Millions take to the streets in Spain

Published: 13 March 2004 y., Saturday
Thousands of people crowd a central square in the northern Basque city of Pamplona Friday March 12, 2004, during a demonstration to protest the numerous bomb attacks on trains in Madrid Thursday that killed nealy 200 people and injured at least another 1,400. (AP Photo/Jon Dimis) MADRID, Spain -- More than a million demonstrators jammed the streets of Madrid on Friday night, huddling beneath umbrellas in a steady rain to protest the train bombings that killed 199 people in the country's worst terrorist attack. Millions more turned out in Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and other cities - including Spain's Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa. Spanish officials initially blamed the Basque separatist group ETA for the stunningly well-coordinated series of 10 explosions Thursday during Madrid's rush hour. Later, they said they were studying a claim of responsibility by a shadowy group in the name of al-Qaida. A caller claiming to represent ETA telephoned the pro-Basque daily newspaper Gara and said the separatist group "has no responsibility whatsoever" for the attacks, the paper told The Associated Press. ETA often issues statements through the Basque-language paper. Arnaldo Otegi, a top Basque politician, also denied ETA was involved and accused Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's outgoing government of "lying deliberately" about the bombing to seek political advantage in the elections.
Šaltinis: ASSOCIATED PRESS
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