"Our Dead, Your War"
Bob Briton If the right-wing government of Spain hoped that the terrorist bombings, which resulted in 200 workers and students being killed and another 1500 injured, would stampede the people into voting them back into office, their hopes were dashed in Sunday's election. The Spanish parliament is made up of 350 representatives. The Socialist Workers' Party increased its representation substantially from 125 to 164 seats, just 12 short of a majority. The conservative Popular Party's score fell from 183 to 148. Thirty-eight seats went to other parties. The Socialist Party will have to gain the support of other parties to form a stable government. The defeat of the conservative government is a big blow to the US's "war on terrorism". The Spanish Government had enthusiastically supported the US led war in Iraq and sent about 1500 troops to serve there despite the fact that the Spanish people overwhelmingly opposed participation. The Socialist Party has promised to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq and if it carries out this promise it will represent the first serious break in the US "coalition of the willing" and the US's intention to continue the occupation of Iraq long into the future. The US leaders were also interested in the election outcome. Not stampeded The Spanish vote is an indication that the Spanish people were not stampeded by the terrorist act as the government hoped. A statement by the Communist Party of the People's of Spain said it "condemns any kind of political manoeuvre using the misfortune [of the bombings]. The imperialist and neo-liberal forces have made the fight against terrorism a strategy to legitimise their system of domination, the curtailing of democracy and liberties, as well as a political line of intimidation to try to maintain the process of accumulation of capital and the exploitation of the working class". Chain reactions The Party's statement went on: "This political line [of imperialism] only contributes to a chain of reactions that feed a spiral of violence that prevent any democratic political solutions to conflicts and annuls the protest role of the masses" While condemning the terrorist act the Communist Party of the People's of Spain refused to join the mass demonstrations saying that this would legitimise the authoritarian policies of the government under the pretext of fighting terrorism while undermining democracy, individual liberties and rights. On the eve of the elections and following the bombings, the Spanish police attacked anti-war and anti-government demonstrations in Madrid. In the Basque territory in northern Spain a baker who refused to put up a black ribbon in his shop window was shot dead by a police officer, an action that outraged the Spanish people. The popular Spanish anti-war slogan, "Our Dead, Your War" was made even more relevant by the pre-election bombings. The mood of many was captured by one Barcelona voter who said: "I wasn't planning to vote, but I am here today because the Popular Party [the conservative party] is responsible for murders here and in Iraq". Some young voters shouted "murderer" at the ruling party's chosen candidate for Prime Minister as he cast his vote at a school outside of Madrid. Quick to accuse The Spanish Government was quick to accuse the Basque separatist terrorist group ETA (Basque Homeland) in an attempt to make political use of the deaths of the 200 workers killed in the bombings. This allegation was quickly denied but gave credence to the impression that the Spanish Government was covering up the truth. The indiscriminate killing of such large numbers of people from working class suburbs is not an ETA trait, either. This separatist group has targetted figures it sees as associated with rule from Madrid. Regardless of who is responsible, the front-men of imperialism were eager to exploit the suffering of the Spanish people and show their solidarity with the rightwing government of Spain. Italy's neo-fascist prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi and Britain's Deputy prime minister, John Prescott were among the dignitaries to attend the demonstrations. "We love life" On the other hand, Gladys Marin, the President of the Communist Party of Chile, was among the many progressive leaders from around the world to express their solidarity with the people of Spain. From Havana, where she is recovering from treatment for cancer, she said: "Because we love life and struggle for it, we completely condemn the dark and crazed terrorist attack carried out in Madrid, which arises out of the climate of war and violence that has been imposed on the world by the unleashing of the Bush doctrine. No doubt he will use this despicable act as a pretext to continue with his military interventions and the war against the peoples." Bush has already made public vows to do better in the war on terror, although the specifics of how people boarding suburban trains can be protected are not mentioned. The root causes of terror arise from imperialist domination and social injustice of the capitalist system and these ills are not on the Bush agenda. In Australia, the media is doing its best to blur the issues. The most recent edition of Adelaide's Sunday Mail printed a large colour picture of the previous day's demonstration in Madrid. On the right hand side was a smaller picture of Attorney-General Philip Ruddock. Across the whole page was the headline: "Talk terror, it's jail". Ruddock wants new legislation similar the old law against "consorting with criminals" to catch even more people in the "anti-terror" net. He wants this in his armoury to use against any outspoken critic of US foreign policies or those like David Hicks, who is currently languishing in a US concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay. Hicks could not be prosecuted in Australia at present — he has not broken any Australian law. The ink is not yet dry on the most recent batch of ASIO legislation limiting the civil rights of Australian citizens when Ruddock bobs up ready with a new assault. The tragic events faced by the Spanish people are being used to support the drive in the crudest fashion imaginable. Who benefits? Who benefits from the detonation of bombs packed with nails and other shrapnel on trains full of people rumbling through the working-class suburbs of Madrid? This is a question that must be asked. And the answer will help to reveal who are the real terrorists in the present situation.