Terrorism in Sierra

 

Terrorism in Sierra refers to use of violence or threat of intentional violence which occurs in Sierra for the purpose of political, religious, or ideological change. According to the official definition of terrorism used by the Sierran Terrorism Research Center (STRC), it is "the use of violence against property or people, for the purposes of advancing political, religious or ideological change." Terrorism has been prevalent throughout Sierran history and continues to be a problem in Sierra, mainly associated with the Styxie conflict and republicanism.

According to a 2019 report by the STRC, a majority of terrorist incidents resulting in deaths since the September 11 attacks have been linked to dissident republicanism. "Of the 189 terrorist incidents resulting in deaths since the events of September 11, 2003, 92 (48.67%) have been linked to radical republicanism, 51 (26.98%) to radical Jacobitism and monarchism, 24 (12.69%) to white nationalism, Derzhavism, or other far-right ideologies, 11 (5.82%) to Islamism and 9 (4.76%) to other causes, including separatism."

Trends

History

Terrorism in Sierra was initially associated with violence during the Sierran Cultural Revolution, including the Little Civil War. One of the first incidents to be labelled as a terrorist attack was the bombing of a Confucian temple in Porciúncula in 1912, which was described by The Porciúncula Times as "a cowardly terrorist assault on the Confucian community, meant to spread fear and outrage". During the revolution, many attacks and incidents took place, which were retrospectively labelled as terrorism by researchers.

The term first gained mainstream use during The Disturbances, when it was used to describe various incidents of violence carried out by the different groups involved in the conflict. The August Atrocities were described by then-Prime Minister Alfred von Schliefen as "acts of terror". Later, the gun and bomb attack on the Cormac Bar in Bernheim was used by Jacobite militias as a rallying cry for recruitment. In Jacobite neighborhoods of Bernheim and Berkeley, militias spread leaflets with the words "they spread terror, they spread hate, defend your life from this date", showing images of the Cormac Bar as well as other Jacobite businesses attacked in 1968. "Act of terror" or "terror attack" would be the words used by Jacobites during the conflict, to refer to any republican attacks on their communities.

Following the Concord Accords, terrorism in Sierra declined as republican and Jacobite groups gradually disarmed. However, a low-level conflict persists to this day, with most attacks not resulting in deaths or injuries. Despite this, the conflict has lead to some notable incidents, including the Assassination of Steven Hong and the 2013 Bernheim bombing.

Ever since the September 11 attacks, increased focus has been placed on Islamist terrorism, mostly Shi'ite. There have been incidents of violence against Muslims, mosques, Islamic cultural centers, or people perceived as Middle Eastern, including Sierran Sikhs and Sierran Indians.

Recent trends

A report by the Investigative Reporting Institute, published in 2018, looked at terrorist incidents in Sierra between 2006 and 2016. It found that of the 590 distinct incidents, including foiled terror plots:

• 259 Republican terrorist incidents, of which 41 were foiled and 81 which caused fatalities. These incidents resulted in a combined 352 deaths.
• 140 Jacobite or monarchist terrorist incidents, of which 16 were foiled and 49 which caused fatalities. These incidents resulted in a combined 140 fatalities.
• 103 Islamist terrorist incidents, of which 76 were foiled and 11 which caused fatalities. These incidents resulted in a combined 176 fatalities.
• 31 far right terrorist incidents, including 27 white nationalist, 3 derzhavist and one anti-government incident. Of these, 3 were foiled and 22 caused fatalities. These incidents resulted in a combined 87 fatalities.
• 34 separatist terrorist incidents. Of these, 12 were related to Hawaiian separatism, 10 to the El Norte dispute, and 2 to Deseret separatism. 6 incidents were foiled, and 7 resulted in fatalities. These incidents resulted in a combined 28 fatalities.
• 24 incidents related to "other issues", including anti-abortion, Antiderzhavism, and others. Of these, 8 were foiled and one resulted in fatalities. These incidents resulted in a combined 4 fatalities.

According to political scientist Harvey Goldman, "despite the razzle-dazzle and spectacle of Islamist suicide attacks, the fact is that most acts of terror in Sierra are related to the conflicts in the Styxie." A 2016 report by the STRC, found that public fear of republican violence was at its highest since the end of the Disturbances, with 62% of respondents claiming that "Republicans" were the largest source of instability in Sierra, compared to 29% claiming that Islamists were the largest source. The report was criticized by prominent republicans, including Scott Western, who attributed the results to the recent assassination of Steven Hong and disproportionate polling outside of the Styxie region.

Attacks by date

1960–69

#	Date	Type	Dead	Injured	Location(s)	Details	Perpetrator
	March 1, 1965	Car bombing	10	24	San Jose, Santa Clara	1965 San Jose bombing:	Sierran Republican Army
	August 1, 1966	Truck bombings, mass shootings	120+	820	Porciúncula, Gold Coast San Francisco  Bernheim, San Joaquin	August Atrocities: Two truck bombs detonated within minutes of each other, near the First National Bank of Sierra in San Francisco, killing 64 people, and in front of the Bank of Sierra in Porciúncula, killing 35. At the same time, multiple gunmen attacked businesses owned by Jacobites, Han Chinese and Asian Sierrans, killing over 20 and injuring dozens more.	Sierran Liberation Army
	October 13, 1967	Car bombings	20	40	Ukiah, Plumas	1967 Ukiah bombings:	White Rose Brigade
	November 10, 1968	Mass shooting	37	41	Bernheim, San Joaquin	Cormac Bar attack: Gunmen burst into the Cormac Bar, a popular gathering spot for monarchists and Jacobites in South Bernheim, indiscriminately shooting patrons and throwing grenades. 37 people were killed in the attack, including Chief Alderman of Bernheim Robert Sayler.	Sierran Liberation Army
	December 13, 1968	Car-bombing	18	53	Bernheim, San Joaquin	Unlucky Friday: As a reaction to the murder of Robert Sayler, the militant continentalist RCA detonated a car bomb in next to the headquarters of the Democratic-Republican Party of Sierra, which they blamed for the murder or Sayler. This was the first terrorist attack the RCA took responsibility for.	Revolutionary Continental Army
	August 1, 1969	Truck bombing	15	104	Bernheim, San Joaquin	San Joaquin Provincial Building bombing: A truck bomb detonated in front of the San Joaquin Provincial Building in Bernheim, killing 15 people including Governor of San Joaquin Bartholomew Woodman. The Sierra Loyalist Defense Force claimed responsibility for the attack.	Sierran Loyalist Defense Force
	August 2, 1969	Truck bombing	21	132	Bernheim, San Joaquin	Bernheim City Hall bombing: A day after the first truck bombing, a second, larger bomb exploded next to the Bernheim City Hall, killing 21 people. Among the dead were several members of the city government, including Chief Alderman Thomas Davis. The Sierran Localist Defense Force claimed responsibility.	Sierran Loyalist Defense Force

1970–79

#	Date	Type	Dead	Injured	Location(s)	Details	Perpetrator
	18 December, 1972	Bombing	16	10	Bosland, Plumas	1972 Bosland bombing: A roadside bomb detonated next to an unarmored Sierran Royal Army bus as it was passing through Bosland on Provincial Route 14. Fourteen soldiers were killed, alongside two uninvolved civilians in a passing vehicle, and ten other soldiers sustained injuries. The Sierran Republican Army claimed responsibility for the attack.	Sierran Republican Army
	14 July, 1973	Shooting	1	3	Richmond, San Joaquin	Assassination of Robert Sewick: Mayor of Richmond and prominent republican Robert Sewick was killed when a gunman opened fire into his vehicle from a motorcycle before fleeing. Two of his bodyguards and the driver were seriously injured. The White Rose Brigade claimed responsibility.	White Rose Brigade
	1st July to 5 September, 1975	Kidnapping	1	0	San Francisco and Clark	Sierran Summer: The RCA kidnapped the San Francisco politician and enterpreneur John Martin and held him hostage in the Clark province for over 2 months, killing Martin either on the 3rd or 4th of September. His corpse was found in the trunk of a car outside Las Vegas.	Revolutionary Continental Army
	3 April, 1978	Bombing	9	31	Bernheim, San Joaquin	Bernheim East Hotel bombing: 9 members of the Sierran Liberation Army, including Berry Talbot, died after a powerful bomb exploded underneath their room rented in the Bernheim East Hotel for a top-level meeting. The bomb had been planted there a day before by a White Rose Brigade militant. In addition, 7 other members of the SLA, including Sebastian Osborne, and numerous bystanders were wounded.	White Rose Brigade
	7 April, 1978	Mass shooting	15	29	Bernheim, San Joaquin	West's Social Club shooting: Gunmen burst into a social club popular with monarchists and opened fire, killing 15 people. The attack was claimed by the Sierran Liberation Army, as revenge for the killing of Berry Talbot 4 days prior.	Sierran Liberation Army

1990–99

#	Date	Type	Dead	Injured	Location(s)	Details	Perpetrator
	February 25, 1990	Mass shooting	23	50+	Juno, Plumas	1990 Juno shooting:	White Rose Brigade remnants

2010–19

#	Date	Type	Dead	Injured	Location(s)	Details	Perpetrator
	January 9, 2013	Bombing	40	208	Bernheim, San Joaquin	2013 Bernheim bombing: During a Jacobite protest against the election of Carson Davis as the Chief Alderman of Bernheim, a powerful bomb exploded in a trash can near the protest. 37 people were killed instantly, and 3 others succumbed to their injuries later. The attack was perpetrated by four members of a republican militia, who were arrested.	Joseph Kahn, Aaron Hamilton, Rolando Reyes, David Harris
	April 17, 2014	Shooting	3	9	Bernheim, San Joaquin	Assassination of Michael R. Shannon: Following a meeting of the New Sierran Republicans inside a local theater, Michael Randell Shannon was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting on a sidewalk outside, alongside two other republican activists. Three other republicans and six bystanders were injured in the shooting. The attackers remain unknown.	Radical monarchists
	August 12, 2016	Shooting	1	2	Juno, Plumas	Assassination of Steven Hong: The Prime Minister of Sierra, Steven Hong, was shot and killed at a press conference by a lone gunman. Chief Alderman of Bernheim Carson Davis and Governor of San Joaquin Allison Perry were also injured. The attacker, Dylan Coulter, a dissident republican and a white nationalist, was arrested at the scene.	Dylan Coulter

See also

• Crime in Sierra
• Sierra and state terrorism
• Sierra and state-sponsored terrorism