Terrorism on Las Ramblas, Barcelona

Las Ramblas, #25. Barcelona, 2017

Yes, it is yet another inhumane and disgraceful act of inhuman cowardice. This time, on one of the world’s most famous and beloved pedestrian walkways, the Las Ramblas (or La Rambla) corridor in Barcelona, Spain.

I absolutely don’t want to take away from the weight of the tragedy in Catalunya, but in the past few months, as a reminder, the world has seen…

—15 April, in Syria: 126 killed, mostly children, in a car bomb attack against evacuees

—31 May, in Afghanistan: at least 80 and up to 150 killed and some 350 or more wounded in a suicide truck bomb attack in Kabul

—23 June, in Pakistan: 75 to perhaps 100 killed and at least 150 wounded in twin bomb blasts and a third targeted attack

— 24 July, in Pakistan: 26 killed and 58 wounded in suicide bomber attack

—12 August, in Pakistan: 15 killed and 32 wounded in bomb attack

This is just an abbreviated list. There were a number of other attacks throughout the world during this period.

The main point is this: ALL of these attacks are horrible tragedies, leaving behind a bloody trail of mangled human bodies–physical and psychological trauma, lost limbs, brain damage, excruciatingly painful burns, and destroyed lives. Perhaps because these events are somewhat rarer in Europe and the United States, it is the attacks in the west, which seem to garner the bulk of the sympathy and publicity in our U.S. and European news media.

And three other points:

Terrorism committed by “Islamic extremists”–who aren’t really “Islamic” at all, by the way–is not the only kind of terrorism there is. Consider the killing of nine black parishioners by a white supremacist at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. I’d say that fits the definition of terrorism.
The vast, vast majority of Muslims aggressively condemn terrorist attacks committed in the name of their religion. Those in the west who criticize Islam, rather than separating out specific criminal deviants for vilification, risk alienating portions of the Islamic population. The world would be a better place with Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, all working together against the scourge of terrorism. (Actually, maybe the world would be better off without any of these religions–with the possible exception of Buddhism–but that is a topic for another day.)
Finally, it sure wouldn’t be a bad idea to ask ourselves just why individuals turn to terrorism. What are the economic and political factors driving such an extreme decision? Remove these factors and you remove the raison d’etre of terrorism. This requires clinical study, not simplistic emotional reactions.

Here is a selection of images from the Las Ramblas tragedy, with my occasional commentary, made early in the morning of August 25, eight days after the fact…

Before dawn, a city worker stops to contemplate one of the larger memorials. As the candles slowly burn out or are blown out by the breeze, only the candles along the edge are easily relit or replaced:

Las Ramblas, #1. Barcelona, 2017

One of at least 20 smaller memorials, some specifically for individuals who died in the attack:

Las Ramblas, #3. Barcelona, 2017

People from many countries have written their supportive messages on the tree trunks and the walkway tiles. One common phrase that you see everywhere is “No tenim por”, or “We are not afraid” in the Catalan language:

Las Ramblas, #6. Barcelona, 2017

Las Ramblas, #7. Barcelona, 2017

One of the victims, 40-year-old Silvina Pereyra Cabrera and originally from Argentina (or Colombia?), had lived in Barcelona for ten years and worked in the famous market, La Boqueria:

Las Ramblas, #9. Barcelona, 2017

As I was photographing, I ran into this young guy who was relighting as many of the candles as he could. Speaking in Spanish, he made the point that terrorism occurs all over the world and victims in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Syria deserve just as much sympathy as victims in Europe. We are all human, we all have families, and we all suffer, he said. I neglected to ask, but I would suspect he is an immigrant from (perhaps) Morocco:

Las Ramblas, #12. Barcelona, 2017

Others stopped to relight candles as well:

Las Ramblas, #16. Barcelona, 2017

At the intersection with Carrer de l’Hospital (Hospital Street), near La Boqueria, you’ll find the largest memorial, a vast field of flowers, posters, notes, letters, stuffed animals, candles, and other personal items. I believe this is about where the criminal asshole’s vehicle finally came to a stop:

Las Ramblas, #17. Barcelona, 2017

Three-year-old Xavi Martinez was the youngest victim of the attack:

Las Ramblas, #21. Barcelona, 2017

Mickey and Minnie:

Las Ramblas, #22. Barcelona, 2017

I found an American flag in the memorial closest to Plaça de Catalunya, perhaps intended for Jared Tucker, a 42-year-old American construction worker who was killed here. The police in the background are the Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalunya’s provincial police. Passersby and crowds often spontaneously break into applause when the Mossos appear, such is the people’s appreciation for their rapid reaction to the attack: