November 17 Terrorist Group - Research Paper Example

 NOVEMBER 17 TERRORIST GROUP INTRODUCTION: Terrorism has been one of the hottest topics in the current world affairs. The whole world is threatened by terrorist attacks of different types by different terrorist organizations. The terrorist groups have been using various strategies to pressurize the world to fulfill their demands. Their strategies include bomb blasts, murders, kidnapping and damage to property. Currently Al Qaeda is the most talked about Islamic terrorist organization that has changed the face of the world since September 11, 2001. The group has forced many countries to change their foreign policy. However to think that terrorists are always Muslims is wrong. There are a number of non Muslim terrorist organizations that are using destructive tactics to accomplish their goals. Among the non Islamic groups the most deadly terrorist organization is considered to be November 17 which has its bases in Greece. In this paper I aim to discuss the origins of the November 17 terrorist group. My reason for selecting this group is that it is interesting to know that the group has been declared the most deadly terrorist group in Europe despite the fact that it has a very small strength. I intend to discuss the aims, objectives, strength and strategies of this group. I will try to compare it with other non terrorist organizations in Greece seeking similar goals. I will discuss the reasons which have led to the success or failure of the group in achieving its targets. At the same time the role of the government in countering terrorism will also be discussed. Towards the end I will discuss some strategies that might prove beneficial at local as well as at international level in countering their attacks. DESCRIPTION: It is stated in an online article by the US Department of State (n.d.) on different terrorist groups that November 17 is a terrorist organization in Greece. The group a.k.a. Espanastatiki Organosi 17 Noemvri is a revolutionary leftist group which first came into being in 1975. The group got its name from a 1973 student uprising in Greece which resulted in the death of 25 students. The students were protesting against the ruling military junta. An online report by Council on Foreign Relations (2007) state that the group has a strong disliking for America, West and Capitalism. The article on terrorist groups by the US Department of State (n.d.) says that the group is anti Greek establishment, anti Turkey, anti NATO and anti United States. AIMS: Reading the above paragraph the aims and objectives of this terrorist group becomes clear. N 17 demand elimination of the US bases from Greece, removal of military forces of Turkey from Cyprus and an end to friendly relationship of Greece with the US, NATO and the European Union. The BBC news report “November 17 Group: Small but Deadly” (2000) states that N 17 terrorist group is an anti western group and it has supported this stance following the end of the cold war. Analyzing the attacks one can clearly see that the group aims to discourage western countries and the US from having any diplomatic ties with Greece. This is evident from the fact that the group has targeted many British, US and European people and institutions. A prominent case in this regard is that of the British Brig. Saunders. Saunders was murdered as he was on his way to attend a meeting about providing arms to the Greek government. The group also does not support Greek participation in NATO and the European Union. The BBC report (2000) further adds that November 17 group is also anti capitalist. On numerous occasions N 17 has initiated a popular uprising against the middle and upper classes in Greece. Upholding their ideology a gunman of N 17 group killed a former governor of State Bank in 1994. STRENGTH: The BBC article (2000) states that many observers are of the view that the group has a very small strength of approximately 25 members. It is also believed that the members are related to one another. The small strength and family relations are considered to be one of the reasons why the group has been able to work with impunity for over the past three decades. In 2002 the police got a major breakthrough when they arrested the first member of the N17 group. A year later almost 15 members of the group were convicted for various crimes and the leader along with several other prominent members of the gang were given multiple life sentences. ACTIVITIES: According to the BBC report (2000) the group’s activities first came under spotlight when in 1975 they killed an American CIA chief, Richard Welch, in Athens as he was returning from a party. Welch was shot dead by a 45 caliber pistol which later became a trademark of the group. The group accepted the responsibility of his murder and stated that Welch was killed because he supported Greek military dictatorship. The group has accepted approximately 21 murders which also include the murder of four Americans. Some recent attacks by the group are mentioned below: In 1989 the group stole rockets from the military depot. In 1990-91 the group involved itself in several attacks on US and UK business interests during Gulf War. According to Takis Minhas report (2001) the companies that were targeted include Proctor & Gamble, IBM, Citibank, BP, Alico, American Express, Nationalen Nederlanden, McDonalds, General Motors, Midland Bank, Chase Manhattan Bank and Banque National de Paris. In 1992 the Greek finance minister was targeted as his car was attacked by rockets. In 1994 they were successful in killing the former governor of the State Bank. They also tried to blow up a British aircraft carrier. The plan was unsuccessful. In 1997 the group again gained success by killing a British shipping tycoon Costis Peraticos. In 1999 German embassy in Athens was targeted by a bomb. According to the US Department of State information on terrorist groups (n.d.) the group supports itself largely through bank robberies. MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH: On June 29, 2002 the Greek police managed to arrest a member of the N 17 group. According to an on line report by KATHIMERINI titled “Judgment Day for N 17” (December 17, 2003) the arrest was made due to an unsuccessful operation on part of the N 17 group. The suspect, Sawas Xeros, was interrogated by Scotland Yard and the local police. His testimony led the police to two safe houses. Following the link six more members of the group were arrested which included two brothers of Sawas. The police also came to know about the leader of the group, a 58 year old professor Alexandrous Giotopoulos. He was arrested from the island of Lipsi in July 2002. On September 5th, 2002 the Chief of Operations of N 17 group, Koufodinas, surrendered before the police. The Greek courts charged 19 members of the group for approximately 2500 crimes. Because of the limitations of the Greek law crimes before 1984 could not be tried. The arrested members were tried before the court which ended in March 2003. Fifteen of the accused were found guilty including Giotopoulos and Koufodinas. Giotopoulos was sentenced to 21 life terms which was the heaviest punishment ever in the history of Greek laws. Sawos Xeros was given six life terms. Since the trial was carried out behind closed doors where no TV cameras were allowed many speculated that it was done so due to lack of sufficient evidence. Giotopoulos denied having any link with N 17 group and stated that he was framed because the police wanted to give some shape to the group and an image of a leader of the gang being prosecuted could be given to the world. Koufodinas on the other hand accepted full responsibility of his actions. The image of the group given by him was that of a loosely organized group where decisions were taken by discussions and consensus. Reasons behind the success of N 17: There are several reasons behind the success of the November 17 terrorist group. Some are due to the policies of the group itself and some are due to the inefficiency of the anti terrorist organization in Greece. An online BBC news report (2000) state that one factor that can be considered to be behind the groups success is its small strength and impunity. It is believed that the group has no more than 25 members that are probably related. Family links and small strength has helped the group to conceal the identity of its members and to work with secrecy. For that matter not a single member had been captured until 2002. The police had failed to identify any member of the group till 2002. It has been stated by a Greek politician who survived an N 17 attack that “Greece is the only country where it has been impossible to not only smoke out terrorism, but even to make a single substantial strike against it.” Many observers are of the view that the group is being protected by some influential people in the country because they support the same revolutionary ideals that are supported by the members of the N 17 group. It is believed that the Greek police have not played its role in countering terrorism in the country. There are many incidents where the inefficiency and non seriousness of the Greek police have been highlighted in the media. An online article “Fighting Terrorism in Greece” by Takis Minhas (2001) talks about the incompetency of the security forces in Greece. On numerous occasions the sight of the crime was not sealed making it easily accessible to everyone. This also led to the destruction of the evidence. On another occasion it was reported that the police searched the bullet ridden car without wearing gloves. The practice destroyed any chance of finding finger prints of the culprits which would have been a great help in identifying criminals who had long been successful in concealing their identity. On another occasion it has been reported that the police gave a spent bullet to a journalist while investigating a murder. Unfortunately November 17 is not the only terrorist organization working in Greece. According to Minhas (2001) a number of terrorist organizations are involved in a number of criminal activities in Greece. The activities include homicide, mass murder, bomb explosions and kidnapping. Only one case has been successfully solved by the Greek authorities. Unfortunately they are clueless about the other criminal activities. This highlights the inefficiency of the Greek security forces and the country has been identified in the State Department’s April 2000 Global Report on terrorism that Greece is “one of the weakest links in Europe's effort against terrorism.” Some others are of the view that the group has been successful because its members have been protected by members of political parties such as PASOK party. This view has also been supported by former Prime Minister of Greece, Constantine Mitsotakis and a former CIA chief, James Wolsey. This view has its roots based on the assumption that the political party PASOK had ties with many groups that have been classified as terrorist groups by the West. However the Greek political parties have denied having any links with the November 17 terrorist group. Another reason for the success of the group is based on its ideology. November 17 terrorist group is an anti imperialist, anti globalization and anti West group. This ideology is supported by a major section of the Greek population. It is for this reason that in a country where road demonstrations are very common not a single rally has been taken out against terrorism. This attitude in fact has helped the terrorist organizations to grow since no pressure on the government has been put up by the people to root out terrorism from the country. On the contrary countries such as Spain and Italy have been very much active in pressurizing the governments to take serious actions against the terrorists in their respective countries. November 17 group have always legitimized their actions through their anti western, anti NATO ideology which is supported by many Greeks. Their attacks on western organizations are legitimized as acts of resistance against US imperialism. Attacks on Turkish diplomats are justified as attack against Turkish expansionism and the attacks on foreign enterprises are justified as attacks against the uncompromising activities of the multinationals. Minhas (2001) states that in case of the murder of the British senior military representative in Greece, Brigadier Stephen Saunders, the group was successful in justifying their act by utilizing the style and language used by the media. The group claimed that Saunders was murdered because he planned the “barbaric airstrikes against Serbia.” They stated that attacks by NATO on Kosovo were due to the US intention to dominate the world. They stated that the human rights of the Kosovo Albanians were being violated due to NATO bombings and that NATO purposely targeted the civilians in Yugoslavia. The group was careful in selecting its language which reflected the language and phrases that were seen in daily newspapers. They used phrases such as “NATO’s barbaric acts”, Nazi like crimes of the West against Yugoslavia” and “Hitler (Clinton) bombing” etc. These expressions were already used by the media and were known to the people as holes hold items. Strategies: Terrorism must be eliminated by its roots. For that matter it is essential to understand terrorist groups and prepare strategies to counter the attacks. Some of the strategies that can help Greek government in countering terrorism are mentioned below. Knowing Your Enemy: To target an enemy it is very important to know your enemy from inside out. Unfortunately not much has been found on November 17 group due to the cleverness of the group and the inefficiency of the law enforcing authorities. The police have not been able to trace any foreign support provided to the N 17 group which is a major set back in investigation. According to the website of the US Department of State (n.d.) isolating the enemy trough cutting down the external aid can help in narrowing the target. For that matter it is important to find out links to internal as well as external aid provided to N 17 group. There was a speculation that the members of N 17 group are being protected by some of the political leaders. The speculation was due to the fact that the police had not been able to arrest any member of N 17 group till three decades. If that is the case then the links must be identified so that the enemy is crushed at its roots. Strengthening the Government: According to the US Department of State website (n.d.) weak governments usually provide safe havens to the terrorists. For that matter it is essential for the Greek government to strengthen itself. There has been speculations in past that have been mentioned in Takis Minhas (2001) article that many members of the PASOK party were thought to be linked with the N 17 group and were protecting them. The world needs to pressurize the governments to root out such people which prove to be an obstacle in the way to counter terrorism. The Greek government needs to strengthen its policy towards terrorism. According to the online article by the Council on Foreign Relations (2007) since 2002 the Greek government has taken serious notice of their terrorism issue. The counterterrorism unit of Greece was strengthened and rewards were announced for disclosing links to the terrorists. Saunders’s murder was condemned by the Greek Prime Minister. A national moment of silence was observed by the people to show their sympathy for the victims of terrorism. The Greek Orthodox Archbishop also held special memorial services for the victims of terrorism. Till 2000 Greece had signed all the twelve UN conventions on counter terrorism and ratified ten of them. Seeking help from foreign countries: The above discussion has made it clear that the Greek security forces are incompetent in dealing with the issue of terrorism themselves. N 17 has been successful for the past three decades. Not a single person was arrested till 2002. For that matter it would be highly beneficial to seek help from the prominent security forces of the world such as the Scotland Yard. According to a news article by Howden (2002) titled “Greek Police ‘close’ to arresting leaders of terrorist groups” Scotland Yard has already proved its success in Greece with the first ever arrest of a member of N17 group. The investigation by the Greek police with the help of Scotland Yard unleashed the identity of several members of the group including the mastermind. The clues led to the 65 year old member of the N 17 group who was thought to be involved in the murder of Richard Welch in 1975. A Greek tabloid quoted the success of the Scotland Yard in the following words: “The British Scotland Yard, being more methodical, started from the beginning, looked at all the people who were related to the very first assassination and possibly other unclaimed attacks. Their collection of evidence led to the leader of November 17.” The success becomes self evident because after investigation several member of the gang were arrested and convicted for various crimes by the Greek courts. However once again the incompetence of the Greek authorities becomes prominent as they state that November 17 group has been eliminated. Western authorities are of the view that the group may rise again as many of its members are still at large. According to the website of the US Department of State (n.d.) seeking cooperation with regional nations can also help in countering terrorism. Strengthening the Greek Laws: Another strategy that is very important in countering terrorism in Greece is to strengthen the Greek laws on terrorism. According to Takis Minhas (2001) the terrorism laws are continuously being modified in the parliament because they are continuously being attacked by the human rights activists. The Greek parliament had not been able to pass a single law till 2002 that would have enough strength to counter terrorism in the country. The delay in passing the law had seen serious consequences in the form of loss of innocent lives at the hands of terrorist groups. There is a need to strengthen the Greek law enforcing agencies. It is sad to see that no sincere efforts were made by the Greek police until they were pressurized by the world to ensure security before the Greece Olympics in 2004. The haste led the police to the arrest of Xeros, a member of N 17 group, whose testimony helped in tracing down other members of the group. Greece has a history of terrorist attacks. It is unfortunate to see that the 2004 Olympics acted as a catalyst to strengthen counter terrorism measures. Prior to Olympics the authorities were silent over the issue. According to Mark (2008) to ensure security during the Olympics various laws were revised and bank accounts were scrutinized. Banks and financial institutions were asked to adopt a policy of “know your clients.” Action was taken against economic crimes and the banks allowed free access to the government to scrutinize the clients’ accounts. The United States has played a key role in this regard by pressurizing the Greek government directly or indirectly to strengthen its laws that would prove tough on crime as well as on terrorism. All means of communication used by suspected people must be recorded. Gaining public confidence: In my opinion a prominent reason that has helped November 17 and other similar organizations to grow is the fact that these organizations are skillfully exploiting the ideology that is supported by a large majority of Greek population. As mentioned above N 17 is anti US, anti NATO and anti Turkey. An online news report titled “NATO and Greece, Clinton’s Visit” (1999) states that nearly 94% of Greek population is against NATO. They still remember the number of people killed by NATO attacks. Since November 17 upholds the same ideology so the people seem to be satisfied by their acts even though they are unlawful. For that matter not a single rally has been taken out in Greece to counter terrorism. It is here that the government needs to win the confidence of the people and educate them over the issue. People need to realize the fact that the terrorist groups are taking innocent lives to uphold their ideologies. Protest is a legal right of the people in a democratic state. Protest in the form of killing, kidnapping and damaging property is against the law and such people need to be taken to task. In the current world we have seen a number of silent protests that have played an important role in accomplishing the goals of the protestors. In Pakistan people staged a sit in against the military dictator Gen. Musharraf which eventually forced him to resign. However since 2002 there has been a slight change in the attitude of the people towards terrorism. According to the website of the Council on Foreign Relations (2007) the Greek PM condemned the murder of the British Brig. Saunders. At the same time the people observed a moment of silence to show their solidarity with the victims of terrorism. Special memorial ceremonies were also held by the Greek Archbishop for the victims of terrorism. This indeed is a positive change since such practices in the long run does help in minimizing terrorism. COMPARING NOVEMBER 17 WITH NON TERRORIST GROUPS SEEKING SIMILAR GOALS November 17 is not the only organization that is anti US, anti Turkey and anti NATO. There are many political groups in Greece that have similar goals but their strategies are different. Where N 17 seeks the support of brutal killing the non terrorist groups adopt other methodologies to uphold their ideologies. At prominent group in this case is that of the Greek Communist Party which is one of the oldest political group in Greece that is against the US, NATO and Turkey. According to an online article (n.d.) on Communist Party of Greece it is stated that the group was founded in 1918. Since then its leaders have upheld their stance against Turkey, West and the US. November 17 originated to oust the Greek military Junta. During the same period the Communist party expressed their disapproval by nationwide strikes and occasionally violence at a small level. These strikes motivated many other Greek expatriates to initiate a campaign against the military junta in their respective countries. On numerous occasions the party has expressed its disapproval for the US intervention in Greece and other countries. A news piece reported on November 27, 1999 titled “NATO and Greece, Clinton’s Visit” shows the disapproval of Clinton’s visit in Greece. Millions of people marched towards the US embassy to express their disapproval of the Clinton visit. The demonstration took a violent turn when the police baton charged people resulting in the arrest of many members of the Communist Party who were thought to be behind the demonstration. On numerous occasions the Greek people have demonstrated against NATO before and during the Clinton visit in 1999. The demonstrations were largely peaceful. Another organization in Greece called the Greek Committee for International Peace upholds its anti NATO and anti US stance in a legitimized way. During the 1999 Clinton visit the main spokesperson of the committee, Pafilis, raised his voice against the “stability pact” signed between the US and Turkey which allowed the US and the NATO to intervene in any country where they thought human rights were being violated. Pafilis also talked about the bloody history of the US relationship with Greece and paid tribute to all those who had laid their lives during the process. The message was conveyed all over the world by the media. Clinton declared these protests as a sign of democracy in Greece and stated them to be the legal right of the people as long as they were peaceful. Student uprising in a Greek University in 1973 against the fascist government led to the killing of about 25 students. In fact this incident gave the group November 17 its name which used tactics quite opposite to the one used by the students. The news report “NATO and Greece, Clinton’s Visit” (1999) states that a young worker participated in demonstrations against Clinton visit and raised his voice through media saying “U.S. imperialism will not pass. We shall stand fighting. All the Greek people are against NATO, against the European Union and U.S. policy. Clinton is trying to act like Hitler. But Hitler could not conquer the Balkans and neither will NATO.” Anti US message was clearly shown to the world as Clinton’s plane landed in total darkness followed by heavy security to avoid any unpleasant situation. Conclusion: To conclude it would be pertinent to accept the fact that that terrorism has become a part of our daily lives. Terrorists, whether upholding nationalist or religious ideologies, have no right to take the lives of innocent people. As a part of counter terrorism force it becomes important to prepare ourselves for any kind of enemy. According to Martha Crenshaw (2006) four D’s are important in making a strategy to curb enemy of any strength and nature. These include: Defeating the enemy by any means such as cutting down the internal and external aid. Denying them any kind of support by the state itself. Diminish their strength which can be done by identifying the root cause of terrorism. Defend your country by all means and interests abroad. Greece has taken keen steps in countering terrorism and its progress has been met with success with the arrest of first N 17 member in 2002. The Greek government needs to speed up its pace to counter terrorism within the state since there is also a danger of external enemies such as Al Qaeda which is always on the look out for safe havens in weaker states. To close the files upon N 17 group would be a wrong way to deal with the problem. Although a large number of N 17 members have been arrested still few are at large. Only through sincere efforts and foreign help can Greece solve the problem of terrorism. REFERENCES “Communist Party of Greece.” NationMaster.com, (n.d.). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Communist-Party-of-Greece Crenshaw, M. “The War on Terrorism: Is the US Winning?” Real Instituto Alcano, (2006). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/analisis/1051/1051_Crenshaw_US_War_Terrorism.pdf Howden, D. “Greek Police ‘close’ to Arresting Leaders of Terrorist Group”, The Independent, (July 1, 2002). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greek-police-close-to-arresting-leaders-of-terrorist-group-646910.html “Judgement Day for N 17”, Kathimerini. (December 17, 2003). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_2_17/12/2003_37525 Mark. “The Threat of Islamic Radicalism to Greece,” Macedonia Was, Is, Always will be Greece. Macedonia is Greece .(November 30, 2008). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://macedonians.multiply.com/journal/item/73/The_Threat_of_Islamic_Radicalism_to_Greece Minhas, T. “Fighting Terrorism in Greece”. AIM Athens. (2001). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://www.aimpress.ch/dyn/trae/archive/data/200104/10425-008-trae-ath.htm “NATO and Greece, Clinton’s Visit,” (1999). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/a271199.htm “November 17”, US Department of State, (n.d.). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/45323.pdf “November 17 Group: Small but Deadly,” BBC News, (June 8, 2000). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/782451.stm “November 17, Revolutionary People’s Struggle (Greece Leftists).” Council on Foreign Relations, (Updated January 12, 2007). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 from http://www.cfr.org/publication/9275/ “The Terrorist Enemy”, US Department of State, (n.d.). Retrieved on November 30, 2008 From http://www.state.gov/s/ct/enemy/ Read More