In Memoriam

[Ves]

Two days ago the world suffered the 7th most deadly terrorist attack ever.
A bomb ripped through a commuter train in Madrid, killing over 200 passengers and injuring around 1400. The blame is currently resting with Basque seperatist group ETA who have been a blight on Spain for many years. Though there is a potential involvment by Al-Qaeda.

Um I'm not sure what point I was trying to make with this, I certainly don't advocate this as an excuse to attack more "rogue states" which can ultimately make the problem worse. I just felt that the fallen deserved a memory in as many places as possible.

[YoungFang]

I was shocked when I came heom from college and was told about it. I found an interesting article on AOL about the most recent developments and it also includes Spanish politics:

From AOL 14 March 2004

A chilling video claiming al-Qaida planted the Madrid train bombs which killed 200 people is being analysed today as Spanish police question five men arrested over the terror attack.
The tape, which includes threats such as "we love death'', and warns that more "blood will flow'', taunts Spain for its support of the war on Iraq.

Spain's interior minister said the tape, featuring a man identifying himself as the military spokesman of al-Qaida in Europe, claimed the group was responsible for Thursday's attacks which injured a further 1,500 people.

"We declare our responsibility for what happened in Madrid exactly two-and-a-half years after the attacks on New York and Washington,'' said the man, according to a government translation of the tape, which was made in Arabic.

It added: "This is a response to the crimes that you caused in the world, and specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there will be more if God wills it.

"It is a response to your collaboration with the criminals Bush and his allies.

"You love life and we love death. If you do not stop your injustice, blood will flow.''

Interior minister Angel Acebes said: "This identity has not been corroborated either by Spanish intelligence services or by the international intelligence information services whose help we sought.

"We are studying the credibility this communiqué may have and for that reason it must be taken with all caution.''

Mr Acebes said the man spoke with a Moroccan accent and wore Arabic dress. He announced the discovery of the tape just hours after he said police had arrested five suspects - three of them Moroccans - in connection with the bombings. The two others held were Indian.

Two Spaniards of Indian origin are also being questioned but were not expected to be arrested. They are being held in connection with a mobile phone found inside an unexploded bomb-packed gym bag discovered on one of the devastated commuter trains.

It is believed the bombs which wrecked the rush-hour trains may have been detonated by remote control using mobile phones.

The news of the arrests had in itself fuelled speculation that early claims blaming Basque separatists ETA had been misjudged.

Professor Paul Wilkinson, chairman of St Andrews University's Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, said: "The arrest of three Moroccans, supposing they have the right people, would suggest it was the al-Qaida network that carried out the attacks.''

Meanwhile, Spanish voters are going to the polls in their general election today after thousands of angry demonstrators gathered outside the Madrid headquarters of the ruling Popular Party on Saturday.

At the end of the second official day of mourning, the mainly youthful protesters were accusing Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of manipulating the atrocity to improve his party's chances.

The ruling Popular Party candidate for prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, dismissed opposition Socialist suggestions that the government knew more than it was telling.

Before the attacks, polls gave Rajoy's party a five-point lead over the Socialists in the race for the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.

However, the belief is that if voters think ETA is behind the attacks, the ruling party will benefit because of its strong stance against the group.

[WhiteCrowUK]

The moment I heard about the bombs in Spain, I knew it was because Spain had sided with the UK and USA in the war on terror.

Like September 11th, it was a coordinated "rolling drum" strike, designated to kill, with secondary strikes planned for emergency workers.

I know the mood in the UK is it might be us next.

What is truely chilling is they killed 200 people to make a point. And I am not sure what that point is supposed to be. That the war on terror is a bad thing, and killing people as long as its people who are different to you (and perhaps believe in a different God) is okay?

Maybe at some point these people had a valid point to make, but how could anyone ever take sympathy with them now?

[AlphaMale]

Point 1: Terrorists blow up trains in Spain killing 200 people.

Point 2: New Spanish leader promises Iraqi troop pullout.

Conclusion: The terrorists won in Spain.

[Ves]

Conclusion: The terrorists won in Spain.
Maybe.
But if it stops 200 more people being killed (and lets not forget the thousands of injured - some of whom are still critical) is that as terrible a thing as we all like to think?
I'm now at the point where I'm beginning to wonder.

I read an article following the attack which was an interview with the husband of one of the slain. He talked of how his wife had been taken from him, that nothing would bring her back, that a piece of him had been torn away. It was one of the most moving things I've ever read. I put myself in that poor man's position and I wondered whether we should just tell them OK we give up now please go away.
This from someone who has ardently spoken out in favour of the Gulf War time and again.

I guess I'm just getting sick of watching life get cheaper and cheaper. You know it's bad when you know that a hitman would charge about £10k for a kill, and you think that's a bit steep.

[AlphaMale]

But if it stops 200 more people being killed (and lets not forget the thousands of injured - some of whom are still critical) is that as terrible a thing as we all like to think?

Yes, because the president-elect of Spain is saying, "if you don't like our policies, then come kill our people and we will change for you". Now the next time Spain does something some terrorist group doesn't like, those terrorists will remeber last week's train bombings and say to themselves "they buckled last time someone killed 200 of their people, let's kill 400 this time." In other words, if your actions tell terrorist that their methods work, they'll keep doing it.

I wondered whether we should just tell them OK we give up now please go away.

That's just the point; they won't go away. They now know that Spain is willing to capitulate if they blow up some of their people.

[Darth Cluich]

And if this got Spain to back down, I think we can expect to see other countries, like the UK and Poland, hit in the near future. Let's see if the buckle like Spain did.

[WhiteCrowUK]

And if this got Spain to back down, I think we can expect to see other countries, like the UK and Poland, hit in the near future. Let's see if the buckle like Spain did.

Problem is, the US has an election sooner than any other country.