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March 12, 2004
Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?
Many of the blogs I have read today express their horror or their loss far more eloquently than I can here. At "All agitprop;all the time", Paul tells of a friend who may well be caught up in the aftermath, others express views on the matter in other ways. I find my Christian "imperative" to forgive, being severely tried at times like this, and have to remind myself that it is not for me to decide or deal with. Yet, in a sense this is of the making of our politicians. It is they who have encouraged this sort of action by their constant waivering between the terminology of "Freedom fighter" and "terrorist".
The atrocity in Madrid highlights once again the liberal dilemma over terrorism. This atrocity is rightly described as the action of despicable terrorists, and as the death toll mounts our political leaders do ever more handwringing and posturing as they declare that no stone will be left unturned in an effort to track down the perpetrators.
Yet, should these spawn of the deepest pits of Hell be caught here in Britain, the entire "Human Rights" lobby would swing into action to prevent their extradition on the grounds that they might not receive a fair trial - or, horror of horrors, be subjected to a lengthy prison sentence in a horrid Spanish jail. Terrorism will never be beaten until these muddle headed wets are thrust aside and the methods that beat piracy in the 18th Century are adopted without exception.
We catch you, we hang you. Publically and - in the terminology of the CIA according to Hollywood - with maximum prejudice. And the remains cremated and scattered where they can never be recovered or turned into a shrine.
The full horror of this atrocity will not penetrate to those who have never dealt with this sort of incident. Nor will it really affect those who have not known someone killed or maimed in such a blast. At times like this the television and the newspapers walk a delicate line - on the one hand they are giving the terrorists the publicity they desire and on the other they have to report the facts of the incident. Here also lies the beginnings of a problem, for to one side or the other this will be presented as a triumph or as an atrocity. No doubt there are those who - lurking in their cowards lairs - will be rejoicing at this "triumph" in the name of whatever "cause" they claim to represent. No doubt too there will be those who support them, hide them, feed them, give them "humanitarian aid" and generally encourage them in one way or another.
Ironic, is it not, that for years honest citizens of the US have supported the murder and violence in Northern Ireland by their gifts to Noraid, gifts which went straight into supporting the armaments and bomb-making of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. Yet this organisation has been linked to major crime rackets, to other terrorist groups and to the drug cartels in South America. Freedom Fighters? Depends on whose spin you read doesn't it? Mr Blair and his cronies have the same problem, they supported Mugabe and other "Freedom Fighters" to the hilt back in the 60's, 70's and 80's, always declaring it was "humanitarian" and ignioring the links with the IRA and other terrorist organisations because it didn't suit their ideology at the time. Now we reap the whirlwind, and it may be too late to put a stop to it.
As for the victims of the Madrid atrocity, all we can do is pray for them. Pray for them, for the survivors and for the bereaved who must deal with the aftermath. And be vigilant. It is really time to stop pussyfooting about this. Terrorism, "freedom fighting" amounts to the same thing. Indiscriminate murder for ANY cause is NEVER justified.
Posted by The Gray Monk at March 12, 2004 08:18 PM
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Comments
Cheers for the link, Pat.
(And you raise a very interesting point about American funding of the IRA...)
Posted by: Paul Jané at March 12, 2004 09:09 PM
Which also has links to Libya and al Qaida!
Posted by: The Gray Monk at March 12, 2004 09:17 PM
Thanks for covering this and for giving it a personal slant- not as many are as you might think! 311 is 911 days from 9/11. I have discussed this and my personal reflections on my blog- have a look if you like.
Posted by: 311- Madrid bomb attacks at March 13, 2004 02:00 AM