Experts fear new rise of extremism

By Martin Banks

Date: 15/01/04

THE letter-bomb campaign could mark the re-emergence of politically motivated extremist groups in Europe, according to security experts.

Italian officials investigating the attacks are focusing their attention on a shadowy group calling itself the Informal Anarchist Federation.

Italy's La Repubblica newspaper recently printed extracts of a declaration made by the group, which states that it is against "Europe's masters, their war, their peace, their repression [and] their control".

The country has a history of such groups, the most notorious being the Bologna-based Marxist-Leninist Red Brigades, formed in the 1970s by student activists committed to an armed struggle against capitalism.

Such was the fear created by the Red Brigades during the 1970s and early 1980s that the period is known in Italy as the "Years of Lead" , referring to the vast number of rounds fired by the terror group.

Claude Moniquet, of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Centre, a new Brussels-based think-tank specializing in security and terrorism issues, says that the recent letter-bombing campaign should not come as a surprise.

"The resurgence of extremist groups of the type we saw in Italy and elsewhere in the 1970s and 80s was inevitable. The only question was when, not if, it would happen. Of course, we can speculate on the reasons for the recent attacks. They could be seen as a reaction to efforts for a more federal Europe or may be linked to the anti-globalization movement."

Moniquet, a former journalist, said that whatever the reason for the attacks, the re-emergence of such groups should be taken very seriously.

"Such insurrection offers a "solution" to many young people who feel excluded from mainstream society.

"Bit by bit, things get organized and become less spontaneous and more violent."

He added: "At the moment, a campaign of booby-trapped letters which do not explode or explode without causing much damage can seem rather derisory, but it is not a joke.

"Even if they seem rudimentary, such devices are relatively sophisticated and show a real will to hurt the person who opens the mail.

"Luckily, no one has yet been seriously hurt but it could only be a matter of time."

Meanwhile, the European Youth Forum, a network of 93 EU-wide youth organizations, has condemned the attacks.

Giacomo Filibeck, its president, said: "We must all be united to send a clear message that such actions will never prevail."

Following a letter-bomb campaign in December 2003, experts fear a rise in extremist attacks. A group calling itself the Informal Anarchist Federation is being investigated by Italian police in connection with the letter-bombs.