Asociación de Víctimas del Terrorismo: Difference between revisions
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:::*How is possible that a spanish policeman <nowiki>[Maussili Kalaji]</nowiki> armed the bombs, and that a [[Guardia Civil]] agent provided weapons to the alleged perpetrators. |
:::*How is possible that a spanish policeman <nowiki>[Maussili Kalaji]</nowiki> armed the bombs, and that a [[Guardia Civil]] agent provided weapons to the alleged perpetrators. |
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Other victim associations from the March 11 attacks include the [http://www.asociacion11m.org/ 11-M Asociación Afectados de Terrorismo], headed by Pilar Manjón [http://www.pce.es/mundoobrero/mopl.php?id=446]. Manjon´s association does not share the same interests as the AVT (Manjon's association |
Other victim associations from the March 11 attacks include the [http://www.asociacion11m.org/ 11-M Asociación Afectados de Terrorismo], headed by Pilar Manjón [http://www.pce.es/mundoobrero/mopl.php?id=446]. Manjon´s association does not share the same interests as the AVT (Manjon's association do not believes in conspiracy theories)[http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2006/06/09/espana/1149869397.html]. |
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== Opposition to the peace process == |
== Opposition to the peace process == |
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Revision as of 15:32, 12 March 2007
 | The neutrality of this article is disputed. |
:The Asociación de Víctimas del Terrorismo is a Spanish organization encompassing some 6,000 victims of terrorist violence, mainly from the Basque terror group ETA (90% of them are represented in this Association) but also from the 2004 Madrid train bombings. Its current highest representative is Francisco José Alcaraz.
The AVT has historically helped arise conscience about the brutality of ETA's methods and increase social pressure on them, both in the Basque Country and in the rest of Spain. For decades, ETA has carried out killings, kidnappings, extortion, street riots, and bombings. Victims have always sought politicians' support and have pressed them to besiege ETA and its environment, invoking the memory of the murdered, as well as justice. However, Javier Marias have said that during Prime Minister Aznar tenure, it was converted in a tool of the most extrem positions and called to participate in the political debates as a speaker of this positions [1]. This lead to the creation of other associations more devoted to the memory of the deads and the rights of victims and less involved in day to day politics.
A majority of the most emblematic symbols in the struggle to defeat ETA are members of the AVT, namely José Antonio Ortega Lara, Miguel Ángel Blanco's family or Irene Villa, to quote a few examples.
This association has also prompted a nationwide sabotage against ETA's satellite organizations, such as its political wing Batasuna, Jarrai or Gestoras pro Amnistía, as well as music bands suspected of supporting Basque terrorism (Su Ta Gar would be an example thereof).
Stance on the March 11, 2004 train bombings (11-M)
On March 11, 2004 a series of explosions occurring at rush hour in several of Madrid's train stations left 192 dead and some 1,900 wounded.
The attack was first claimed by a unidentified hooded individual claiming to speak in the name of al-Qaida, and the basque terrorist group ETA denied any implication in it. [1]. According witht he Spanish Judiciary, the perpetrators were local islamic extremists [2] and two Guardia Civil and Spanish police informants.[3][4][5] Direct al-Qaeda involvement has been discarded[6]
However, the AVT has thereafter expressed doubts about the conclussion reached by the Spanish Judiciary PDF from the AVT about their doubts about the 2004 Madrid bombings.
- In the aforementioned PDF the AVT asks these questions:
- Why there are no pictures of the alleged perpetrators, like in the 7 July 2005 London bombings.
- Why is unknown the type of explosives that went off in the trains.
- Why there are so much Spanish police informers among the alleged perpetrators.
- How is possible that the alleged perpetrators were under surveillance and infiltrated by the Spanish police.
- How is possible that a spanish policeman [Maussili Kalaji] armed the bombs, and that a Guardia Civil agent provided weapons to the alleged perpetrators.
Other victim associations from the March 11 attacks include the 11-M Asociación Afectados de Terrorismo, headed by Pilar Manjón [2]. Manjon´s association does not share the same interests as the AVT (Manjon's association do not believes in conspiracy theories)[3].
Opposition to the peace process
On March 2006 ETA declared a 'permanent cease-fire' and pushed towards a 'solution for the political conflict in the Basque Country'. Spain's Socialist government, headed by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, vowed to start a negotiation under the condition that ETA renounce violence unequivocally and stop all terrorist acts, not only killings (where policemen, the military and city councillors had traditionally been ETA's main targets) but also street sabotage and blackmailing businessmen [citation needed].
Based upon suspicion that political concession may be behind this negotiation (such as the recognition of self-determination, an amnesty or release of ETA prisoners or uniting Navarre to the Basque Country) has led the AVT to oppose this process and call up to several demonstrations which have had the full support of Spain's main opposition party, the conservative Partido Popular [citation needed].
However, the Socialist Party ,PSOE , denies these claims and reminds the opposition of its attitude during a previous ETA truce in 1998, where peace talks were established between the then-in-power party, the PP (led by José María Aznar), and Basque terrorists. The PSOE, then in the opposition, supported this move, unlike the PP now [citation needed].
Other associations of ETA victims include Covite (Colectivo de Víctimas del Terrorismo), representing most of victims from the Basque Country itself Covite webpage.
External links
References
- ^ "al-Qaeda reivindica los atentados en un vídeo hallado en Madrid". El Mundo. 14 March 2004. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
- ^ MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Database (see MIPT)
- ^ The Times Bomb squad link in Spanish blast
- ^ Rafá Zouhier was a confident of the Guardia Civil before, during and after the bombings...José Emilio Suárez Trashorras was also a police confident -Rafá Zohuier era confidente de la Guardia Civil antes, durante y después de los atentados....José Emilio Suárez Trashorras...También era confidente de la policía-
- ^ The two key collaborators of the Madrid train bombings were police confidents
- ^ The Independent article:While the bombers may have been inspired by Bin Laden, a two-year investigation into the attacks has found no evidence that al-Qa'ida helped plan, finance or carry out the bombings, or even knew about them in advance.