by ManfromMiddletown
Wed Apr 12th, 2006 at 12:39:38 PM EST
One of the enduring myth of the Madrid Train bombings is that the armed Basque seperatist group ETA was behind the attacks. The Spanish Right continues to use this as a rallying point. I present as evidence a video production of Spain's FAES foundation.
Click on the picture, if you have a strong stomach.
Nice the way that they conveniently ignore the fact that the court handling the March 11th attacks has found no evidence of ETA participation in the March 11th. The problem with propoganda of the sort you've just seen is that in the process of defending the undefendable, in this case lying, it becomes a caricture of itself. Even worse, this is historical revision of the same type as those who deny the Holocaust. They don't want to reveal the truth, they want to stir up ethnic hatreds, and use that hatred for political gain. And the victims continue to suffer, and the story of who knew what, when is still unclear. Pilar Manjon, the leader of the Association of Victims of March 11th, was driven from her home by members of the PP making death threats all because she wanted the truth about what happened on March 11th and refused to go along with the desire of the PP and the Association of Victims, a group representing ETA victims which has been infiltrated by the PP, to use the March 11th attacks as a way to discredit Basque nationalism in all its forms.
Informed speculation "infuriating"
In the opinion of Manjon, the victims need an explanation of what happened during the the government of Jose Maria Aznar, disregarding the reports of the National Intelligence Center (CNI) that in 2002, 2003, and 2004 warned that Spain was a target of Islamic terrorism.
In addition in fairness, the victims believe totaly in the work of the state security forces and bodies. "They didn't deceive us on March 11th with the conspiracy theories, nore have they done so afterwards", Manjon said. In reference to informed speculation about a possible link between the Islamic groups that committed the massacre in Madrid with ETA, the president of the Association of Victims of March 11th called them "infuriating."
Manjon has assured that "they haven't followed through with any of their promises" that they made after the attacks, and complained that "the psychological help was ended on December 31, 2004." More, she continued, "they are reconozing victims on the cheap, not one of the victims with psychological after effects has been recognized as a victim of terrorism." Manjon has stated that the victims "are only photo-ops", when anniversaries or other relevant dates come around. "No one asks us day to day how we are, and it's very dificult, very complicated", she stated.
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Especulaciones informativas "indignas"
En opinión de Manjón, las víctimas necesitan una explicación sobre qué pasó para que, durante el Gobierno de José María Aznar, se desoyeran los informes del Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI) que en 2002, 2003 y 2004 advertían de que España era objetivo del terrorismo islamista.
Además de en la justicia, la víctimas confían plenamente en el trabajo de las fuerzas y cuerpos de seguridad del Estado. "Ni se dejaron engañar el 11-M por la teoría de la conspiración, ni lo han hecho posteriormente", ha manifestado Manjón. En cuanto a las especulaciones informativas sobre la posible vinculación de los grupos islamistas que cometieron la matanza en Madrid con ETA, la presidenta de la Asociación 11-M las ha calificado de "indignas".
Manjón ha asegurado que "no se han cumplido prácticamente ninguna de las promesas" que se les hicieron tras los atentados y se ha quejado de que "las ayudas psicológicas se retiraron el 31 diciembre de 2004". Además, ha continuado, "se está reconociendo a las víctimas a la baja; ni una sola víctima con secuela psicológica ha sido reconocida como víctima del terrorismo". Manjón ha afirmado que las víctimas "solamente somos fotos de ocasión", cuando se acercan los aniversarios u otras fechas puntuales. "Nadie nos pregunta el día a día cómo es, y es muy difícil, muy complicado", ha asegurado.
One of the more interesting theories attempts to put forward a meeting between ERC leader Carod and ETA in Perpignan in the weeks before the election as evidence that PSOE through its Catalan ally, ERC, was negotiating an attack to force the PP out of government. There was a meeting, and in a precedent to the general ceasefire that exists now, attacks in Catalunya were renounced. However, the idea that PSOE ordered the attacks like pizza delivery is utter bullshit. Now that there's a ceasefire, the PP are pissed off, the cow, ETA terrorism, they've been milking for political gain for the past 10 years is gone. And it was Zapatero and dialogue, not Aznar and and iron fist that won the peace.
Arnaldo Otegi, leader of the banned Basque party Batasuna, said yesterday that he has lost confidence in PSE because they have met with representatives of ETA, but still haven't met with Batasuna, because the party is illegal under Spanish law. Otegi went on to ask for guarantees that any new party formed by Batasuna members would not be banned, and that the Spanish and French states would accept Basque independence if it passed in a referendum. The PP will never accept this, they cling a notion of a centralized state that denies self determination to the people's of the Iberian peninsula. The myths of March 11th are likely to continue for this reason.
