AGAINST THE TERRORIST ESCALATION FROM THE ANTIWAR MOVEMENT

The horrible terrorist attacks of the morning of March 11 in Madrid have shocked the whole world, which is expressing its condemnation through different means, organizations and institutions. The global antiwar movement should not only condemn this new terrorist attack but should take a clear stand in general against this terrorist escalation in any place of the world.

During the last months of 2003 after the cruel attack in Istanbul, we have warned about this escalation of terrorist activities at a global level and asked the antiwar movement to express its strong and clear condemnation before public opinion. However, several persons and organizations of the movement expressed doubts about what they then considered to be an alarmist position which could divert the action, attention and the energy of the global antiwar movement.

Unfortunately, the latest developments in the Arab World, in Irak and today in Madrid have confirmed that, far from being alarmist, these considerations are crudely realistic. Independently of the specific motives of ETA or if these attacks are their exclusive responsibility or if there is an international connection, what has become clear is that no to consider the massacre of Madrid as another definite sign of a global terrorist escalation only could be either the result of a totally wrong point of view or of complete political blindness.

Therefore, today our interpretation after the tragic attacks of Istanbul about the present terrorist escalation as a sign of a competition between violent strategies which fuel each other has become even more valid. The attacks of extremist groups cause fear in the civil population and thus create more acceptance of authoritarian responses by governments who support militaristic solutions around the world. At the same time those who have claimed that militaristic responses in violation of international law, far from reducing terrorist movements, only create a more and more convenient climate for their explosive growth have been clearly confirmed. We therefore are reinforced in our conviction that the global antiwar movement should pass from the condemnation of individual attacks towards a debate and strategy of action to accumulate forces in front of public opinion and make clear before the citizens of the whole world that we will neither be forced nor willing to choose between violent options in competition. Our position is very clear: another world is possible.

During the last General Assembly of the Global Antiwar Movement at the Social Forum in Mumbai we presented together with the Movimiento por la Paz, el Desarme y la Libertad (MPDL) of Spain, a proposal for strategic orientation, which contained a main point about the need for the Antiwar movement to underline its nonviolent methods and its clear condemnation of all terrorist methods. Today, when different governments in favor of militarism at a global scale make statements condemning the massacre of Madrid, we would like to make sure that the different groups and antiwar coalitions also make statements of clear and total condemnation of the attacks in Madrid and of their solidarity with the victims of these attacks.

On our part, we will unite with all the people of Spain in their rejection of terrorism from a strict perspective of strengthening the state under rule of law. This doesn’t mean to refrain from reminding the government of Aznar that this consensus which today unites us should not only be at a national but also at an international level. The combat against terrorism has to respect the fundamental rights not only in Spain, but everywhere else in the international community.

Immediately after the attacks of Istanbul we proposed to the global Antiwar Movement the need to study a call including the condemnation of terrorism for the global marches on March 20 at the first anniversary of the illegal invasion of Irak. Today after the massacre of Madrid we confirm our position and announce that we will include in each declaration and action on March 20 the radical condemnation of terrorism and make a call for all organizations of the global Antiwar Movement to include the clear condemnation of terrorism in all their actions on March 20.

Enrique Gomáriz
Fundación Género y Sociedad, Costa Rica, March 11, 2004