“expected. We're at war, but to win, it's not enough army”

Javier Cercas's first reaction to the attack in Barcelona was <x0-ther afteril”. The second, reports the great Spanish writer, who has lived for many years in Barcelona, was more reflective: “I said to myself, it's not so strange that they attacked us. We knew and that happened in time, not by chance for several months, the anti-terrorism was on the alert. But preventing such attacks is impossible, authorities are not to blame”. Then, the author of the “Salamis” and “Anatomy of a moment” asks himself another question: Why Spain? After attacks on North Africa, we have many tourists, so we can be a good target for terrorists. But though I The SIS and other jihadist groups had threatened us, I don't think there is a logical explanation. Because we're all at war, let's just say it's”.

In what sense, Cercas?

Yesterday's “Sulm in Barcelona can happen anywhere: France, Germany, Italy ... We must never forget that this is a total war, it will continue for a long time. And to win it, bombs aren't enough”.

And what is needed?

We need to understand these terrorists. That doesn't mean to justify, to be clear. But just as Mandela studied apartheid to overcome it, we need to understand as soon as possible, the frightening jihadist ideology, and how it can catch up with the young, disadvantaged, and criminals living among us. After the Bataclan massacre, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said: “we cannot explain such barbarism. Because explaining it means justifying it. It is unacceptable to try to understand a terrorist attack”. I don't agree at all”.

How can you reason on such acts, Cercas?

“Forca, police and army are necessary to fight terrorism, but they are not enough. This of Islamic terrorists is a war that is not just military, but ideals, of thought. To win, we have to fight the toxic and nihilistic ideology that spreads with social exclusion, in the circumstances that lead these terrorists to think: “We want more death than life” Such a doctrine can never be destroyed just by” bombs.

The last Islamic attack on your country occurred in Madrid in 2004. After Barcelona, Spain is likely to become Islamist?

We'll see. Of course, it is the goal of terrorists who want to destroy a society that has welcomed many Muslims over recent decades. Maybe Islamophobia will grow a little. But I'm optimistic, and you know why? Spain is one of the few countries in Europe that do not have a large Islamist, xenophobic or racist party. And I think this attack will not change people here”.

Even because Spain is used to terrorism after problems with ETA?

No one gets used to terrorism. But this is a very different threat from that of Basque extremists. The ETA terrorists didn't want to die like these. SIS. In front of followers of the Islamic State, Basque extremists were almost a joke. The power of this Islamic terrorism is far more destructive. No surprise, after the attacks of Al Qaeda in 2004, ETA began to disappear”. / La Repubblica The world..