Before reading this article it is important to think about who are those who work on our streets laying paving stones or asphalting the driveway. Those who care for the elderly and dependent people. Those who lay the bricks of the houses and tile the bathrooms. Those who harvest fruit and vegetables in the field. Those who, in short, carry out an essential task that others do not want to do.
The introduction comes on the heels of a message that Vox leader Santiago Abascal posted on X after Monday night's terrorist attack in Brussels. The president of the third national party, present in the governments of six autonomous communities and some prominent town councils, suggested "shooting them down". "Yes, to all the evil spirits who bring hatred, pain and death", he added. "In Barcelona, in Brussels or in Israel", he specified. "But first they must be prevented from entering, and those who have opened the doors to them must be held accountable", he replied.
It is an interesting reflection, in accordance with the reactions generated, but equivocal. Abascal defends opening fire on a suspect without even asking? It is not possible to answer yes. But his followers interpreted it as such. There were even messages advocating arming the Spanish. Likewise.
The fact that the police in the European capital took hours to arrest the killer of the two Swedish tourists contributed to the generation of this kind of comment. Until early yesterday he was not shot down. "He commits a terrorist act on top of a scooter with a reflective vest (it's not exactly camouflage), his face is engraved, he crosses half of Brussels and after four hours he is still not arrested", said @wallswolverine. "The warning to sailors about the absolute weakness of the system is a poem. Macabre", said Iker Jiménez.
The world finds itself with woe in its heart and it is important to call things by their name. Equidistances, none; murderers are labeled as such, just for starters. But it is also appropriate to moderate messages in the era of hot takes or hot opinions, and it should not be generalized. To suggest that to prevent an attack a law of retaliation should be applied preventively is a dangerous speech, even more so if it comes from a public representative. Terror is pursued with means and the law is applied to it. The rest is demagoguery.
