The Spanish are known for doing their protests big. Everytime they’ve had an anti-ETA or anti-terrorism march, it’s been huge. They’ve been dealing with terrorism for decades like few developed countries have, and with nearly a thousand deaths accumulated over the years, the airport bombing two weeks ago have been them over the edge.

Tonight, rather than going out to the nightclubs or spending time with family and friends, all of Madrid poured into the streets together as one with just one thing to say: No to Eta!

From where I am at an internet cafe, it looks like there must be hundreds of thousands of people out on Paseo de Castellana and Plaza Colon. People are everywhere, armed with posters and slogans rather than bombs and semiautomatics. It????????s being organized by labor unions and dozens of other organizations. That means that Socialist Prime Minister Zapatero????????s base is out there protesting against the terrorist organization that he was negotiating with just half a month ago. So let me put it this way: I don????????t see any way that Zapatero will ever be able to resume his failed policies of negotiations.

The only people abstaining from the march officially are the opposition Popular Party and the victims of ETA terrorism groups ???????? because they say that the slogans used are not hardline enough against ETA. Put another way, there????????s another constituency out there that makes up a large portion of the population that wants even more actions taken against the perpetrators of December????????s heinous act. Now that????????s food for thought. All of Spain against ETA.

There are various slogans being used out there. The main one chosen for the rally is ???????Peace, life, and freedom against terrorism.??????? Others include, ???????For the peace,??????? and ???????Peace, Already! ETA, NO!??????? There are also many Ecuadorians attending, rallying on behalf of the two Ecuadorian men who were buried alive under the rubble of the bombing. In fact, I saw one sign showing support from the Association of Ecuadorians in Catalunya.

These two events, the bombing and the protests, are two completely different events that have captivated the Spanish mind over the past two weeks. As I drove to the airport just two days ago, I saw the enormous wreckage of terminal four. Everyone being dropped off spent a lot time looking over the edge, staring intently in the deep abyss before snapping pictures on their camera phones.

Today is exactly the same. Those here in the caf???? right now rather than out at the march are all burning holes into the television with their eyes. The images of the protesting are captivating. It????????s all that the people in here are talking about. While there are hundreds of thousands, or likely millions, of people out on the streets today, it would be erroneous to assume that the only people who care are the ones who holding a placard. Beside the outward outrage, there is a huge discussion going on and the Spanish people don????????t seem to be ready to give in.

Yet it is incredibly invigorating to see so many people so angry. Peaceful mob may sound like an oxymoron, but this is what we have here in the streets of Madrid tonight. ETA made the huge mistake of attacking civilians, and now everyone is against them. The policy of appeasement has been shuffled into a file cabinet somewhere, not to be touched again until the current administration feels that it won????????t hurt its poll numbers.

*****

Barcepundit writes about the march as well, noting that this doesn????????t mean that Madridians have grown a backbone yet. I agree and disagree. It seems that many, in the long run, just don????????t care and have overall become accustomed to such acts. They are outraged when it happens but don????????t have the follow through. While admittedly the signs with doves and ???????Paz??????? printed all over them look terribly weak and pacifistic, the overall attitude is one of outrage. Maybe they don????????t have as much backbone as Barcepundit and I do, but its there. There are a lot of people talking on the individual level about their anger, not their desire to shake hands and kiss on the cheek. We????????ll have to see what manifests from it all, but I would be extremely disappointed to see Zapatero continue with his failed policies in the face of such public opposition.

One last thing: Sorry folks! I kind of just stumbled on the rally, that????????s why I don????????t have any photos. Haven????????t had internet access for a while (plus vacation) so I didn????????t even know there was a rally today!