The circumstances surrounding Saturday's shooting of two members of the Guardia Civil in France are still not very clear. It is possible to accept as a coincidence that the two policemen and the ETA members alleged to be responsible were having breakfast in the same cafe. What is more difficult to understand is how those who carried out the shooting managed to identify their targets as policemen, given that they were in plain clothes. I have read this afternoon that a witness has reported them inspecting the car of the victims before the shooting took place. This raises even more questions, how would they even know which car belonged to the two policemen in the first place?
I can't help wondering about the possibility of a massive failure in the undercover surveillance operation and that the suspected members of ETA knew they were being watched and even possibly recognised those who were watching them. Unless the officer who survived the attack comes out of coma and fills in some of the missing details it is possible we will never know. In the meantime either the Spanish Interior ministry, or the press, is embellishing the account of what happened with details which they can hardly be in a position to provide.
Meanwhile, all political parties are putting on a formal show of unity; but in reality it has not lasted long. A 5 minute silence in Madrid today was completely disrupted by the intolerant antics of a noisy group of Partido Popular (PP) supporters. One of the PSOE councillors attending had to be escorted away at the end of the act as these lovers of liberty were threatening him. Those who created this monster bear some responsibility for its behaviour. The PP has also made clear its intention of pressing on the issue of illegalising parties like Acción Nacionalist Vasca (ANV) which refuse to condemn ETA attacks. Sadly, the government is showing signs of playing with the same issue by claiming that the refusal to condemn the shooting may be used in such a process. Nothing has really changed in the position of parties like ANV, and if their existence was not illegal before then there is no reason why it should be so now. All the arguments used on this question are entirely political, but then the law in question has always been based on such judgements, were it otherwise the simple refusal to pronounce on an issue could never be seen as an illegal act.
I can't help wondering about the possibility of a massive failure in the undercover surveillance operation and that the suspected members of ETA knew they were being watched and even possibly recognised those who were watching them. Unless the officer who survived the attack comes out of coma and fills in some of the missing details it is possible we will never know. In the meantime either the Spanish Interior ministry, or the press, is embellishing the account of what happened with details which they can hardly be in a position to provide.
Meanwhile, all political parties are putting on a formal show of unity; but in reality it has not lasted long. A 5 minute silence in Madrid today was completely disrupted by the intolerant antics of a noisy group of Partido Popular (PP) supporters. One of the PSOE councillors attending had to be escorted away at the end of the act as these lovers of liberty were threatening him. Those who created this monster bear some responsibility for its behaviour. The PP has also made clear its intention of pressing on the issue of illegalising parties like Acción Nacionalist Vasca (ANV) which refuse to condemn ETA attacks. Sadly, the government is showing signs of playing with the same issue by claiming that the refusal to condemn the shooting may be used in such a process. Nothing has really changed in the position of parties like ANV, and if their existence was not illegal before then there is no reason why it should be so now. All the arguments used on this question are entirely political, but then the law in question has always been based on such judgements, were it otherwise the simple refusal to pronounce on an issue could never be seen as an illegal act.
2 comments:
Truly disturbing behavior on the part of PP supporters. The front page of El Mundo today bears a photo of some crazed looking people screaming at PSOE member Pedro Zerolo--utterly pathetic. http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/12/03/madrid/1196681099.html
Yes, they turned what was supposed to be a serious homage into an attack on Zerolo because he is gay! For all their talk of liberty, these people would have problems finding the word in the dictionary.
Fortunately the AVT, the Peones Negros and their fellow travellers decided not to support today's demonstration because it involves too much cross party unity for their liking. On this evidence, I'm sure they weren't missed.
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