Too Much Acid Damages The Brain

One of the most bizarre and ridiculous creations of those behind the conspiracy theories about the Madrid bombings has returned to haunt us, several months after the end of the trial. The case against several senior senior police officers accused of manipulating official reports began yesterday in Madrid. The background to this trial begins with a police report produced following the search of the residence of Hassan el Haski, one of those sentenced in the main trial last year. The police report focused on the finding of a quantity of boric acid in El Haski's home. The "specialists" preparing the report did some investigation in their databases and found that the same substance had also previously been recovered from a house used by an ETA commando and in a case concerning what the Spanish press refer to as an "anti-system" activist. There was no relationship between the different cases, and more importantly there is no evidence linking the presence of boric acid to the activities of any of those detained. Boric acid is sold openly and legally over the counter in Spain for a variety of uses including reduction of foot odour and killing cockroaches.

Despite the absence of any data linking the different cases the initial report produced by the police attempted to suggest that there could be a connection between the finding of boric acid in El Haski's home, and in that used some years earlier by the ETA commando. This speculative piece of guesswork was removed from the final report on the orders of superior officers. It's not hard to find good motives for doing so, given the lack of any connection between a common household substance and terrorist activities. It is reasonably likely that coffee was also present in the residences searched in these different cases, but no one would have looked favourably at a report suggesting connections between Islamists and ETA just because of the discovery of that substance.

However, with the conspiracy theorists busily working to undermine the case against those accused of the bombings in 2006, strange things started to happen. The officers responsible for the original report oddly decided to try and resubmit their original report over a year after it had first been prepared, speculative nonsense about boric acid included. The attempt failed, but the report then quickly found its way to El Mundo who immediately led in typical style with a story claiming that there were attempts to suppress evidence of ETA connections to the Madrid bombings. Supporters of the conspiracy theories then presented an accusation alleging falsification of official documentation against senior officers and managed to manoeuvre the handling of the case so that it would be dealt with by a judge in Madrid with known conservative sympathies.

The case has now come to court and will be tried even though the state prosecution service regards the accusation as completely unfounded. The accusation is instead being sustained by the usual suspects, pro conspiracy theory victims associations and their political allies. Anyone found guilty of the charges faces a potential prison sentence, yet it seems hard to believe that such an outcome is possible even with the known politicisation of the Spanish judicial system. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of judicial issues pile up in a system that is acknowledged to be failing to serve its purpose. Yet cases such as this one, which owe their existence solely to the determination of the conspiracy theorists to press anything that has even the most tenuous of connections to ETA, are allowed to proceed and clog up the courts.

READ MORE IN SPANISH:
El País - El policía que quitó las alusiones a ETA en un informe del 11-M dice que "eran absurdas"
El Mundo - Ramírez exculpa al comisario Santano y asume que alteró el informe del ácido bórico

The Conspiracy Theorists May Get Their Day In Court

Following the sentence in the trial, the SUP (the largest trade union representing members of the police in Spain) has announced its intention to launch legal proceedings against several those involved in promotion of the conspiracy theories about the train bombings. The conspiracy theorists have repeatedly implied police involvement in the planning or carrying out of the attacks, as well as accusing police witnesses of having lied during the trial. These attacks have even been aimed at officers who put their lives at risk in the deactivation of the unexploded bombs recovered from the trains. The general secretary of the SUP has identified as potential candidates for action the following: Ignacio Astarloa and Jaime Ignacio del Burgo of the parliamentary group of the Partido Popular, Federico Jiménez Losantos, Fernando Múgica of El Mundo and Luis del Pino, leader of the Peones Negros sect.

READ MORE IN SPANISH:
El País - El mayor sindicato policial anuncia querellas contra los "conspiranoicos"

The Chess Players....The Victims Associations

One of the hardest things to comprehend about the campaign spreading the conspiracy theories is the participation of associations that exist with the stated aim of representing the victims of terrorism. In the trial we have two examples of groups that have managed to obtain representation on the assumption that they form part of the accusation against those accused. Indeed, as part of obtaining such representation they had to present a written accusation. These two associations are the Asociación de Victimas de Terrorismo (AVT) and the Asociación de Ayuda a las Victimas del 11-M.

The AVT actually represents relatively few of the victims of the Madrid bombings, and is almost entirely focused on ETA and the political battle over whether the current Spanish government should attempt a political solution to bring terrorism to an end in the Basque country. The current leadership is closely linked to the Partido Popular and organises frequent anti-government demonstrations. It is also a very litigious group, which includes taking to court those who have the nerve to criticise their partisan political activism; a recent case involves the well known Spanish author Javier Marias. The second association does represent more of the victims of the train attacks although it is not the only association that does so; the Asociación 11M Afectados del Terrorismo represents a significant quantity of the victims and supports the prosecution case against those accused. This division of the victims is a consequence of the politicisation of terrorism in Spain, as indeed is the whole campaign to promote the conspiracy theories.

One thing has to be clear, whatever the political motivation of the leaders of these associations, they do have members who are people who either suffered the effects of the train bombings at first hand, or who are victims because members of their family were either killed or wounded in the attacks. It raises the question of who actually believes in these theories? Personally I have no doubt that the principal promoters of the conspiracy theories are only too well aware that what they are selling is nonsense, but in the case of the victims who support these theories it is much tougher; could anyone really lose a close member of their family in these attacks and yet still put politics before all other considerations? The answer to this question, unfortunately, appears in some cases to be yes.

It is also the case that not all members of these associations necessarily subscribe to the political positions being adopted by the leadership, and some victims belong to more than one association. In a recent interview in El País, one member of the AVT described how he came across the body of his dead wife in the emergency morgue that was set up in the aftermath of the bombings. Describing in the interview how he had removed a nail embedded in his wife's face he asked the question "Are those who believe in the conspiracy going to tell me that there was no shrapnel in the bombs?". The claim that there was no shrapnel used in the bombs that exploded is part of the attempt by the conspiracy theorists to discredit the unexploded bomb discovered in Vallecas - because this bomb did contain nails and screws as well as explosive.

These associations have lawyers representing them in the trial, and as we have already seen these lawyers dedicate their time to looking for opportunities to raise favourite issues of the conspiracy theorists. When a defendant refuses to answer questions, they seize the opportunity to put forward questions on issues such as ETA involvement that they know will receive no answer. They dedicate far more time and effort to grilling police witnesses than they do to the defendants, and only seem to be present in the trial at those moments when the subject matter is something close to the heart of the conspiracy theorists. The chief judge presiding over the tribunal has already reminded these lawyers on several occasions that their legal role in the process is to sustain the accusation which permits them to be represented in the trial, and that if they are not prepared to do that they should withdraw the accusation. Despite these warnings they continue to play a marginal and propagandistic role in the trial, the disservice to the cause of the victims could hardly be greater.

Let us suppose, just for the sake of argument, that those accused of the train bombings are guilty as charged; but that thanks to the efforts of the AVT and the Asociación de Ayuda they manage to walk free from the trial. I don’t think this situation is likely to happen, if those accused end up being freed it will be because of much stronger arguments than those used by the conspiracy theorists, I simply raise it as a possibility. It would certainly be a first as far as I am aware; the perpetrators of a major terrorist attack walking free thanks to the efforts of associations that are supposed to represent the victims of the same attack.

The Chess Players....TeleMadrid

I don’t make a habit of watching TeleMadrid, the publicly owned television channel run by the regional government of Madrid; currently controlled by the Partido Popular (PP). The channel is subject to a rigid political control of its content that would probably make Chinese state television seem like a model of political plurality. Former employees from all sides of the political spectrum have protested about the situation, and many of the current employees have also participated in ongoing protests about the way this channel is run.

One aspect of this political control has been that TeleMadrid has thrown its weight fully behind the conspiracy theories about the train bombings. One night in the first week of the trial, I had one of their news programmes on whilst I waited for a more informative news programme to begin elsewhere. Even allowing for the political bias I have already described I have to admit I was shocked when a smiling reporter in Atocha station brandished, directly in front of the camera, propaganda stickers produced by the Peones Negros. This was a bit much, that a journalist on what is supposed to be a news programme should start legitimising the activities of a tiny right wing sect-like organisation is taking things a step too far.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised. I remember being appalled by this channel’s coverage of the London bombings in July 2005. Against a background of film showing emergency workers trying to extract the dead and wounded from the tangled remains of the bus that was blown up, the panel on TeleMadrid continued to argue about whether Prince Albert of Monaco had betrayed Madrid with his vote on which city should get the Olympic Games! It’s at moments like these that you get the full measure of the ethical standards being employed.

However, TeleMadrid has now pushed the limits of cynical exploitation of terrorism just a little bit further. On the 12th March 2007 they chose to mark the 3rd anniversary of the train bombings with a special documentary. You might think that such an occasion would be a chance to honour the victims and perhaps pay homage to the efforts of all those who participated in the attempt to deal with the consequences of that tragic day. Well no, instead what we got was the leader of the Peones Negros, Luis del Pino, being given free rein to air every conspiracy theory fantasy that has been invented about the bombings. So the channel which is paid for by all the citizens of the region of Madrid has nothing better to offer on an event that affected thousands of it's inhabitants than the distorted and sectarian vision of those who are only interested in using these events to try an extract their political revenge for the results of the elections that followed. You have to ask whether it is our own passivity about such things that allows a situation like this to occur with so little protest.

The Chess Players....Federico Jiménez Losantos

Federico Jiménez Losantos has become a pioneer in Spain of highly politicised right wing talk radio, as well as being almost a world leader in the art of getting well paid for insulting people. His most common target is of course the current Spanish government, but he will also turn his fire on anyone on the right who fails to back his demagogic diatribes. Both the conservative newspaper ABC, and the PP mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, have been subjected to very vicious attacks from Losantos.

His principal platform is his program on the COPE radio station, which is owned by the Catholic church. The continuing support of the church for people like Losantos only serves as further evidence of how certain institutions in Spain never passed through the post-Franco political transition that the rest of Spanish society experienced. As with the case of El Mundo, this is not just about politics, it is also about the battle for audience between different media groups. Losantos is also heavily involved in a right wing web site called Libertad Digital, one of these sites that takes the news issued from more conventional media organisations, gives it the required political spin, and then reissues it.

Losantos is idolised by those who turn out for the anti-government demonstrations that have become such regular events in Madrid, stickers supporting the COPE are almost more common than the official posters of the organisers. He brings comfort to the angry Aznarist right wing of the PP who seek revenge above anything else, not for the Madrid bombings of course, but for the election result that followed.

The Chess Players....Peones Negros

The activist wing of the conspiracy theorists, the Peones Negros (Black Pawns) are those who live the analogy with a game of chess to the full. For them everything is about the battle with the “white” side, their contributions on blogs are filled with references to the “game” and how to achieve checkmate against the other side. Who are the whites? Well, anyone who doesn’t support the conspiracy theories can be included. So of course we have the current Spanish government, a substantial section of the police force, some members of the judiciary, the Grupo Prisa (owners of El País newspaper and with heavy television and radio interests), ABC newspaper, the “softer” sections of the Partido Popular (PP), ETA, any regional nationalist parties, and probably people like me as well. It’s a long list of enemies by any standards.

A sect like organisation, from their ranks emerge the more imaginative and bizarre suggestions about how the Spanish government and ETA combined to use the bombings to defeat the government of the PP. Perhaps the pick of the wild bunch is the suggestion that those who died in the explosion in Leganés were actually killed earlier by the “real” perpetrators, and their frozen bodies were then placed in the Leganés apartment which was subsequently blown up to simulate a suicide. The leader of the sect is Luis del Pino, who seems to have dedicated his life to the development of the conspiracy theories, and the place where the black pawns congregate to admire the latest revelations from their leader is Del Pino’s blog on the far right wing web site Libertad Digital. The foot soldiers of the conspiracy theories and a very appropriately named organisation; because there will undoubtedly come a time when their usefulness reaches an end and they will be sacrificed and invited to leave the “game”.

The Chess Players....Partido Popular

The main opposition party in Spain, the Partido Popular (PP) is at the centre of the controversy over the conspiracy theories, although the division of labour when it comes to spreading these theories sometimes gives the impression that their role is more marginal. Like El Mundo, they are very careful about making any specific allegations that can be tested and rebutted; but they have been instrumental in fanning the flames once the initial fire was lit. The pretence is one of maintaining “doubts” about the judicial investigation, although it goes without saying that such doubts are always favourable to the conspiracy theorist point of view.

The PP group in the Spanish parliament has tabled hundreds of questions on issues raised by the conspiracy theorists, and senior leaders have attempted to question the investigation of the bombings. This happens even though the PP were of course in power on March 11th 2004, and all the major developments in the investigation that took place in the following month happened whilst they were still acting as a transitional government. Many of the senior police officers involved in the investigation were PP appointees. Despite this, as soon as they passed to the opposition the party began to try and cast doubt on the events. Even the most tenuous suggestion of ETA involvement has been seized upon as vindication for their attempts in the immediate aftermath of the bombings to maintain ETA as the prime suspect, even as it became clear this was not the case.

Not all senior PP figures are very happy about this focus on the Madrid bombings, but the PP is not a party where freely expressed dissent is very welcome. Critical voices tend to be hushed as soon as possible. Also, some of the media supporting the conspiracy theories come down very heavily on anyone who steps out of line. However, the key problem is that the leadership of the party is composed of those who were responsible for the attempts to manipulate public opinion in the days between the bombings and the general election. They also have the support of José Maria Aznar whose departure was severely tarnished by the bombings and who has himself attempted to hint at a hidden hand behind the attack.

Even more shamefully, the regional government of Madrid, led by PP hardliner Esperanza Aguirre, has also thrown its weight behind this campaign. It’s more shameful because they so clearly put partisan and opportunist politics before even the minimum respect due to the many Madrid voters affected by the bombings. This policy extends as far as denying financial assistance to the largest association of victims of the train attacks because they refuse to back the conspiracy theories.

The Chess Players....El Mundo

El Mundo has been the newspaper that has done most to attempt to sow doubt about the events surrounding the bombings. Once the change of government from the Partido Popular (PP) to the Spanish Socialist party (PSOE) took place in 2004, El Mundo began to publish articles which have attempted to cast doubt on the judicial investigation and the authorship of the attack. It is the second biggest selling newspaper in Spain after El País, and in the past had a reputation as being a progressive, even left of centre paper. It also had a reputation for investigative journalism, most notably in the case of the GAL, the government sponsored death squads that set about eliminating activists close to ETA in the 1980’s. Over the last few years however, the political orientation of the paper has clearly changed with a significant shift towards more right wing positions.

The motives of the newspaper in the case of the Madrid bombings are arguable. There are those who believe it is mainly commercial as El Mundo seeks to hold back the general decline in sales of printed newspapers by taking readers from its main rivals. Others see more personal or political motivations on the part of the paper’s powerful director, Pedro J Ramirez. It is quite possible that all of the above factors play some part in setting the policy of the paper.

Pedro J Ramirez and friend....

Meanwhile, supporters of El Mundo present the paper’s reporting on the Madrid attacks as simply being investigative journalism, without any other intention behind it. The problem with this is that so many of the articles published by the paper simply do not back this up. We get sensationalist headlines that make claims entirely unsupported by the articles. There is the constant emphasis on any detail, no matter how incidental, that points to ETA participation in the bombings. Where genuine specialists cannot be found to give testimony supporting the conspiracy theories, El Mundo has invented “experts”. Witness statements are edited to change the meaning of their testimony. The list is long of manipulative journalistic practices which have nothing to do with genuine independent investigative reporting.

In any case the supposed independence of Ramirez is more formal than anything else, as a couple of recent examples demonstrate. Last summer hundreds of members of the youth wing of the PP were taken to Mallorca from the Spanish mainland, to demonstrate in favour of the swimming pool at Ramirez’ house on the island, which illegally occupies a section of the supposedly public coastline. Now I suppose that the PP may be prepared to provide a similar free service to all of those who find themselves in this position, but somehow I suspect not. Ramirez also turned up not long ago at a congress of the PP in Navarra to denounce Zapatero’s government for negotiating with ETA and supporting the PP line that a secret agreement on the status of Navarra has been agreed as part of this negotiation.