Remembering Madrid

Jessica Clark

On March 11, 2004, ten bombs exploded on four commuter trains in Madrid, killing nearly two hundred people and injuring thousands more. In the days that followed the world was inspired by the people of Spain as millions took to the streets, refusing to be silenced by terror. A year on this spirit of resistance is still alive. From the Ivory Coast to Ireland, India to Iran, people will be meeting on March 11 to remember victims of terrorism from around the world, and think about ways in which things can be different in the future. Join them! Take time out on March 11. Sit down with friends, colleagues, or family. Eat lunch or supper, and while you do: - Remember the many victims of terrorism around the world - Reflect on how we can deal with this threat to our way of life - Respond to the Madrid Agenda, a set of guidelines drawn up by respected international scholars and senior politicians, aimed at shaping democratic responses to terrorism. After your meeting, make your thoughts count by taking a few minutes to share your ideas and conclusions with and the rest of the world. Find out more and register your meeting at: http://meetings.safe-democracy.org/meet/ The Meetings on March 11 are being organized by openDemocracy.net, the online magazine of global politics and culture, in support of the Madrid Agenda and the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security. The Summit is organised by the Club de Madrid and will take place in Madrid, March 8-10 2005. See http://www.safe-democracy.org/ for details.

Jessica Clark is a writer, editor and researcher, with more than 15 years of experience spanning commercial, educational, independent and public media production. Currently she is the Research Director for American University’s Center for Social Media. She also writes a monthly column for PBS’ MediaShift on new directions in public media. She is the author, with Tracy Van Slyke, of Beyond the Echo Chamber: Reshaping Politics Through Networked Progressive Media (2010, New Press).
The text is from the poem “QUADRENNIAL” by Golden, reprinted with permission. It was first published in the Poetry Project. Inside front cover photo by Golden.
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