Publicly available data show that almost 80% of terrorism fatalities in EU countries between 1968 and 2013 were not caused by Islamist attacks

Anti-muslim pundits are fond of claiming that “although all muslims are not terrorists, all terrorists are muslims”. The argument is false.

Data collected by the RAND Database of Worldwide Terrorism Incidents and Europol show that the overwhelming majority of fatalities from terrorism in Europe over the last forty-five years were not due to attacks by Islamists.

The chart below includes EU countries with more than 1 fatality from terrorism between 1968 and 2013. The figures for fatalities also include perpetrators.

‘Other’ includes all fatalities attributed to perpetrators other than islamist individuals or organisations, ie: separatist, ethno-nationalist, left-wing & anarchist, right-wing, suspected state terror, and unknown.

Fatalities from terrorism in Europe by cause 1968-2013

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