THEY CALLED THEM TERRORISTS—BUT WERE THEY FREEDOM FIGHTERS?

THEY CALLED THEM TERRORISTS—BUT WERE THEY FREEDOM FIGHTERS?

THEY CALLED THEM TERRORISTS—BUT WERE THEY FREEDOM FIGHTERS?

History has a cruel sense of irony. The same powers that carved up continents, plundered resources, and ruled through violence now label those who resist as “terrorists.”
From Algeria to Kenya, from Zimbabwe to South Africa, freedom fighters were branded criminals by their colonizers. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years behind bars, labeled a terrorist by the very systems that stole his land. Patrice Lumumba was assassinated for daring to claim Congo’s wealth for Congolese people. Dedan Kimathi was hanged for defending Kenyan soil.

They didn’t steal because they were greedy—they fought because everything had already been stolen from them.
The narrative was simple: resist oppression, become the villain. Meanwhile, those who committed genocide, enforced apartheid, and extracted billions were called “civilized.”

Today, the script hasn’t changed—only the actors.
Independence came, but the systems of exploitation evolved. Resources still flow out while poverty flows in. And anyone who dares to challenge the status quo? They’re labeled extremists, insurgents, threats to stability.

But here’s the truth they don’t want you to know: every liberation movement was once called terrorism. Every revolutionary was once an enemy of the state. Every freedom had to be fought for, not given.

The question isn’t whether resistance is justified—it’s why we still believe the colonizer’s definition of terrorism.