In the 70s and 80s every European country had active urban terrorist movements that bombed and shot people regularly. Red Army Faction, November 17, Red Brigades, they were big news back then.
Today, they're completely forgotten. An article like this is almost unprecedented.
I wouldn't say they are forgotten, they are dragged out once in a while as examples of the big bad leftist bogeyman.
Governments quaked in fear from them. I wouldn't call them bogeyman, I'd call them an influential part of a nation's polity. Officials knew they could get killed if they got out of line too far. Honestly governments living in fear of the people is a better outcome than what we have today.
They're forgotten because nobody wants to bring up the idea to inspire today's youth that it can be done.
Back in the day they made governments afraid but today they are just used as an example of the "fascist methods" of the left by centrists pushing horseshoe theory.
Under the “Mitterrand doctrine”, France allowed the convicted terrorists to remain in the country and avoid extradition to Italy so long as they promised to renounce violence.
The moral of the story is never to trust the promises of politicians and governments.
So weird seeing the sidebar of other stories on The Guardian and over half of them aren't about Trump.
