| Irish National Liberation Army | |
|---|---|
| Arm Saoirse Náisiúnta na hÉireann | |
 An INLA logo consisting of the Starry Plough and the Flag of Ireland with a red star and a fist holding an AK-47-derivative rifle. | |
| Leaders | |
| Dates of operation | December 1974 – 2009 (on ceasefire since 1998, formally ended armed campaign in 2009)[1] |
| Split from | Official Irish Republican Army |
| Active regions | Continental Europe |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-left |
| Slogan | Saoirse go deo ('Freedom forever') |
| Size | Unknown, at least 80 members at first meeting in December 1974 Estimated to have 100 active members in June 1983[2] |
| Allies |  Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)Action directe[3] |
| Opponents |  United Kingdom
Ulster loyalist paramilitaries |
| Battles and wars | The Troubles |
| Organization(s) | IRSP (political wing) |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | United Kingdom |
| Flag |  |
| Part of a series on |
| Irish republicanism |
|---|
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The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA, Irish: Arm Saoirse Náisiúnta na hÉireann)[4] is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group formed on 8 December 1974, during the 30-year period of conflict known as "the Troubles". The group seeks to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist republic encompassing all of Ireland. With membership estimated at 80–100 at their peak, it is the paramilitary wing of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP).
The INLA was founded by former members of the Official Irish Republican Army who opposed that group's ceasefire. It was initially known as the People's Liberation Army. The INLA waged a paramilitary campaign against the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in Northern Ireland. It was also active to a lesser extent in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and mainland Europe.[5] High-profile attacks carried out by the INLA include the Droppin Well bombing, the 1994 Shankill Road killings and the assassinations of Airey Neave in 1979 and Billy Wright in 1997. However, it was smaller and less active than the main republican paramilitary group, the Provisional IRA. It was also weakened by feuds and internal tensions. Members of the group used the cover names People's Liberation Army, People's Republican Army,[6] and Catholic Reaction Force[7] for attacks its volunteers carried out but the INLA did not want to claim responsibility for.[8] The INLA became a proscribed group in the United Kingdom on 3 July 1979 under the 1974 Prevention of Terrorism Act.[9]
After a 24-year armed campaign, the INLA declared a ceasefire on 22 August 1998.[10] In August 1999, it stated that "There is no political or moral argument to justify a resumption of the campaign".[11] In October 2009, the INLA formally vowed to pursue its aims through peaceful political means[1] and began decommissioning its weapons.
The IRSP supports a "No First Strike" policy, that is allowing people to see the perceived failure of the peace process for themselves without military actions.[12]
The INLA is a proscribed organisation in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000 and an illegal organisation in the Republic of Ireland.[13][14]
- ^ a b "'Armed struggle is over' – INLA". BBC News. 11 October 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ^ Fortnight Magazine, Issue 195, p. 7-8. Fortnight Publications, 1983.
- ^ Jack Holland & Henry McDonald, INLA – Deadly Divisions, 1994, p.203
- ^ INLA memorial (Carlton Court, Strabane) Archived 18 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Conflict Archive on the Internet.
- ^ Pearlstein, Richard M. (3 June 2009). Fatal Future?: Transnational Terrorism and the New Global Disorder. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292774179. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ Sutton, Malcolm. "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1983". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ^ "Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)". fas.org. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ Ruan O'Donnell – Special Category: The IRA in English Prisons: Vol. 2: 1978–1985 p. 83
- ^ "UK and Ireland welcome INLA ceasefire". BBC News. Archived from the original on 31 October 2002. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "INLA 'declares war is over'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 February 2003. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "What is Irish Republican Socialism?". Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ "Schedule 2: Proscribed Organisations". Terrorism Act 2000. UK Public General Acts. Vol. 2000 c. 11. 20 July 2000. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013.
- ^ "THE OFFENCES AGAINST THE STATE ACTS, 1939–1998" (PDF). 7 October 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.