Conservative blames Eta for attack
Police in balaclava masks stand by the red and white tape that cordons off the crime scene, a very ordinary looking series of flats, divided by low hedges. It was here that a in the neck, and he later died in hospital.
The conservative leader Mariano Rajoy has been quick to blame Eta. He said: "Everybody knows what I think: those who are guilty of this crime are the terrorists, the Eta murderers, and the only option is the defeat of Eta through the law, through the instruments of the rule of law, with the state security forces and bodies and the incorruptible will of the 45 million Spaniards who make up this great nation, which is called Spain."
It is a fair bet that Eta is to blame for this murder, and the police certainly think that they were responsible but they haven’t yet made a statement.
Rajoy’s alacrity is perhaps surprising seeing that most people think his insistence on blaming Basque terrorists for the Madrid train bombings lost him the last election.
Campaigning has been suspended and Zapatero and Rajoy will meet in parliament later tonight. Basque terrorism has been a big issue in the election with the opposition accusing the government of being too soft. But in all such cases politicians tread a very fine line between saying what they really think and being accused of exploiting terrible events for political gain.
I’m Mark Mardell, the 91Èȱ¬'s North America editor. These are my reflections on American politics, some thoughts on being a Brit living in the USA, and who knows what else? My 
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is you sure Rajoy is meeting Zapata? is he travelling by Tardis? for real!
Not likey to be anyone else but it might remind people about four years ago. Prudence obviously takes a backseat when there are votes to be won.
The man who was shot was shot from the back and with the family next to him. Murderers are just murderers. Their ideology is their excuse.
Eta's murderous campaign will have been encouraged by the KLA's success in acheiving an independent 'Kosovo'.
The EU's chickens are coming home to roost. That is why the Spanish government (among others) is unwilling to recognise 'Kosovo'.
Mr. Mardell is clearly an anti Popular Party journalist. His information is very partial. Both the Socialist party including the president and minister Rubalcaba have both atributed the assasination to ETA.
Your so called "basque separatist fighters" have again killed and indefense walker-by ex-politician accompanied with his wife and daughter, coming from the back and shooting five times in his head. He is dead now, as many other have died due to your "basque separatists". I remember you that ETA has been included, with its party Herri Batasuna in the list of TERRORIST assotiations in the Euopean Parlament list. The UK also belongs to the European Comunnity.
Hope next time you much less partial in your informations. It is really not true what you try to informe to the british readers.
Well Mr. Mardell, Rajoy's alacrity might surprise you but it will surprise very few of us in Spain who are tired of seeing ETA murder high-profile "opressors" like this poor former councilor that now works as a clerk at a toll road.. You also fail to mention that PM Zapatero has also blamed ETA for what 91Èȱ¬ calls the "attack", by the way.
Its hard to admit it. But anybody can see that this crime is going to be instrumental in someone's wishes... socialist wishes and ETA wishes.
Which is the candidate ETA prefers to win the next elections? The answer is obvious: the one that is ready to negotiate with them, that is Zapatero.
ETA always murders after giving her objectives a lot of thinking. Be sure ETA knows what she is doing. ETA perfectly knows who she wants as Prime Minister.
Unfortunately, spaniards always let ETA have a saying in their allegedly democratic elections. There's no democracy when people is afraid to go to vote. There's no democracy when citizens cannot trust their government to ensure their safety because their government is seated at the same table as terrorists to negotiate the freedom of the people.
Dear Sir,
I´m writing from Spain, and I won´t vote for the conservative party PP, but I find your easy comment unnecesary and unreasoned.
If you listen to all news in Spain, not only Rajoy, but the president Zapatero and the president of the Basque Country, lehendakari Ibarretxe, amongst more, have already made affirmative that ETA has killed this simple working man, a toll road operator.
I take in high respect 91Èȱ¬ News, but this review of yours is easy and may lead wrong to people reading it. I´d suggest to remove it, or add that not only Rajoy but all the rest have confirmed ETA as the authors of this barbarity.
Please, reconsider your position.
Regards,
Juan
Why oh why can the Spanish government not take the Northern Ireland route, and talk to Eta without messing around in the way they have done (something that stems from political motivations)?
I'm not saying Eta are blameless - of course they're not - but like any such group they have some valid points at the root of their ideology. Really, decades after Franco, this stuff can get worked out if both sides try.
Add whom do you think they should blame for the attack? The Symbiotic Army of Liberation?
i am Greek i have got nothing to do with spain but i think spanish government should do referendum in the basque region.
if basque people wants their own country spain should give them the freedom they want.
I live here in Spain, there must be something wrong with this guess reporting, or he does not speak spanish. Everyone here, not just Rajoy, is saying that is was ETA. Left politians in Pais Vasco included, El Pais also. Who wrote this? Go to right now, the cover of the paper today? 'Funeral help for oficial murdered by ETA.' Huuuuuu, what is with the 91Èȱ¬?
How biased can you be? I have always thought the 91Èȱ¬ to be an impartial and serious player amongst the sea of frivolous media. It seems the entire world knows that the terrorist group eta has murdered again. The entire world? Actualy no, Mr. Mardell does not think so. Do you know something that the police and all democratic Spanish political parties have overlooked?
Also, how can you call a group which has killed more than 1000 innocent men, women and children as separatists? For God's sake they are terrorists! As a Spaniard I am utterly insulted by this qualification and request that the 91Èȱ¬ start using the term TERRORISTS for eta. Or would you consider the IRA was a separtist group?
Greek Stelios (comment no 11)
you say that spain should give up northern spain-basque region and give it to ETA !
why don't you Greece give up part of your Western Thrace Region and give it to Turks that living there for 700 years or why dont you give up nortnern greece and GIVE IT BACK TO Albanians and Macedonians !!!!!!
Wow, great article , I must say sir.Very cunning if it wasn't that any non nationalist polititian coldly murdered in the basque country in the last 20 odd years has been cowardly done by ETA.So Mr Rajoy blames it on ETA like the 100% of the rest of the spanish population including the rest of the political parties.Your comment tried to be too clever, so much so that is inappropriate to say the least.
The attack was murder , the so called separatist group aka terrorists is bunch of psycopaths that live in cuckoo land as proved in the general elections(hard core independentists have been losing support since the 80s)
Your opinion is so misinformed that gives a distorted impression of spain leading to comments such as number 11( stick to greece as you know nothing of the basque country).So imagine for a second this on a spanish newspaper"British soldier killed by a sniper in northern ireland. It is suspected that the culprits are the freedom fighters known as IRA. Nevertheless the leader of the XXX party blames it on the IRA without forensic evidence.Shame on you."Nice one 91Èȱ¬
Stelios (11). Such referendum is not possible according to Spanish law; it goes against our Constitution. However, similar consultations were (non-officially) made in the past and the result was that the majority of people living in the Basque Country did not want independence. Greater autonomy was sought but not full independence.
Nationalistic parties blamed the 'non Basque' immigrants who settled in the area in the past (many decades ago) and even suggested those non-basque should not be taken into account. From my point of view it is a matter that the few do not respect what the majority want.
Another problem is that in order to concede independence to the Basque Country, the Spanish Constitution would need to be amended, which can only be done with a referendum involving all Spain, not just the Basque Country.
And if all that was not enough, the Basque nation sought by nationalistic parties includes the Basque Country, Navarre and the French Basque Country. As far as I am aware only a very small minority in Navarre supports something like that and friends tell me the French Basque country would not be very happy with that.
As you see, it is not an easy issue! But I agree with the spirit of you comment: if a majority of the population there wished to become fully independent, there should be tne legal mechanisms for them to achieve it through a democratic and non-violent process.
Mark,
I'm not Spanish, and I'm not going to rail against you like some of the Spanish commenters here did. But they do have a point. It wasn't just Rajoy saying it was ETA, it was everyone, because it obviously was. Rajoy and his party may have made idiots of themselves over the Madrid bombings, but there was no need to single him out here.
And the Spanish commenters should calm down and appreciate the 91Èȱ¬'s use of language. The 91Èȱ¬ is very wary of using the word 'terrorist' about anyone, and has published plenty of material on this website as to why this is so. And Carlos in Manchester, if you'd point out to me where exactly the 91Èȱ¬ or anyone else in the UK has described ETA as 'freedom fighters', I'd be most grateful. Unlike the Spanish press with the IRA in the 80s and 90s, which basically reported events in Northern Ireland as you say.
Why Should Spanish commenters should calm down and appreciate(!) 91Èȱ¬'s use of Language for TERRORISTS !
91Èȱ¬ loves calling terrorists as "freedom fighters" and "Rebels" and "groups" etc.
we have seen same thing with the PKK terrorists that attacking Turkey from Nortnern iraq.
Good old 91Èȱ¬ still calls them "rebels" and "groups" instead of terrorists,
despite pkk labbelled as terrorist organisation by USA, UK, EU and many others.
and here again, 91Èȱ¬ still calling ETA terrorists as "freedom fighers"...!
so, is IRA and BIN LADEN and AL QAEDA and all the others are "freedom fighters" or "rebels" instead of Terrorists ??????????????????????????????????????????????
Finally some other questions about new independent country.
Did you already forget about Kosovo problem? Independacy is out of any question concerning Serbian's low, and they declared indepencance on their own. And all EU almost support it!!!! world is getting crazy.... and until similar thing will happen in some other country than they will start to think how bad was to support Kosovo independence.