Five years ago...

Today is the fifth year anniversary of the 11 March Bombings in Madrid. I have commented on this tragic event in a previous post, but will note one minor observation. The memorial services that commemorated this tragic anniversary lacked the cohesion of commemoration ceremonies of the last four years that brought together different groups of Spaniards to honor lives of those who died in the attacks. Instead, various groups honored the memories of the dead in celebrations throughout the city.

In some instances, the infighting between the PSOE, PP, and victims associations groups marred some of the celebrations. At the ceremony at the ayuntamiento, the 'city hall' of the city, members of the PSOE boycotted the event, due to a political scandal involving the PP paying spies to uncover acts of corruption carried out by members of the PSOE. The PSOE of Madrid stated that the act was a protest against the city's mayor, Ezparanza Aguirre, a PP member, decision to give a false testimony over various details concerning the fiasco during the investigacions into the scandal. The victims' rights groups subsequently criticized both parties for failing to display unity during a time of somber reflection over the events that killed 192 people.

What would cause a community to break off into various groups to celebrate the fifth anniversary of one of the largest terrorist attacks in modern European history? I do not know; it seems that Americans continue to commemorate 9/11 in increasingly disperse ways as well. The process of grieving over a tragedy like 3/11 or 9/11 through a major public manifestation certainly can help a society come to terms with these events.

That said, a society is a dynamic force that can impact the manner a community commemorates a shared experience like these terrorist attacks as groups begin to form around specific interests - victim's rights groups, political parties, etc. And given that public space is a relatively open canvass for public commemorations, especially in Spanish society, it would make sense that groups would eventually find their own means of expressing their grief and anger over these attacks.

The process that initiated this dispersal of groups, however, remains a mystery to me. The Spanish people have demonstrated the ability to come together and celebrate the victory of the Spanish soccer team in the Eurocup or share in the grief over the death of a 17 year old girl who was murdered by her boyfriend in Sevilla last month. Perhaps it is a question that I should begin to ask around this city as my time in Spain draws to close and I prepare to return to another country that still is coming to terms with the events that killed so many on a Tuesday morning in September.