Political violence is undertaken to rescue—restore the glory of—an object is considered sacred within a nation or societal group (e.g., Germany, Allah, America).
Hitler declared: “We may be inhumane, but if we rescue Germany we have performed the greatest deed in the world.”
In the name of rescuing a sacred object, any form of action—however inhumane—is considered necessary, and noble. Within this template, there is no such thing as “crime.”
Spend a moment reflecting upon Hitler’s statement. Can you name a single episode of war, genocide, revolution or terror that did not proceed based on this structure of thought?
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