<nettime> Mass Demonstration in Madrid against NATO's Bombings

[Technologies To The People <daniel@irational.org>]

From: ExsulVolumniusDELETETHISTOREPLY@eroj.org
Reply-To: ExsulVolumniusDELETETHISTOREPLY@eroj.org
Subject: MASS DEMONSTRATION IN MADRID AGAINST NATO'S BOMBINGS
MIME-Version: 1.0
Date: 09-04-1999
Status: U

           MASS DEMONSTRATION IN MADRID AGAINST NATO'S BOMBINGS
    On Thursday 08 April 1999, some 20,000 people (according to
conservative estimates) marched through the streets of downtown Madrid
(from the Atocha railway station to the Sun Gate, or `Puerta del Sol', the
city's most centric square) denouncing NATO's bombings on Yugoslavia.
    Several organizations joined in the march, each one displaying its own
posters and singing sundry slogans. Many of the people taking part in the
march sang slogans against NATO's Secretary general, the Spanish socialist
Javier Solana, and against the Spanish crown over its endorsement of the
NATO attack.
    Among those marching at the head was the freshly elected General
Secretary of the Spanish Communist Party, Francisco Frutos. He took over
the leadership of the party at the XV party congress (december 1998).
    Alongside the `United Left' coalition leader J. Anguita (the coalition
including the Communist Party), Francisco Frutos has been alone among the
leaders of national political parties with parliamentary presence to take
the line of solidarity with the Yugoslav people, the victim of the NATO
onslaught. He has personally attended the four demonstrations which have
hitherto been held in Madrid against NATO's attack: the first one, outside
the Spanish foreign Ministry [Palacio de Santa Cruz] on the evening of
March 25 1999; the second on Sunday 28th March in front of the US Embassy,
in the Serrano street; the third one on Tuesday 30th March in front of the
Spanish Parliament (or Congreso de los Diputados); and the fourth one, on
Thursday 08-04-1999.
    As the main orator at several of those demonstrations, Francisco Frutos
delivered speeches repudiating the bombing campaign, and denouncing NATO's
deceit and chicanery. He argued that the Spanish communists reject any
bombings upon civilian populations under any circumstances whatsoever, and
that, even if they strongly reprove the Turkish regime and its atrocities
against the Kurdish minority, they would not, on that account, advocate
bombing the Turkish cities or towns, whereas the war heralds (the Spanish
government, the Throne, the nationalist irredentists of several Northern
and Eastern Spanish regions, and the Socialists) think it is all right to
pour fire, havoc and wreckage on the Yugoslav people.
    The Bourbon-controlled Spanish media have almost completely hush up
those demonstrations. The TV and radio broadcast stations have not even
deigned to say a single word about yesterday's march.
    However, the main private broadcasting station (the SER, or
Broadcasting Spanish Society, with Radio Madrid as its central link), which
is closely tied with the Socialist party, has launched today, Friday
09-04-1999, a venomous, virulent denigration crusade against Francisco
Frutos, portrayed by the social-royalists as an accomplice of genocide,
mainly on account of his upbraiding Mr. Javier Solana.
                         Madrid. Friday 09-04-1999
   Lorenzo Peņa, Editor of the e-journal ESPAŅA ROJA [or RED SPAIN]

                         <eroj@eroj.org>
     ------------------------------------------------------------
                           ESPAŅA ROJA
                     <http://www.eroj.org>
            <http://www.netlink.co.uk/users/er>
    ____________________________________________________________
                 ESPAŅA ROJA's bulletin on Yugoslavia:
               ........................................
               <http://www.eroj.org/urbiorbi/Yugoslavia>
          <http://www.netlink.co.uk/users/er/urbiorbi/Yugoslavia>
                ........................................
 (with half a hundred documents in English, Spanish, French, and Italian)

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