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ised and the powerful Catholic Church was stripped of its power over school cur-
ricula. Despite fierce opposition from the church and conservative political parties,
the reforms proved overwhelmingly popular among the wider Spanish populace.
More controversially, the decision to reopen investigations into crimes committed
during the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent Franco years, coupled with a
drive towards greater autonomy for Spain's restive regions, has left many Span-
iards uneasy.
Terrorism
On 11 March 2004, just three days before Spain was due to vote in national elec-
tions, Madrid was thrown into chaos by 10 bombs planted on four rush-hour com-
muter trains by supporters of al-Qaeda, allegedly in retribution for Spain's deeply
unpopular support for the war in Iraq; 191 people were killed and almost 1800
wounded. It was the biggest terror attack in the nation's history and shocked even
this country, which has become accustomed to the violence carried out by Euskadi
Ta Askatasuna (ETA; Basque Homeland and Freedom). Although ETA appears to
be a spent force, it remains a sinister presence. Two people were killed in a bomb-
ing at Madrid's Barajas airport on 30 December 2006 (the bombing broke a prom-
ising ETA ceasefire) and a former Basque councillor was killed by ETA during the
2008 election campaign. The majority of Spaniards, including peaceful Basque na-
tionalists, look forward to the day ETA is no longer a threat.
Sporting Success
It has been a torrid few years for Spain, but thankfully its sportspeople have given
Spaniards some much-needed good news to cheer about. In particular, Rafael
Nadal's 2008 victory at Wimbledon (and again in 2010), and the Spanish football
team's victories at the 2008 European Championship and 2010 World Cup, have
united the country, albeit briefly, like never before. And boy did they party…
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