Introduction to Special-Interest Terrorism

This chapter on Special-interest terrorism covers events that highlight a spectrum of issues within the sociopolitical landscape: immigration, racism, industrialism, labor, political and religious extremism, and environmentalism. The chapter primarily focuses on the exploits of domestic American terrorists and extremist groups—such as the Unabomber, Eric Rudolph, and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)—but some international subjects also receive attention.

Whether domestic or foreign, special interest terrorists usually focus on a single issue. That single issue is usually rooted in the predominant social concerns of the time. At the turn of the last century, anti-immigrant sentiment, racism and segregation, and labor and wage issues spurred terrorists. In the 1960s, some terrorists seized on Cold War tensions between communism and capitalism, others acted in opposition to the Civil Rights movement. Today, issues may range from militant opposition to abortion to radical environmentalism; from anti-industrialism to anti-globalism.

The editors have chosen to include in this chapter a primary source that advocates the use of arson for ecological preservation and an entry on the shooting of a doctor by an extremist anti-abortion activist. Many people hold anti-abortion or environmentalist convictions. Both are controversial topics on which opinions transcend the boundaries of politics, religion, gender, and class. However, the terrorist acts and groups featured here favor the use of violence to manipulate public opinion. Most people who are opposed to abortion abhor the murder of abortion providers by extremists; most people who espouse environmentalism do not condone the destruction of property.

As with many complex issues, it is often too easy to conflate the terrorist actions featured here with the mainstream movements from which these extremist-terrorists often depart. The editors assert that a careful reading of the following selected primary sources will enable readers to distinguish and contrast the motives and thought processes of those willing to use terror to further their cause as opposed to the vast majority of citizens who oppose policies within the confines of civil debate and the law.

An entry on the antrax letter sent to a U.S. senator is included in the chapter because the motive and identity of the perpetrator remains unknown. However, law enforcement officials assert that the anthrax attacks were most likely carried out by a domestic "special interest" terrorist or terrorist group.