Millions protest against terror in Spain

Up to two million people have taken part in a demonstration against terror in the Spanish capital

Madrid a day after bomb attacks killed over 200. European leaders joined the protest to show solidarity. Millions more Spaniards joined similar rallies and vigils held across the country, which remains in mourning. Officials say Basque militants from Eta remain the main suspects - but Basque media are carrying a statement, said to be from the group, denying involvement. The government says it is ruling out no line of inquiry. Some clues appear to implicate Islamic radicals.

Prince, politicians and people

In Madrid huge crowds have been marching despite heavy rain - clutching umbrellas, flags and posters denouncing terrorism. Members of Spain's royal family including Crown Prince Felipe, and his sisters Princess Elena and Princess Cristina joined Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar to head the demonstration. They were joined by European allies - Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Jean-Pierre Raffarin of France as well as their Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern and Romano Prodi representing the European Union.

John Prescott, the UK deputy prime minister, and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer also participated in the march. A six-lane motorway through the capital was closed off to allow demonstrators to march to the railway station at Atocha - where the worst of the attacks took place. Some chanted: "Assassins", "A people united will never be defeated".

Others simply stood quietly in the rain. One woman at the Madrid rally told the BBC: "I wanted to feel a little bit better, because at home I can't do anything."

She added: "Everyone here in Madrid knew someone who died yesterday, and that feels worse." About 1,400 people were injured in the 10 blasts on commuter trains in the morning rush hour. Some remain in a critical condition. Correspondents say the entire nation is still in shock. Three days of national mourning are being observed with flags at half-mast, public institutions closed and political campaigning cancelled ahead of Sunday's general election.

Reports from outside the capital say vigils and rallies brought more than six million other people out onto the streets of towns and cities - including those in the Basque country, where local rivalries have been forgotten for now.

Suspects

But even as the millions stood as one against the violence, it was still not clear who had ordered the attacks. Interior Minister Angel Acebes on Friday said the militant Basque separatist group Eta remained the government's prime suspect. The group has previously targeted the Spanish railway system and two Eta suspects were arrested last month driving a truck loaded with explosives headed for Madrid. However there has been speculation about a possible connection with Islamic militants.

A stolen van found near the route of the trains contained detonators and a recording of Koranic verses, the interior minister said. A message purportedly from the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades was also sent to a UK-based Arabic newspaper saying it had attacked "America's ally in its war against Islam" on behalf of al-Qaeda. Spanish editorial writers are demanding answers before voters go to the polls on Sunday, because the culprits' identity might influence people's choice of party.

The ruling Popular Party campaigned on a hardline stance against Eta but also defied popular opposition by supporting the US-led war against Iraq - which may have triggered an attack by al-Qaeda. Thursday's attack was the worst act of terrorism in modern Spanish history and the deadliest in Europe since the Lockerbie airliner bomb killed 270 in 1988. It has been condemned by leaders around the world, who have pledged their support for the Spanish people.

Governments across Europe are now rethinking their strategies

America's war on terror has been seen differently on this side of the Atlantic. So how far will that change now? The suicide hijackings directed at New York and Washington came as a huge shock to Americans. Before 2001, their sense of invulnerability at home was virtually intact.

In contrast, Europeans have lived with the threat of terrorism for many years - from left-wing extremists in Germany in the 1970s, from neo-fascist militants in Italy, from the IRA in Northern Ireland and mainland Britain.

European governments have taken extra security measures in response to America's 9/11 and their peoples have become accustomed to that.

The Madrid bombings are not on the scale of 9/11. But they are marked by the same ruthless savagery and intent to inflict maximum harm. That is undoubtedly a shock to people in Europe - even if the attacks were the work of Eta, it is a new Eta. As the German newspaper Die Welt put it, what happened was the "al-Qaeda-isation" of European terrorism.

Public opinion may therefore be readier to accept more draconian security and restrictions on civil liberties, though that cannot be taken for granted. There has been much criticism of Britain's decision in anti-terrorism legislation to opt out of a section of the European Convention on Human Rights - the only country to do so.

Response

Governments across Europe are now rethinking their strategies. For example, a huge operation was already under way with international involvement to protect the Olympic Games in Athens in August.

Now the Greek government says the plan will be strengthened. It has asked Nato to help with security, for example in aerial surveillance. The French government is calling in the military to reinforce police security for public transport. The Italians have told the police and local authorities to tighten their precautions. On a European level, some will make the case for more intense co-operation against suspected terrorists through the police agency Europol, and other EU institutions, as a matter of routine.

Target

Public reaction to the Madrid bombings would be more significant if it turned out that they were actually carried out by Islamic militants. "That would be a new situation," in the words of the German Interior Minister, Otto Schily. The same would apply if it were shown that Islamic militants were working with Eta - with a home-grown European group.

Most vulnerable to criticism would be the governments of Britain, Spain and Italy, which strongly supported the US and the invasion of Iraq. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair would point to a speech he made last week, emphasising the continuing threat of global terrorism and describing it as "a new type of war". But the Spanish government would have to deal with the accusation that its policies in Iraq had made the country an al-Qaeda target. Rallying public support against Eta, the familiar enemy, is for some, a more comfortable situation to be in.

Meanwhile U.S. Homeland Security officials issued a bulletin advising state officials, police and transit and rail agencies to be vigilant in light of the bombings in Spain.

They were asked late Thursday night to consider additional surveillance and to look out for unattended bags and backpacks, Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.

CFPA: Unlike the Spanish Falange who expressed no sympathy towards the U.S. on Sept. 11th. The Christian Falangist Party of America wishes to express its sympathy towards the Spanish people and condemns this cowardly and savage act of terrorism against defenseless civilians. These bombings show that we have a long way to go in our "War Against Terrorism".

12 Mar 2004