the Absent

international | history and heritage | news report Thursday March 16, 2006 12:22 by iosaf

"The Selective & Collective memory : Memory as fetishised community : Communality as fetishised memorial"

I'm always going on about it.

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The conflict in Ireland from 1969 and 2001, saw 3523 killed.
2055 by republican groups
1020 by loyalist groups
368 by British and Irish security forces
80 by groups or persons unknown.

There is no forest of the absent. no common memorial. no day of equal remembrance.
http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubles

On March 14th 2006, a new site was launched in the Spanish state listing all who have died from terrorism since 1960.
http://www.testimoniosvictimasterrorismo.com/
1,278 names are on the database.
194 attributed to Al Qaeda
24 to "BVA"
6 to "autonomous anti-capitalist commando"
928 to "ETA"
7 to extreme right / fascists without group
29 to the "GAL"
75 to the "GRAPO"
2 to "jarrai"
2 to "mendeku"
7 to "others" who defied category but were "terrorist"
4 to "AAA"

There is no common memorial. no day of equal remembrance.

Also on March 14th 2006, the group "The Coalition of 9/11 Families" http://www.coalitionof911families.org/
had hoped they could stop the construction of a memorial at the WTC site by taking out an injunction.
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=57794
At least 2,986 people were killed in total on that morning at 4 sites, on 4 aircraft and in the immediate aftermath.

And then there are other victims-
in other places-
without body count-
without memorial-

who have yet to join us in "The Selective & Collective memory : Memory as fetishised community : Communality as fetishised memorial" © iosaf mac diarmada 2005-2006

some day we must list either all the dead, and indict the facilitators of wanton murder
or we continue to dishonour future generations and the peace they merit. I happen to believe
lists and databases are a XXI fad. We would do better by planting flowers and teaching our
kids the ways of tolerance and peace instead.