History Main / WesternTerrorists

Partially TruthInTelevision: in the United States, for example, you are seven times more likely to be killed by a homegrown political extremist than an Islamic fundamentalist. In fact, the most common form of American terrorism is by right wing terrorism.

** In "The Boom Boom Womb", a deeply religious, fanatical pro-lifer delivers a package containing a bomb to the Boston's Women Clinic, an abortion clinic where Dr. Chandler is performing community service. As soon as the bomber leaves, it explodes, killing the clinic's administrator Dr. Francine Kennedy and injuring several other people. Chandler is physically unharmed but is traumatized by the experience. The bomber later plants another bomb in St. Eligius and calls Dr. Auschlander with a bomb threat demanding that the hospital cease all abortions. Although the police are able to locate the bomb, the bomber plants yet another in a cleaning cart later that afternoon. The next day, the bomb detonates in the vicinity of the hospital gift shop. Chandler is badly injured but survives. Ehrlich has a near miss as he left the gift shop moments before the explosion. The bomber turns himself in at Chandler's bedside so that his arrest will shed light on the issue of abortion.

Partially TruthInTelevision: in the United States, for example, you are seven times more likely to be killed by a homegrown political extremist than an Islamic fundamentalist. In fact, the most common form of American terrorism is by environmental extremists, though usually this doesn't harm anyone (since they avoid it).

Basically, a group of terrorists who are mostly from the West (typically defined as the continents of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, though UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}} and UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica can also be included), and who are mainly influenced by cultural, political or religious ideas of Western origin. The trope may also cover a single individual. What makes someone "Western" can be rather hazy and difficult to define, since it is not simply a matter of where the person was born or grew up. Many Islamic terrorists, generally regarded as non-Western, lived the majority of their lives in the West, and for that matter many elements of Islamic culture -- coffee, cookies and yogurt, for instance, were originally Arabic, Persian and Turkic foods, respectively -- have profoundly influenced Western society and vice versa, making it tough to ascertain who is "Western" and who is not. Many countries in UsefulNotes/TheAmericas, especially in UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean, have notable West and Central African and South Asian influences due to many of the inhabitants of those countries being descendants of African slaves and Indian laborers brought there by European colonists during the Atlantic slave trade, the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom has South Asian influences in it's culture due to the large amount of diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, and many Southern and Eastern European countries have Islamic influences due to the Moors, Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, notable Turkic minorities and the regions' close proximity to North Africa, UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and Central Asia, with UsefulNotes/{{Kosovo}} , UsefulNotes/BosniaAndHerzegovina, UsefulNotes/{{Albania}}, UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, UsefulNotes/{{Azerbaijan}} and UsefulNotes/{{Kazakhstan}} even being predominately Muslim. Furthermore, several culturally and/or politically European countries (Turkey, UsefulNotes/{{Cyprus}}, [[{{UsefulNotes/GeorgiaCaucasus}} Georgia]], Azerbaijan, UsefulNotes/{{Armenia}}, Kazakhstan and UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}) have the majority of or all their land in UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}, and thus terrorists from those countries could be considered either Western or Eastern, depending on what part of the country they are from and/or whether you consider them European or Asian.

* ''VideoGame/SpyHunter (2001)'' has the Nostra corporation, named after the prophet UsefulNotes/{{Nostradamus}}, who plan to launch an array of {{EMP}} {{Kill Sat}}s and [[BigBlackout knock out the world's electrical grids]], thereby unleashing TheFourHorsemenOfTheApocalypse.

* ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' has the Landwehr, a neo-Nazi group who emphasize Nietzschean philosophy and actually manage to take over much of the Midwest as [[FallenStatesOfAmerica the United States collapses]] due to decades of economic, [[FantasticRacism “demographic”, and “cultural” decay.]] They serve as an evil counterpart and foil to the [[DesignatedHero protagonist faction, the Christian Marines, who are themselves a relatively more sympathetic take on the RightWingMilitiaFanatic concept.]]

Generally, a "Western terrorist" is a terrorist fighting for something that has been an issue in the West for a long time - an ideological offshoot, for better or worse, of the legacies of the European feudal system, UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance, UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment, or the scientific revolution launched in the seventeenth century, like anarchism, communism, Christian religion, environmentalism, nationalism, or racism, as opposed to an issue most strongly associated with another culture (like non-Christian religion, which of course raises the fascinating question of whether to classify [[StereotypeFlip Israeli terrorists]] as Middle Eastern or Western. Same with South African terrorists, which could be classified as either African or Western). Bear in mind that an apparently non-Western terrorist group may be secretly led by Western terrorists acting as TheManBehindTheMan. For example, this would be the case if an apparent Islamic terrorist group turned out to be part of a secret neo-Nazi plot to provoke WorldWarIII (unlikely, yes, but stranger things have happened).

* The Fishes from ''Film/ChildrenOfMen'' are dedicated to ensuring England is open to immigrants, as opposed to the government's fascist but well-meaning policies. They have committed terrorist bombings in the past, but claim to have stopped after a bombing in Liverpool. It's left ambiguous whether they still bomb or if the government is framing them, though they are still willing to kill law-enforcement and even [[spoiler: assassinate their own leader in exchange for a more radical one]] to advance their goals. They would qualify for left-wing terrorists, however since the film takes place in a ChildlessDystopia it falls more into this category.

Generally, a "Western terrorist" is a terrorist fighting for something that has been an issue in the West for a long time - an ideological offshoot, for better or worse, of the legacies of the European feudal system, UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance, the Enlightenment, or the scientific revolution launched in the seventeenth century, like anarchism, communism, Christian religion, environmentalism, nationalism, or racism, as opposed to an issue most strongly associated with another culture (like non-Christian religion, which of course raises the fascinating question of whether to classify [[StereotypeFlip Israeli terrorists]] as Middle Eastern or Western. Same with South African terrorists, which could be classified as either African or Western). Bear in mind that an apparently non-Western terrorist group may be secretly led by Western terrorists acting as TheManBehindTheMan. For example, this would be the case if an apparent Islamic terrorist group turned out to be part of a secret neo-Nazi plot to provoke WorldWarIII (unlikely, yes, but stranger things have happened).

Generally, a "Western terrorist" is a terrorist fighting for something that has been an issue in the West for a long time - an ideological offshoot, for better or worse, of the legacies of the European feudal system, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, or the scientific revolution launched in the seventeenth century, like anarchism, communism, Christian religion, environmentalism, nationalism, or racism, as opposed to an issue most strongly associated with another culture (like non-Christian religion, which of course raises the fascinating question of whether to classify [[StereotypeFlip Israeli terrorists]] as Middle Eastern or Western. Same with South African terrorists, which could be classified as either African or Western). Bear in mind that an apparently non-Western terrorist group may be secretly led by Western terrorists acting as TheManBehindTheMan. For example, this would be the case if an apparent Islamic terrorist group turned out to be part of a secret neo-Nazi plot to provoke WorldWarIII (unlikely, yes, but stranger things have happened).

Basically, a group of terrorists who are mostly from the West (typically defined as the continents of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, though UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}} and UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica can also be included), and who are mainly influenced by cultural, political or religious ideas of Western origin. The trope may also cover a single individual. What makes someone "Western" can be rather hazy and difficult to define, since it is not simply a matter of where the person was born or grew up. Many Islamic terrorists, generally regarded as non-Western, lived the majority of their lives in the West, and for that matter many elements of Islamic culture -- coffee, cookies and yogurt, for instance, were originally Arabic, Persian and Turkic foods, respectively -- have profoundly influenced Western society and vice versa, making it tough to ascertain who is "Western" and who is not. Many countries in UsefulNotes/TheAmericas, especially in UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean, have notable West and Central African and South Asian influences due to many of the inhabitants of those countries being descendants of African slaves and Indian laborers brought there by European colonists during the Atlantic slave trade, the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom has South Asian influences in it's culture due to the large amount of diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, and many Southern and Eastern European countries have Islamic influences due to the Moors, Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, notable Turkic minorities and the regions' close proximity to North Africa, UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and Central Asia, with UsefulNotes/{{Kosovo}} , UsefulNotes/BosniaAndHerzegovina, UsefulNotes/{{Albania}}, UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, UsefulNotes/{{Azerbaijan}} and UsefulNotes/{{Kazakhstan}} even being predominately Muslim. Furthermore, several culturally and/or politically European countries (Turkey, UsefulNotes/{{Cyprus}}, {{UsefulNotes/GeorgiaCaucasus}}, Azerbaijan, UsefulNotes/{{Armenia}}, Kazakhstan and UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}) have the majority of or all their land in UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}, and thus terrorists from those countries could be considered either Western or Eastern, depending on what part of the country they are from and/or whether you consider them European or Asian.

Basically, a group of terrorists who are mostly from the West (typically defined as the continents of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, though UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}} and UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica can also be included), and who are mainly influenced by cultural, political or religious ideas of Western origin. The trope may also cover a single individual. What makes someone "Western" can be rather hazy and difficult to define, since it is not simply a matter of where the person was born or grew up. Many Islamic terrorists, generally regarded as non-Western, lived the majority of their lives in the West, and for that matter many elements of Islamic culture -- coffee, cookies and yogurt, for instance, were originally Arabic, Persian and Turkic foods, respectively -- have profoundly influenced Western society and vice versa, making it tough to ascertain who is "Western" and who is not. Many countries in UsefulNotes/TheAmericas, especially in UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean, have notable West and Central African and South Asian influences due to many of the inhabitants of those countries being descendants of African slaves and Indian laborers brought there by European colonists during the Atlantic slave trade, the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom has South Asian influences in it's culture due to the large amount of diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, and many Southern and Eastern European countries have Islamic influences due to the Moors, Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, notable Turkic minorities and the regions' close proximity to North Africa, UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and Central Asia, with UsefulNotes/{{Kosovo}} , UsefulNotes/BosniaAndHerzegovina, UsefulNotes/{{Albania}}, UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, UsefulNotes/{{Azerbaijan}} and UsefulNotes/{{Kazakhstan}} even being predominately Muslim. Furthermore, several culturally and/or politically European countries (Turkey, UsefulNotes/{{Cyprus}}, UsefulNotes/{{Georgia}}, Azerbaijan, UsefulNotes/{{Armenia}}, Kazakhstan and UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}) have the majority of or all their land in UsefulNotes/{{Asia}}, and thus terrorists from those countries could be considered either Western or Eastern, depending on what part of the country they are from and/or whether you consider them European or Asian.

Basically, a group of terrorists who are mostly from the West (typically defined as the continents of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, though UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}} and UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica can also be included), and who are mainly influenced by cultural, political or religious ideas of Western origin. The trope may also cover a single individual. What makes someone "Western" can be rather hazy and difficult to define, since it is not simply a matter of where the person was born or grew up. Many Islamic terrorists, generally regarded as non-Western, lived the majority of their lives in the West, and for that matter many elements of Islamic culture -- coffee, cookies and yogurt, for instance, were originally Arabic, Persian and Turkic foods, respectively -- have profoundly influenced Western society and vice versa, making it tough to ascertain who is "Western" and who is not. Many countries in UsefulNotes/TheAmericas, especially in UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean, have notable West and Central African and South Asian influences due to many of the inhabitants of those countries being descendants of African slaves and Indian laborers brought there by European colonists during the Atlantic slave trade, the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom has South Asian influences in it's culture due to the large amount of diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, and many Southern and Eastern European countries have Islamic influences due to the Moors, Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, notable Turkic minorities and the regions' close proximity to North Africa, UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and Central Asia, with UsefulNotes/{{Kosovo}} , UsefulNotes/BosniaAndHerzegovina, UsefulNotes/{{Albania}}, UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, UsefulNotes/{{Azerbaijan}} and UsefulNotes/{{Kazakhstan}} even being predominately Muslim. Furthermore, several culturally and/or politically European countries (Turkey, Cyprus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Russia) have the majority of or all their land in Asia, and thus terrorists from those countries could be considered either Western or Eastern, depending on what part of the country they are from and/or whether you consider them European or Asian.

Basically, a group of terrorists who are mostly from the West (typically defined as the continents of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, though UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}} and UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica can also be included), and who are mainly influenced by cultural, political or religious ideas of Western origin. The trope may also cover a single individual. What makes someone "Western" can be rather hazy and difficult to define, since it is not simply a matter of where the person was born or grew up. Many Islamic terrorists, generally regarded as non-Western, lived the majority of their lives in the West, and for that matter many elements of Islamic culture -- coffee, cookies and yogurt, for instance, were originally Arabic, Persian and Turkic foods, respectively -- have profoundly influenced Western society and vice versa, making it tough to ascertain who is "Western" and who is not. Many countries in UsefulNotes/TheAmericas, especially in UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean, have notable West and Central African and South Asian influences due to many of the inhabitants of those countries being descendants of African slaves and Indian laborers brought there by European colonists during the Atlantic slave trade, the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom has South Asian influences in it's culture due to the large amount of diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, and many Southern and Eastern European countries have Islamic influences due to the Moors, Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, notable Turkic minorities and the regions' close proximity to North Africa, UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and Central Asia, with UsefulNotes/{{Kosovo}} , UsefulNotes/BosniaAndHerzegovina, Albania, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan even being predominately Muslim. Furthermore, several culturally and/or politically European countries (Turkey, Cyprus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Russia) have the majority of or all their land in Asia, and thus terrorists from those countries could be considered either Western or Eastern, depending on what part of the country they are from and/or whether you consider them European or Asian.

Basically, a group of terrorists who are mostly from the West (typically defined as the continents of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, though UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}} and UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica can also be included), and who are mainly influenced by cultural, political or religious ideas of Western origin. The trope may also cover a single individual. What makes someone "Western" can be rather hazy and difficult to define, since it is not simply a matter of where the person was born or grew up. Many Islamic terrorists, generally regarded as non-Western, lived the majority of their lives in the West, and for that matter many elements of Islamic culture -- coffee, cookies and yogurt, for instance, were originally Arabic, Persian and Turkic foods, respectively -- have profoundly influenced Western society and vice versa, making it tough to ascertain who is "Western" and who is not. Many countries in UsefulNotes/TheAmericas, especially in UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean, have notable West and Central African and South Asian influences due to many of the inhabitants of those countries being descendants of African slaves and Indian laborers brought there by European colonists during the Atlantic slave trade, the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom has South Asian influences in it's culture due to the large amount of diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, and many Southern and Eastern European countries have Islamic influences due to the Moors, Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, notable Turkic minorities and the regions' close proximity to North Africa, UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast and Central Asia, with Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan even being predominately Muslim. Furthermore, several culturally and/or politically European countries (Turkey, Cyprus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Russia) have the majority of or all their land in Asia, and thus terrorists from those countries could be considered either Western or Eastern, depending on what part of the country they are from and/or whether you consider them European or Asian.

Basically, a group of terrorists who are mostly from the West (typically defined as the continents of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, though UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}} and UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica can also be included), and who are mainly influenced by cultural, political or religious ideas of Western origin. The trope may also cover a single individual. What makes someone "Western" can be rather hazy and difficult to define, since it is not simply a matter of where the person was born or grew up. Many Islamic terrorists, generally regarded as non-Western, lived the majority of their lives in the West, and for that matter many elements of Islamic culture -- coffee, cookies and yogurt, for instance, were originally Arabic, Persian and Turkic foods, respectively -- have profoundly influenced Western society and vice versa, making it tough to ascertain who is "Western" and who is not. Many countries in UsefulNotes/TheAmericas, especially in UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean, have notable West and Central African and South Asian influences due to many of the inhabitants of those countries being descendants of African slaves and Indian laborers brought there by European colonists during the Atlantic slave trade, the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom has South Asian influences in it's culture due to the large amount of diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, and many Southern and Eastern European countries have Islamic influences due to the Moors, Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, notable Turkic minorities and the regions' close proximity to North Africa, the UsefulNotes/MiddleEast and Central Asia, with Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan even being predominately Muslim. Furthermore, several culturally and/or politically European countries (Turkey, Cyprus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Russia) have the majority of or all their land in Asia, and thus terrorists from those countries could be considered either Western or Eastern, depending on what part of the country they are from and/or whether you consider them European or Asian.

Basically, a group of terrorists who are mostly from the West (typically defined as the continents of UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, though UsefulNotes/{{Oceania}} and UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica can also be included), and who are mainly influenced by cultural, political or religious ideas of Western origin. The trope may also cover a single individual. What makes someone "Western" can be rather hazy and difficult to define, since it is not simply a matter of where the person was born or grew up. Many Islamic terrorists, generally regarded as non-Western, lived the majority of their lives in the West, and for that matter many elements of Islamic culture -- coffee, cookies and yogurt, for instance, were originally Arabic, Persian and Turkic foods, respectively -- have profoundly influenced Western society and vice versa, making it tough to ascertain who is "Western" and who is not. Many countries in UsefulNotes/TheAmericas, especially in UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean, have notable West and Central African and South Asian influences due to many of the inhabitants of those countries being descendants of African slaves and Indian laborers brought there by European colonists during the Atlantic slave trade, the United Kingdom has South Asian influences in it's culture due to the large amount of diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, and many Southern and Eastern European countries have Islamic influences due to the Moors, Arabs, Ottoman Empire, Persian Empire, notable Turkic minorities and the regions' close proximity to North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, with Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan even being predominately Muslim. Furthermore, several culturally and/or politically European countries (Turkey, Cyprus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Russia) have the majority of or all their land in Asia, and thus terrorists from those countries could be considered either Western or Eastern, depending on what part of the country they are from and/or whether you consider them European or Asian.