AMOREBIETA, SPAIN – If a bomb goes off in a forest and no one hears it does it count?
Terrorism is a funny thing sometimes. No, not ‘funny’ as in ‘ha-ha’: I would never trivialise those who believe in death and destruction for some version of an ideological, political or religious ’cause’. Far too many innocent people have died at the hands – or entire bodies in the case of suicide bombers – to make light of this.
But at times when you look at a particular act of terrorism you immediately scratch your head and say “Huh?” In other words, the act itself does not seem to achieve anything really. Aside from scaring the bejeezus out of those who may witness the event.
Take this one for example.
On this day in 2000
Four hooded men from ETA, the Basque terrorist organisation (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna), firebombed a Citroen dealership in Amorebieta, a town in northern Spain best (?) known for its second division football (i.e. soccer over here in Canada) team. No one was hurt in the blast.
I can remember when I was a bit of an ETA fan myself.
Christopher Hitchens
Why bomb a Citroen dealership? Did ETA get a bad oil change there? Could someone not afford the latest model? Or was it retribution for French cooperation with Spanish authorities in identifying and capturing these terrorists, some of whom lived in southern France? Who knows? Funny thing that.
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