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BOMBERS NOT ETA, ISLAMIC TERRORISTS ARRESTED !!!!!

Mark Steyn | 13.03.2004 20:21 | Analysis | Social Struggles | London | World

Although Spanish officialdom at first accused ETA of being behind the blasts, arrests have recently been made of Moroccan and Pakistani Nationals in Spain. The leap to accuse ETA seems to be an electioneering tactic of political convenience, and a way not to embarass Minister Javier Solana and his pro Arab politics.

March 12, 2004


A TERRORIST MASSACRE IN SPAIN
and it's not ETA.

In 2002, apropos the Fourth of July attack on LAX, initially credited to a fat white guy in a ponytail, and the sniper shootings around Washington, which The New York Times et al assured us was the work of a "macho hunter" or an "icy loner", I wrote:


Broadly speaking, in these interesting times, when something unusual and unprecedented happens, there are those who think on balance it's more likely to be a fellow called Mohammed than, say, Bud, and there are those who climb into the metaphorical burqa, close up the grille and insist, despite all the evidence, that we should be looking for some angry white male.


The assumption this morning that this must be a Basque separatist attack falls into that category. Western Europe has been living on borrowed time since September 11th. Given the attacks in Bali, Istanbul and elsewhere, and given the number of Islamist terrorist networks in Europe, and given that the common travel area of the EU encompasses both stalwart allies in the war on terror (Spain) and far murkier jurisdictions (Greece), it was inevitable this would happen. As to whether it's "blowback", and if so whether one can avoid it, I addressed that in The Spectator of October 19th 2002, after the Bali bombing:  


The Independent's Robert Fisk thinks the Aussies were targeted for a more specific reason - blowback for being too cosy with the Great Satan: "The French have already paid a price for their initial support for Mr Bush. The killing of 11 French submarine technicians in Karachi has been followed by the suicide attack on the French oil tanker Limburg off the coast of Yemen. Now, it seems, it is the turn of Australia...." And don't worry, there are plenty of others who'll be getting theirs any day now. Just in case al-Qa'eda had missed one or two, Fisk helpfully provides a useful list of legitimate targets: "Belgium, which hosts Nato HQ; Canada, whose special forces have also been operating in Afghanistan; Ireland, which allows US military aircraft to refuel at Shannon..." Blessings be upon you, Mister Robert, we had entirely forgot to add "Kill the Irish" to our "To Do" list.

I wonder if it was a cautious editor who added "initial" to that French "support for Mr Bush". The French were supportive for about ten minutes after 11 September, but for most of the last year have been famously and publicly non-supportive: throughout the spring, their foreign minister, M. Vedrine, was deploring American "simplisme" on a daily basis. The French veto is still Saddam's best shot at torpedoing any meaningful UN action on Iraq. If you were to pick only one Western nation not to blow up the oil tankers of, the French would be it.

But they got blown up anyway. And afterwards a spokesman for the Islamic Army of Aden said, "We would have preferred to hit a US frigate, but no problem because they are all infidels."

No problem. They are all infidels.

Unlike Mr Fisk, I don't have decades of expertise in the finer points of Islamic culture, so when people make certain statements and their acts conform to those statements I tend to take them at their word. As Hussein Massawi, former leader of Hezbollah, neatly put it, "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you." The first choice of Islamists is to kill Americans and Jews, or best of all an American Jew - like Daniel Pearl, the late Wall Street Journal reporter. Failing that, they're happy to kill Australians, Britons, Canadians, Swedes, Germans, as they did in Bali. We are all infidels.


And now Spaniards. "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you." And by "you", they mean not just arrogant Texan cowboys, but any pluralist society - whether a relaxed tourist resort like Bali or a modern Muslim nation like Turkey or - come to that, one day down the road - a cynical swamp of appeasement like France.

Mark Steyn

Comments

Hide the following 16 comments

BULL SHIT!!

13.03.2004 22:05

I sure hope the CIA is paying you well to come up with such stupid prejudicial propaganda BS -I guess they get their money's worth. You do not produce any physical evidence, propaganda motive or plausible technical operations scenario to convict the people you accuse of this crime. This kind of irresponsible BS doesn't hold up in any open constitiutional court, which is why prior to 9-11 the Bush Regime had already written up the so-called "Patriot Acts" which would get rid of constitutional trials whenever the Government found it convenient propaganda to say that "terrorism" was involved.

Master the backgound at these sites, and then take another crack at trying to figure out what really happened in Madrid, taking into account all relevant physical evidence:

 http://911research.wtc7.net/index.html
 http://home.comcast.net/~jeffrey.king2/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html
 http://www.thedossier.ukonline.co.uk/
 http://counterpunch.org/hollander03112004.html

Dancing Dave
mail e-mail: davidk@oz-online.net
- Homepage: http://www.artistlaunch.com/artist4.asp?artistid=5471


Blame Must Be on Spanish Foreign Policy

13.03.2004 22:28

Whoever did it is mostly irrelevant. This argument keeps in line with government propaganda that tries to divert attention from their own complicity in this horrendous event. By placing blame entirely on a non-government organization rather than on Spanish policy that supports war and occupation in Iraq is a diversionary tactic that I pray will not work on the Spanish.

Whether provoceteurs of the U.S.A state, the ETA or another organization bombed the trains is not the point. The point that must be made by the millions on the streets of Spain is that their government must back out of the war on the Middle East. Their government must pull out all troops and all backing for the occupation and continued war on the people of Iraq. If not, the millions of Spainish people must have a general strike until the government agrees to their demands.

People all around the world must stand up together for peace and against war and imperialism. All the world's citizens must tell their capitalist leaders to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan. We must stand steadfast in demanding an end to war, and an end to support of military aggression by all countries. Bush and his pirates must be isolated. Our leaders must be made to listen to what we want, or they must be toppled and replaced with people's governments.

The terrorists in Spain will certainly be found (framed or otherwise) and brought to justice. But if only the actual bombers are located and punished, and not the government of Spain and its policies, I fear that this type of event will never end.

With Canada's support of American Policy in the Middle East, and our continued support in Afghanistan, and yes in Iraq, we too are targets for a terrorist act. For what are we doing in Afghanistan if not securing that country as a pipeline for stolen Iraqi oil?

All out March 20 against war, terrorism, and an end to occupations.

Gloria


Back to Reality

13.03.2004 22:37

"We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you."

Whether or not there are people who think in this way, I am sure there are many muslims who think in a completely different way. Extremists can exist with any religious background and those extreme views probably have nothing to do with the muslim religion itself.

Brian B


Follow the money...

13.03.2004 23:46

I'm with Dancing Dave here. Follow the money. Who benefits from this atrocity just three days before an election? ETA? Al Qaida? Or an unpopular government whose support of New World Order imperialist ambitions were opposed by an enormous majority of people?

Oh, and just like the Bali bomb, right on cue with an apocalypic Bliar speech!

Time to clear out the cutlery drawer here. Too much corporate sponsored shit in there.

Zinfandel


DavidK is wrong, does he have the cojones to admit it?

14.03.2004 00:30

DavidK from Oz, looks like you trumped yourself, you snake! I suggest you go to whatever Islamic swamp suits you best, so you can meet Allah via MOAB or JDAM. Cheers!

Al Quaeda just sent tape saying they did it!!!!!!


Dancing Dave Is Dead Wrong As Usual

14.03.2004 00:33

Dancing Dave, here in the USA some of us with faith are snake handlers. The snakes only bite those with hatred in their hearts. In Oz you have lots of nasty serpents, why not pick up a few and go meet Allah, he is saving 72 young boys for you.

Am I The Only One Tired of this Apologist for Islamic Vipers?


Dancing Dave Replies with Truth.

14.03.2004 02:23

The CIA sometimes pays hacks to come up with stupid meaningless irrational propaganda remarks like these against me. It's just an adhominem slur that does not answer my actual argument at all. You still have not produced a tenable political propapanda MOTIVE, a correct technical operations scenario that could have been used by specific persons with this motive, and crime scene evidence which definately convicts the persons you so quickly and prejudicially accuse of the crime. Your stupid slurs would never hold up and convict anyone in an open constitutional court.

Here's some more good sites for understanding a propaganda operations like we have seen projected from Madrid. This one was clearly intended to effect the outcome of Spain's national elections tommorow. These sites help you understand the key features of this kind of propaganda operation, which is becoming more and more common in the last few years. The outcome of failing to decisively criticize and expose such operations, will be FASCISM. We don't have much time left to figure out what's really going on, and bring it to all our fellow citizen's attention.

 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/9-11-demonstrative-evidence-of-frameup/
 http://www.physics911.org/911/
 http://new.globalfreepress.com/index.pl?section=911
 http://www.propagandamatrix.com/
 http://www.reseauvoltaire.net/11septembre.html





Dancing Dave
mail e-mail: davidk@oz-online.net
- Homepage: http://www.soundclick.com/pro/default.cfm?BandID=112610


Original poster should distinguish cause from effect

14.03.2004 04:29

The poster says :

"Given the attacks in Bali, Istanbul and elsewhere, and given the number of Islamist terrorist networks in Europe, and given................ it was inevitable this would happen."

Those aren't causes. You are giving a list of earlier effects, and saying they caused the latest, similar effect.
This is nonsense, when the cause itself is so easy to see.

I would rewrite this as:

"Given Spain's ongoing participation in the forcible occupation of Iraq, and implicit approval for the violent deaths of 10000 Iraqi civilians ................ it was inevitable this would happen."

Please note this does NOT mean I am any less horrified by this deadful carnage.
It is just that this is exactly what I feared and dreaded. Part of why I opposed the invasion of Iraq.

Like so many MILLIONS of others, who could see this sort of thing coming.
One can't help wondering - surely our leaders weren't too stupid to see this would happen?
Didn't they care ?

stickler


Who Will Profit in the ELECTION?

14.03.2004 08:31

There was a claim that the first article here was racist. I can see some Religious bigotry, and perhaps some mickey taking, but where is the Racism? It isn't very clear what the writer is trying to say, - what is quoted and what is his opinion are not very clear.

This was up on Indycymru pretty soon after the explosion:

"SPANISH BOMBS
Posted by: DarkerCloud

Days before an election and bet who did it. Who will profit electorally? Which Politicians are able to push through their Fascist policies after this sort of thing?

The Basques are too thoroughly penetrated by the Secret Police to have done it on this scale. Moslems? They would have hit an Army barracks, or a vital part of the economic infrastructure.

There is one thing we can all be quite certain about, Fascists did it. And the Fascists with the expertise are quite likely to have used that to lay the blame on others who do not have the forensic skills to know what evidence to plant with the bombs they place.

There are of course allies of those Fascists in the British Government, and you can bet your bottom dollar they have their secret agents sneaking into the houses of Welsh patriots to get "evidence" to plant so that they can tell partiots convicted on false evidence "Confess or we will keep you in prison forever." And if you later retract that dishonest confession, we will put you back inside.

The sick perverts who become Home Secretaries really relish keeping the honest innocent in prison long after they have served the sentence imposed by the Judge who was misled into thinking them guilty. If they were not sick perverts they would refuse to work with such a regime. Everyone would be released after serving their time with full remission for good behaviour.

We hear Spaniards are saying the Basques did this commuter bombing. They must be mad. If they believe that is true why do they not throw the Basque country out of Spain?

Enjoy you holiday in Spain this year. Exciting Spain. Breathe the air of free Fascism in Spain. Get acclimatised, because New Labour is building the same Fascism in the UK."

The Fascist bomb squad, who it was proved did that bombing in Italy to discredit the Reds some years ago, are learning fast, they will be planting effective incriminating incriminating evidence to blame others. They are well able to do that when the State bequeathed by Franco is on their side and control the forensic investigation.

Note that the FBI still have not fired the bomber who blew up Judi Bari.

Motive


Lies, damn lies and more lies

14.03.2004 12:12

Listening to the BBC News at mid-day, the media claim that a statement/video tape has been received purportedly from Al-Quaeda saying that "you love life, we love death" and the usual old tosh.

The report did say that it was still unclear whether the statement was genuine - they had the temerity to admit that at least.

But let's be clear here, people - just because the news media *say* that they have a video tape from Al-Quaeda does not at all mean that this is true. And even if they did have an actual physical tape purporting to come from Al-Quaeda, again, this does not mean it's true.

Events like these are prime targets for hijacking by far-right nutters and other kinds of opportunistic attention seekers.

The Spanish authorities have arrested a few Moroccans - perhaps to show they're doing something - but the betting is that they'll be released in a few days or, if a conviction is achieved, released in a few years after an inquiry proves their innocence.

We've seen their lies too many times to be suckered again - or most of us anyway.

Concerned


Al-Qaeda trying to undermine democracy

14.03.2004 13:26

As Spain awakes this morning, everywhere the news is saying that Al-Qaeda is responsible, and that this is a blow to Aznar's party because they are claiming Madrid was bombed because Spain supported the Iraq war. ETA is out of the picture now. The big media are saying its Al-Qaeda, because of the Iraq war.

So as Zinfandel said, lets follow the money and see who benifits. Is it Aznar's party? No. They are, in effect, being blamed for the bomb because of Iraq. It's the anti-war left who seem to be benifiting. However unlike Dave (who has one hell of an ego so it seems), I think its incredibly unlikely that those who directly benifit (the opposition socialists) were the ones who planted the bomb.

It does seem like Al-Qaeda. If American B-2 aeroplanes had bombed Madrid, this board would be up in arms about the US trying to intimidating people in the elections. However, this is exactly what Al-Qaeda is trying to do. By performing this attack Al-Qaeda is trying to get out Aznar's party (which is infamously tough on terrorism) and put in the Socialists, who will be much much softer.

Where's all this talk about Fascists coming from? It's the left that 'benifits' (although the mainstream left will be as horrified by this as most people), not the right. Unless of course you mean the Islamist Right - Al Qaeda and friends.

Mad Hatter


You are still missing the point

14.03.2004 18:16

You can argue til the cows come home about who the terrorists are and why they did it. Where does it get you? As the second article says, you are missing the point. The point is that the Spanish Government must end their support for Imperialist terrorism in the Middle East. Terrorism will not disappear until all troops are out of Iraq, all Palestinians are free, and all occupations are ended.

Of course Spain can never do this - they are, like the U.S.A., Britain, France, Canada, China, all imperialist nations. They survive because they are capitalist and use terrorism through war to survive. Therefore the people of the world must overthrow their governments and the capitalist system in order for freedom to prevail.

The millions of Spainish crying out for Peace do not care whether it is the E.T.A, or Al-Queda that killed their innocent brothers and sisters. They demand peace, and only by the absolute overthrow of capitalism will they ever see it.

All out March 20!



We are all Madrid


Spanish don't care who did it - get the point!

14.03.2004 18:59

I agree with "We are all Madrid": Here is a quote from a man who lost his wife in the bombing:

"I've got to say that it's all the same to me - whether it's Eta, or al-Qaeda, or any other group of terrorists. To me it's the same feeling. The only thing I know is that they've snatched away a part of my life and nobody can bring it back.

I don't care who they are. I don't care what happens to the people who did it. "
from BBC  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3508280.stm

The point, as the second, and last articles made is correct. The government is whipping up hysteria and clouding the real issue over who did it, not why they did it.

Get the hell out of Iraq and Afghanistan! Bring our troops home, isolate the U.S.

I will be joining millions around the world to say no more war (ie. state terrorism) on the 20th.

Maria


Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

15.03.2004 00:52

> Get the hell out of Iraq and Afghanistan! Bring our troops home, isolate the U.S.
Uhuh. That'll make all the difference, wont it? 90% of the spanish population didnt want to go to war in Iraq. In return, the terrorists bombed that population, indiscriminately and without mercy.

A Maginot-line mentality will get u nowhere. Trying to stay out of this global conflict is simply another way of saying 'appeasement'. The terrorists are coming for u, whoever u are and wherever u are. They dont care. They're just looking for excuses to justify their psychopathic tendencies.

>I will be joining millions around the world to say no more war (ie. state terrorism) on the 20th.
Lest u forget, the war was declared on 9/11, and it wasnt by the West. Why not march instead against brutal dictators, or Islamic fundamentalists and terrorists? If u'd marched against Saddam a long time ago, maybe we wouldn't have had to go to war to topple him. ever think about that?


Appeasement will only bring u the thing u're trying so hard to avoid - war. Read your pre-WW2 history and learn the lesson.

Jamie


I think you will find

15.03.2004 15:19

that you are one of a decreasing minority of peoples of the earth that believe that 911 was an act of war rather than treachery.

let us be clear and utilize the words of that famous fictional detecive ...

once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, is the truth.

could muslim terrorists operating from an afghani cave have:

..circumvented the largest, best funded and technologically equipped intelligence organisations - especially since the group was itself once a paid vassle of said organisations?

..sent norad to sleep?

..avoided the electronic recording apparatus of several large us airports?

..induced steel beams to melt well below their tradional[sic] melting temps?

..flown high tec aircraft for which they had recieved no training, at speeds, with precision, in tight g-force inducing manouvers (for which the onboard computers specifically forbid)?

..arranged for thousands of tons of material evidence to the largest crime on us soil to be dumped unexamined either far out at sea or sold abroad for scrap?

..profited to the tune of several billion $ by the bizzare and well executed stock market con?

(1000 further questions to follow)

wake up or be enslaved

karen elliot


Spot on, Karen Elliot!

15.03.2004 20:08

Nobody who still believes the 'official' version of the WTC atrocity can answer any of those questions, Karen, without resorting to accusing you of being a conspiracy theorist, the modern equivalent of the KGB/Nazi trick of declaring you insane for disagreeing with the party before shipping you off to a concentration camp for reprogramming or decommissioning.

It must really hurt to admit to yourself that you have been betrayed, that's why so many abused women (and men) stay with their partners and so many American citizens (and British) still support their governments.

The whole thing has stunk from the beginning but you have to stand a lot further back to see the true picture, which cannot be done when you are smothered in the folds of the so called 'American Dream'. As any honest man who can understand the banking system will tell you, it's all a confidence trick. Sadly, we are already enslaved. But that does not mean we cannot free ourselves.

Zinfandel


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