What defines a terrorist?

Smarter people than me have debated this, including the cliché – “one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist”.  For me a terrorist creates terror and that is the objective and the targets are civilians – children not excluded!

I have thought long and hard about posting this.  I initially wrote it to get it out of my mind onto paper but, whatever has happened, we are coming up to an election so here it is. 

What happened in Manchester on May 22 was a vile and inexcusable act. I listened helplessly to the radio on and off through the night.  As I posted on Facebook on the morning of the 23^rd: “within moments of the attack in Manchester people were connecting on twitter asking about where to donate blood, nurses visiting the city were offering their services to local hospitals, taxi drivers were taking people home for free, local hotels were looking after young people on their own and residents were offering overnight accommodation. That's because there are many good people around us. We need to somehow hold onto that.”

The party leaders suspended campaigning for the general election and have each come out with appropriate statements.  However, I find myself enraged with Jeremy Corbyn (not for the first time). Without mentioning terrorism, which I could ignore, he said,   "it was an appalling act of violence against people and must be totally and unreservedly condemned". I certainly wouldn’t disagree with that.

Where was he and what did he say in 1996 when the IRA bombed Manchester injuring 200 people or about any of the other IRA terrorist attacks?  He may now say “I condemn all the bombing by both the loyalists and the IRA.”  What did he say then? 

And in 2001 when a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 15 civilians including 7 children and a pregnant woman and wounded 130 at the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem. What did he say then? The terrorist was thought to be wearing a belt containing explosives, nails, nuts and bolts as did the device in Manchester.

I watched his cringe making appearance before the Select Committee on anti-Semitism: his inability to say that he opposed anti-Semitism without adding “and all other forms of racism” was weasily. The sham report on anti-Semitism in the party is something else!

The most important thing about the reaction to the horror in Manchester is not what the politicians say but how the emergency services responded and the actions of hundreds of “ordinary” people – it doesn’t bring back the lives of those who died or help those who will continue to suffer the loss of limbs and other severe injuries but it shows a common, undiscriminating humanity – Mr Corbyn’s humanity is selective.