The impact of ethno- nationalist violence: Comparing the experiences of victims of ETA and paramilitaries in Northern Ireland

Victims of terrorism is a subject that has not received the attention it deserves in the field of terrorism studies. This is surprising, given the fact that international organisations have prioritised this question and some European governments have invested substantial resources and institutional energy in addressing national victims’ needs. This chapter aims at contributing towards filling in this gap by delivering a concise comparative analysis of the social practices of victims of terrorism in Spain and UK. The chapter will examine the divergent political contexts that surround these victimisation processes, the contrasting frameworks of support and the political standing of victims associations within these societies. Through the comparison of these two high-profile cases, a number of generalisable conclusions will be produced that can then be transferred to other contexts so as to explain victims of political violence experiences.