More than eight million Spaniards thronged the streets and squares of Spain's major cities and towns last night in an extraordinary display of popular revulsion at the terrorist massacre in Madrid on Thursday morning, writes Jane Walker, in Madrid.
In Madrid alone, some 2.3 million people - over half of the city's population of four million - crowded into the city centre in pouring rain.
Although the march, from the Plaza Colon to the Plaza de Atocha, was due to start at 7 p.m., the crowds had already completely filled the entire route and much of the rest of the city centre more than an hour earlier.
Many came from other parts of Spain. Some came from other parts of the world - from Africa, eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America - reminding people that the atrocity was not confined to Spaniards, that there were victims from no fewer than 13 nationalities.
That toll rose yesterday to 199 when a six-and-a-half month old baby girl died.
Nearly 1,500 were wounded in the blasts and many of them remain in a critical condition. Eta, the Basque terrorist organisation, issued an unprecedented denial of responsibility for the outrage as circumstantial evidence grew that another organisation, possibly one with Islamic links, may have been responsible. It has emerged that the detonating system was not one known to have been used by Eta but one suggesting possible al-Qaeda involvement.
Despite the denial the interior minister, Mr Angel Acebes, said Eta continued to be the main focus of an intense police operation,. "It is still the main line of investigation," Mr Acebes told a news conference. "There is no reason for it not to be."
US President George W. Bush said last night he "wouldn't rule anybody out".
The extent of revulsion at the outrage was underlined when, for the first time, members of the Spanish royal family joined in a popular protest. Crown Prince Felipe and his sisters, Elena and Cristina, led the march in Madrid.
They walked behind a banner reading: "For the victims, for the constitution, and for the end of terrorism."
Alongside Prime Minister José María Aznar were the ex-prime minister Mr Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, Mr José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the leader of the opposition, the Prime Ministers of France, Italy and Portugal, the President of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, and business leaders, trade union bosses and names from the world of sports, the arts and literature.
Similar demonstrations took place in towns and cities across the country. In most places the mood was sombre but well-disciplined. In Valencia, the march was along the appropriately named Calle Paz (Peace).
More than 300,000 people crowded the streets of Seville, and Zaragoza, Vitoria, Palma de Mallorca and the Canary Islands all saw tens of thousands of citizens on the streets.
In many places shops and offices had closed early and public transport was free all afternoon and evening so people could get to the demonstrations.
For the second night the Basque city of Bilbao came to a standstill with tens of thousands of demonstrators, many with their hands painted white to signify they were not stained with blood.
They lined the banks of the Rio Nervion across the bridges and all adjoining streets. Several carried banners declaring: "Madrid, the Basque people are with you!"
The only unpleasant incident occurred in Barcelona at the end of a massive but peaceful march, attended by an estimated 1.2 million people and which concluded with a moving cello solo. As the leaders started to disperse, a sector of the crowd began to jeer and jostle the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Rodrigo Rato, and the former minister Mr Josep Pique, leader of the Catalan Popular Party.
Police stepped in to protect them and escorted them away by taking them down a subway. The white painted hands and banners calling for peace were the theme of the day. But as questions raged as to who carried out this atrocity, they wanted to know if it was Eta or al-Qaeda.