March 11 terrorist attacks in Madrid (for English speaking people).

I remember it well. That day I was not in Spain, but somewhere in Europe, I received a phone call and turned on the television, like what happened to me on 9/11.

As you can imagine I have a terrible feeling and pain, especially pain, for the victims, because suddenly people who that day was on the trains died, many like everyday, they stopped breathing and another story began. Besides the growing number of casualties increased on the news and it could have been many more, because when such attacks are planned, nobody can guarantee the consequences. For me there was only one reason, human life does not matter a damn to those who planted the bombs.

The truth is that I did not think in an attack by ETA terrorists, I thought it would be too much, and of course there were few logical options for authors in the basket of candidates.

In that time I was surrounded by foreigners and they did not understand what happened the following days ? Why if it was the terrorism of Al Qaeda, the attack changed the direction of the vote of the Spaniards during the general elections?  Were the Spaniards scared of having intervened in Iraq, being or not agree?  Did we agree with foreigners dealing in national politics?  What world did we live in?

I did not know that answer, the truth was that the killing of hundreds more wounded, the repeated images and behavior of politicians during the final phase of elections altered the will of the people and  the people did what they did. Why did they change their vote?  Why did we split rather than unite? 

They said to me  : well just the terrorists won ! They had achieved their goal and that could not be indulged.  

Was the Spaniard citizen lazy, mediocre and coward? 

Years later I had to tell an Englishman to turn on the TV because apparently there had been a terrorist attack in London in the tube and some buses. He did not flinch. His face showed concern, stupor, and was curious considering the consequences, but I had no doubts 

that day in silence, my natural enemies, the English people,show me the way and I was a little envious.