Tom Tomorrow posted a lengthy letter from a Spanish reader commenting on the recent bombing in Madrid and the subsequent elections. He eloquently speaks of the heroism and compassion displayed in the immediate aftermath of the bombing; the immediacy of his first-hand reporting is powerful.
The behavior of the people was of utter heroism. I must say it, I didn’t expect it and I’m very proud of my people now. When the victims in the trains started shouting “neighbours, neighbours, please help us!” to the surrounding buildings, hundreds of every age and sex rushed downstairs to help, even understanding that there were bombs and could be more. Commuter drivers in nearby roads stopped their cars and took the horribly mutilated and burnt woundeds to area hospitals even before the first ambulances arrived. Even some people who were inside the trains stayed to help others instead of fleeing! Please believe me when I tell you that the people of Madrid behave EXCEPTIONALLY and with rare bravery and solidarity in these very hard minutes. I use to be quite cynic, but this defies any cynicism. It was epic, heroic, I don’t have words. Those thinking that the Spanish people is being coward should reconsider their opinion in the light of this.
He then turns to the elections and examines the thinking that led to the surprising results. Despite the obvious danger in making a choice that was influenced by terrorists, Spaniards by the millions felt even more strongly that a government that lies is not worthy to govern. They largely voted the incumbents out of office in last Sunday’s election.
But let me tell you that I honestly think that we voted not guided by fear, but guided by anger. In the critical hours after the attack, Aznar’s Government confronted and bipolarized the Spanish people lying and manipulating even when the truth was already obvious for millions. This caused an automatic reaction in the low and middle classes thinking “they make wars against our opinion, then it’s our blood who pays them, and furthermore they’re lying us and insulting our deads and our intelligence”.