by historic evidence.

 

[ShivaFan]

The guy who shot the MP was simply mentally disturbed - he was not a "neo-Nazi", he just visited a site which showed him how to put together a gun, but he also visited many other websites of various political and religious genre. If someone wants to call him a Neo-Nazi than I think Merkel or Obama should be called a Neo-Islamist. It would be like calling Suckerberg of Fakebook a Neo-Muslim... he is less than neo but more than mini-Muslim.

I hope this murder in no way effects the vote on BREXIT yes or no. The connections to the actual issues involved is lame to make and should not influence one's decision to vote yes or no.

 

[Aquitaine]

A debate between me and @Aquitaine about whether the killer of UK labour MP Jo Cox
was a terrorist which is what i think of him while Aquantaine think of it more to be an assassination
than terrorism,

What do you think of this crime of killing the Labour MP Jo Cox, is it an assassination or a terrorist act?

The same thoughts i found in an article by Glenn Greenwald.
https://theintercept.com/2016/06/17...itish-mp-jo-cox-not-being-called-a-terrorist/

Thank you for creating your own thread on the subject.
Though I must say: I'm 50/50 regarding whether it is Terrorism or just plain Assassination, as I mentioned in the earlier thread.

I personally have mixed feelings regarding the use of the word "Terrorist" anyway, as it can be a rather subjective concept: "One man's Terrorist is another man's Freedom Fighter" comes to mind.

 

[columbus]

What do you think of this crime of killing the Labour MP Jo Cox, is it an assassination or a terrorist act?

I'm not a mind reader. I am not sure why he did what he did, at this point. But assassination looks more reasonable to me.
If the murderer had threatened or shot Jo Cox' children, that would be more like terrorism. Because the children had nothing to do with the politics, but shooting them would influence the people who do. Ms Cox was a political power and killing her changed the outcome, so it seems like assassination to me.

When you are talking about violence there are not any clear distinctions. To me, terrorism is when someone attacks a noncombatant. Ms Cox was not one, exactly.

Similarly, if someone offed Netanyahu. It would probably be assassination, not terrorism. When someone blows up a restaurant or bus, that's terrorism.
Tom

 

[Shaul]

There isn't much need to use load terms such as terrorist. As Sergeant Friday used to say on Dragnet, "just the facts." If someone has committed a crime, just state the who, how, where, and when. People can make up their own minds about something's significance and the why.

 

[Twilight Hue]

A debate between me and @Aquitaine about whether the killer of UK labour MP Jo Cox
was a terrorist which is what i think of him while Aquantaine think of it more to be an assassination
than terrorism,

What do you think of this crime of killing the Labour MP Jo Cox, is it an assassination or a terrorist act?

The same thoughts i found in an article by Glenn Greenwald.
https://theintercept.com/2016/06/17...itish-mp-jo-cox-not-being-called-a-terrorist/

Well terrorism is generally linked with a radical ideological group prone to repeat acts, where this person was self motivated admist a mental storm raging on inside his head, did it by himself, and it was over.

 

[von bek]

Well, if the assassination was done in relation to the upcoming vote on Great Britain leaving the EU, I don't see why it would not be a terrorist act. I mean, if the idea was to silence and intimidate those politicians who support staying in the EU, I don't know a better word to use than terrorism.

 

[FearGod]

Well, if the assassination was done in relation to the upcoming vote on Great Britain leaving the EU, I don't see why it would not be a terrorist act. I mean, if the idea was to silence and intimidate those politicians who support staying in the EU, I don't know a better word to use than terrorism.

Well said.

 

[Altfish]

The Terrorism Act 2000 (UK Act) defines terrorism as...

"acts of terrorism" means acts of persons acting on behalf of, or in connection with, any organisation which carries out activities directed towards the overthrowing or influencing, by force or violence, of Her Majesty's government in the United Kingdom or any other government de jure or de facto.

Since he appears to have been a lone wolf (albeit inspired by dubious right wing causes) not acting on behalf of any organisation, I think it would be wrong to call it 'terrorism'

 

[Jumi]

A lone wolf terrorist is still a terrorist. Britain First have condemned the attack by the way.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

While the murderer identified very strongly with far right neo nazi elements and had strong pro british first views, I see him more as a deranged solo assasin than as a terrorist.
I do not doubt at all, that the murder was associated with his views on Brexit. Even if he had no links with the campaign in any other way.

while it is usually leading polititians that are hated for thir views, that are the victims of assassination. In this case the target was more opportunistic. More obvious and hated polititians like Gove, Borris and Farage, and as would Trump in the USA, be far better protected.

 

[FearGod]

It’s time to call the killing of Jo Cox what it is: 'an act of far-Right terrorism'

Should he be a Muslim in order to be an act of terrorism?
If his name was Ahmed then will he be defined as a terrorist or alone wolf with a mental disorders.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

A debate between me and @Aquitaine about whether the killer of UK labour MP Jo Cox
was a terrorist which is what i think of him while Aquantaine think of it more to be an assassination
than terrorism,

What do you think of this crime of killing the Labour MP Jo Cox, is it an assassination or a terrorist act?

The same thoughts i found in an article by Glenn Greenwald.
https://theintercept.com/2016/06/17...itish-mp-jo-cox-not-being-called-a-terrorist/

I don't see why Thomas Mair is not a terrorist (actually, I do. It's because he's white and/or a Christian). It's safe to assume he killed Ms Cox because of her politics - because he viewed her as a traitor. He's a member of Britain First and there's a photo of him:

for an enlarged version, click here. For more details on Mair's links to Neo-Nazi group The National Alliance, click here.

Britain First are an ultra-nationalist organisation with paramilitary style training camps - one of which is somewhere in Snowdonia - who have a self-confessed goal of starting a religious war between Christians & Muslims. They're fervently pro-Brexit and tend to view politicians who are in favour of the EU and thus the EU's freedom of movement as traitors. Until recently they even had a section of their website where they said they intended to inter 'pro-immigration' politicians in the Tower of London. Well, it was either Britain First or the BNP. I'm pretty sure it was Britain First though.

Oh, and Thomas Mair is going up for murder now: He gave his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain".

I'm of the opinion that Britain First should be proscribed as a terrorist movement. Hades, the Government banned groups like Islam4UK for less than this.

 

[mindlight]

I don't see why Thomas Mair is not a terrorist (actually, I do. It's because he's white and/or a Christian). It's safe to assume he killed Ms Cox because of her politics - because he viewed her as a traitor. He's a member of Britain First and there's a photo of him:

for an enlarged version, click here. For more details on Mair's links to Neo-Nazi group The National Alliance, click here.

Britain First are an ultra-nationalist organisation with paramilitary style training camps - one of which is somewhere in Snowdonia - who have a self-confessed goal of starting a religious war between Christians & Muslims. They're fervently pro-Brexit and tend to view politicians who are in favour of the EU and thus the EU's freedom of movement as traitors. Until recently they even had a section of their website where they said they intended to inter 'pro-immigration' politicians in the Tower of London. Well, it was either Britain First or the BNP. I'm pretty sure it was Britain First though.

Oh, and Thomas Mair is going up for murder now: He gave his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain".

I'm of the opinion that Britain First should be proscribed as a terrorist movement. Hades, the Government banned groups like Islam4UK for less than this.

Overall a great post. Except for the implication that murder might be alright from a Christian perspective. It would be hard for Thomas Mair to justify his actions from the bible. Also you neglected to mention that the victim was also a Christian. One who thought that it was our Christian duty to help asylum seekers. Her true Christian compassion and his ignorant bigotry can quite easily be contrasted.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

I'm of the opinion that Britain First should be proscribed as a terrorist movement. Hades, the Government banned groups like Islam4UK for less than this.

Yes, I think you could regard this an instance of right-wing terrorism

 

[FearGod]

Overall a great post. Except for the implication that murder might be alright from a Christian perspective. It would be hard for Thomas Mair to justify his actions from the bible. Also you neglected to mention that the victim was also a Christian. One who thought that it was our Christian duty to help asylum seekers. Her true Christian compassion and his ignorant bigotry can quite easily be contrasted.

Terrorism has no religion. they're just killers.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Overall a great post. Except for the implication that murder might be alright from a Christian perspective. It would be hard for Thomas Mair to justify his actions from the bible. Also you neglected to mention that the victim was also a Christian. One who thought that it was our Christian duty to help asylum seekers. Her true Christian compassion and his ignorant bigotry can quite easily be contrasted.

I wasn't trying to imply that murder might be acceptable from a Christian perspective - I was merely commenting on what I perceive as an inherent bias in media outlets with regard to mentioning religious affiliation in association with crimes. It also happens with sexual orientation - there was a couple who were convicted of some form of child abuse recently (I can't remember the specifics) but the paper they were first mentioned in headlined it as "Lesbian couple convicted for...". Mentioning their orientation did nothing to enhance the story, nor did it offer any reasons or motives for why these woman abused their child in the manner they did - it was utterly irrelevant to the fact they'd committed a crime. But it was brought up - and the papers never shy away from mentioning if a criminal is Muslim but they seem to go to lengths to avoid mentioning if a criminal is Christian.

I also didn't know Ms Cox was Christian. Is that significant? Would that change anything if Mair is also Christian?

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Overall a great post. Except for the implication that murder might be alright from a Christian perspective

Also, if you're upset at anyone implying this then may I suggest you take the matter up with Britain First?