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

[Jainarayan]

Was Lee Harvey Oswald a terrorist or assassin? Was Nathuram Godse a terrorist or assassin? Were Indira Gandhi's bodyguards who killed her terrorists or assassins? Would any of these killers have targeted other groups or persons?

Imo anyone who commits repeated, random and unpredictable killings is a terrorist regardless of religion or ideology. They instill a terror and fear of "when will the other shoe drop?"

 

[Vouthon]

BREAKING NEWS

Jo Cox murder suspect 'told police he was political activist'


https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...tical-activist

Jo Cox murder suspect 'told police he was political activist'

The man charged with murdering the Labour MP Jo Cox gave his name as “death to traitors, freedom for Britain” during his first court appearance, where it emerged he allegedly claimed to be a “political activist” during his arrest.

Thomas Mair, 52, from Birstall, West Yorkshire, appeared on Saturday at Westminster magistrates court in London where he was formally charged with murder, grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon.

Asked to confirm his name, Mair told the court: “My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain.” The judge subsequently asked the defendant’s lawyers to confirm that his name was Thomas Mair, which they did.

The prosecution told the court that Mair told police he was “a political activist” as he was being arrested moments after the fatal attack. This assertion was repeated in a summary of crime released by the prosecution

Mair allegedly said “this is for Britain” and “keep Britain independent” as he stabbed and shot the MP for Batley and Spen, prosecutors said both in court and in their printed outline of the case.

Police searching Mair’s property found newspaper articles related to Cox, as well as far-right and white supremacist literature, they claimed...

According to the prosecution’s summary, Mair said a variation of “Britain first”, “Keep Britain independent”, “Britain always comes first”, and “This is for Britain” as he launched the attack on Cox, who was killed on the way to her constituency surgery in Birstall on Thursday.

The court was told that officers said the accused was then heard to say “It’s me” when confronted by police. He was tackled to the ground, handcuffed and searched. During his arrest, Mair allegedly also stated: “I’m a political activist”, and confirmed his name, Cawthorne said.

The defendant’s house was searched in the ensuing investigation, the summary stated. Newspaper articles relating to Cox and ideological material relating to extreme rightwing and white supremacist organisations and individuals were recovered from the property, it said.​

 

[Vouthon]

As AGreasedScotsman first suggested - this is increasingly looking like a targeted act of terrorism - not some purposeless murder by a mentally ill person.

a far-right, anti-immigration, anti-EU 'political activist' (as he has just called himself in court) specifically murdering a centre-left, pro-immigration, pro-EU MP outside her office during campaign season.

Irrespective of his alleged history of mental illness, the murderer has made the political motivation for his killing explicit and overt. The prosecution has now backed this up with consist evidence.

The right-wing papers are deliberating trying to "soften" his political activism and emphasis the "mental health" rumours because this tragedy is deeply uncomfortable to them.

If you tell a lot of people over and over again that they should fear/resent/dislike/be suspicious of another large group of people ......as the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and Daily Express keep doing...this kind of scaremongering can lead unhinged people to "lash out" at the demonised 'enemy'.

 

[LuisDantas]

@FearGod - an assassination is defined as politically motivated murder, so it is an accurate word to use for Jo Cox's murder.

Was it also terrorism? If it had some degree of collective organization, yes, it will probably. qualify as dp,estoc terrorism,

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

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

Similar situation. The word "terrorism" is indeed abused and more than a bit loaded, but it seems to me that it should be saved for violence with a clear ideological motivation.

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

I don't think it is at all funny, personally. Right wing extremism is very nasty, but it is not like the degree to which Islamic extremism and even so-called moderate ideology goes unchallenged is helping any in dissolving it.

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

Hitler wasn't a Muslim, but he did have a good understanding with the Mufti of Jerusalem of the time, from what I hear.

There are those who find that surprising. I can't think of a reason why.

 

[Aquitaine]

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.

What is your preference with this: would you rather have non-muslim fanatical murderers labelled as Terrorists, or muslim fanatical murderers labelled as "mentally unstable/lone wolf"?

 

[FearGod]

What is your preference with this: would you rather have non-muslim fanatical murderers labelled as Terrorists, or muslim fanatical murderers labelled as "mentally unstable/lone wolf"?

Murderers, full stop

 

[columbus]

Murderers, full stop

But that does not help anyone understand the causes of the tragedies. If we don't understand them we can't work to prevent them.
Tom

 

[FearGod]

But that does not help anyone understand the causes of the tragedies. If we don't understand them we can't work to prevent them.
Tom

Muslim terrorist help us to understand, whereas other crimes are just crimes, call it assassination or a murder but not a terrorist act.

 

[Godobeyer]

I don't think it is at all funny, personally. Right wing extremism is very nasty, but it is not like the degree to which Islamic extremism and even so-called moderate ideology goes unchallenged is helping any in dissolving it.


.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Behring_Breivik

On the day of the attacks, Breivik electronically distributed a compendium of texts entitled 2083: A European Declaration of Independence, describing his militant ideology.[11][12][13][14] In them, he lays out a worldview encompassing opposition to Islam.[15][16] The texts call Islam and "Cultural Marxism" the enemy, and advocates the deportation of all Muslims from Europe based on the model of the Beneš decrees.[17][18] Breivik wrote that his main motive for the atrocities was to market his manifesto.[19]


My question is that make sense that a NON-Muslim make a massacre against NON-Muslims because of Islam?

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Murderers, full stop

Who / what people murder in the name of is important to know.

 

[FearGod]

Who / what people murder in the name of is important to know.

All kind of killing is an act of terror, whatever the reason, still terror.
But i see it odd to combine religion with terrorism, a Muslim terrorist, whereas in other cases
just a crime or a murder ..etc.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

My question is that make sense that a NON-Muslim make a massacre against NON-Muslims because of Islam?

Does it make sense that Muslims make massacres against other Muslims because of Islam?

 

[columbus]

My question is that make sense that a NON-Muslim make a massacre against NON-Muslims because of Islam?

In a sick and twisted way, it makes sense to me. Breivik was trying to get attention to his ideas. If he had committed such a horrific crime against the Muslims themselves they would get all the sympathy. Which is not what he wanted.

You know what else gets repeated over and over? That Muslims are massacring other Muslims because of NON-muslims. How does that make sense?
Tom

 

[Nietzsche]

Terrorism starts to lose all meaning if you begin lumping in things like murder or the like with it just because they all involve someone dying.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

All kind of killing is an act of terror, whatever the reason, still terror.
But i see it odd to combine religion with terrorism, a Muslim terrorist, whereas in other cases
just a crime or a murder ..etc.

I wouldn't have a problem with labelling Jo Cox's killer as a terrorist. Or Breivik. Or the Orlando shooter.

 

[FearGod]

I wouldn't have a problem with labelling Jo Cox's killer as a terrorist. Or Breivik. Or the Orlando shooter.

You, but not the media.

 

[LuisDantas]

All kind of killing is an act of terror, whatever the reason, still terror.
But i see it odd to combine religion with terrorism, a Muslim terrorist, whereas in other cases
just a crime or a murder ..etc.

It is indeed odd. it is also commonplace, and fairly understandable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...ting_violence_against_a_particular_individual

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

I think the thing that's tricking most people here is that over the last decade or so we seem to have forgotten that terrorism can have political motivations, not just religious ones; even while the IRA's campaign of terrorist attacks are still within living memory for many Britons. If Jo Cox had been killed by a car bomb planted by a Britain First "activist", or if Thomas Mair had been wearing a suicide vest I think we'd be a lot more collectively certain that it was a terrorist attack which killed her.

 

[illykitty]

Leaving this here, in case people want to get something done about it: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/602/935/998/?z00m=27976325

And I view him as a terrorist, personally.

 

[Jumi]

Breivik was clearly a terrorist whose goal was against the leftists, sneaking on and destroying their most active youth on camp who were unarmed. I'm pretty sure he was called such.