ETA Declare Permanent Ceasefire

**liam88** · 22/03/2006, 2:10 PM

Good news; murdered a lot of people especially duirng the 70's. Following the IRA example perhaps?

**Block G Raptor** · 22/03/2006, 6:38 PM

I think it's more to do with the Madrid train bombing to be honest. Terrorism became very unfashionable after that.ETA like the IRA do not want to find themselves labled the same as Al-Qeida and also Security will have been hightened in the aftermath of Madrid making it more difficult to opperate

**Aberdonian Stu** · 22/03/2006, 7:45 PM

Hmm I don't know about Madrid. Having researched said event thoroughly for my thesis last year (which focussed on media coverage of the bombing) I can't agree.

Given the wave of change in public feeling after it was shown that Eta was not responsible it's unlikely that further attacks by them would be looked on in the same light.

They would still be despised for such acts obviously but I don't think the public reaction would link the two events.

Given that their previous ceasefire was in many ways following the Northern example it is more than reasonable to suggest that this is doing likewise.

**Roverstillidie** · 22/03/2006, 11:50 PM

eta tried this a few years ago and azbnars pp of former facists rejected their ceasefire.

now ps in government, who nearly saw an army mutiny on their hands over limited devolution for the catalans and its a different story.

not a surprise, eta and harri batisuna have been advocating a peace strategy not a million miles from the sf and pira approach for years, but in the irish context we had 2 governments who were interested in stopping the war. remember how quick aznar was to blame eta for the madrid blasts, pulling anti-terrorist cops off arab resistance to go to bilbao? who will the spanish right blame now?

lets see do the spanish police stop their torture and random beatings....

**Aberdonian Stu** · 23/03/2006, 10:10 AM

Paddy Woodworth has a good book on the subject called "Dirty War, Clean Hands: ETA, the GAL, and Spanish Democracy."

In the case of Madrid Woodworth was the only journalist in the Irish Times to question ETA's involvement the morning after the bombings. Contrast that with Herald (published within hours of the blast) and Indo who took a far more cautious approach and the Examiner who straight out said Al-Qa'ida from the word go.

All 18,000 words of my analysis will eventually be online if anyone's interested. I'll let you know when (don't hold your breath as originally hoped to have it up by mid-November and still no movement).

**lopez** · 23/03/2006, 10:50 AM

Could see ETA splitting further like the IRA. Personally, Spain owes them a favour for sending Carrero Blanco over his local church. His assasination possibly helped Spain's transition to democracy although I doubt a pseudo-fascist regime would have survived until the nineties in western Europe. However the ETA of 73 is nothing like the ETA of 2006.

Woodworth's book is excellent. I must say I'm surprised that it hasn't been translated into Spanish (it might have but can't find it on any online bookstore or in bookshops within Spain). However before anyone starts pointing the finger at the Spanish government (of both left and right) for the way it has dealt with ETA since 1982 (which has included murder but unlike closer to home the (socialist) minister responsible did stay a bit longer as a guest of Juan Carlos than the usual late night tapa banquet at the Zarzuela) maybe you should look at the cosy relationship that the French government (who technically ETA are supposed to be trying to annex a piece of their land in the name of the Basque people) have had until recently with the group. Maybe one should also ask why ETA are so preoccupied with Spain (autonomy granted etc) and not France - In response to a limp request for Basque Autonomy Francoise Mitterand declared that he would 'not oversee the tearing of the fabric of the [French] nation' - where the official websites of Hendaye and Biarritz Town councils don't even have a section in Euskera.