Provisional Irish Republican Army

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the army or the Ra) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation. Since its emergence in 1969, its stated aim has been the reunification of Ireland which it believed could not be achieved without an armed campaign directed against British rule in Northern Ireland. On July 28, 2005, the Provisional IRA Army Council announced an end to its armed campaign, stating that it would work to achieve its aims using "purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means" and that " Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever".

Categorisation

Due to its frequent use of bombs; its killing of hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians, predominantly though not exclusively in Northern Ireland; its status as an illegal organization; its role in racketeering, bank robberies, street 'justice' and the fact that the unionist/loyalist majority in Northern Ireland wanted to continue living under British rule, it is considered a terrorist group {{ref|Terrorist}}, although its supporters preferred the labels freedom fighter, guerrilla and volunteer.

Related Topics:
Unionist - Loyalist - Terrorist - Freedom fighter - Guerrilla - Volunteer

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IRA attacks on the British security forces (i.e. the British Army and the RUC) and loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland could be described as guerrilla warfare, so "guerrilla" is a technically accurate term. This definition was criticised by unionists and constitutional republicans as suggesting that the IRA's actions had at least some legitimacy. In addition, aside from exessive collateral damage, PIRA attacks have repeatedly specifically focussed on non-military, non-police targets, which makes supports the use of the term "terrorist."

Related Topics:
British Army - Northern Ireland - Guerrilla warfare

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Membership of the IRA remains illegal in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland, but PIRA prisoners convicted of offences committed before 1998 have been granted conditional early release as part of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement. In the United Kingdom a person convicted of membership of a "proscribed organisation", such as the PIRA, still nominally faces imprisonment for up to 10 years.

Related Topics:
UK - Republic of Ireland - Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement

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