Madam, - We must all feel deep sympathy for the innocent victims in Madrid and appalled revulsion at the obscenity of the callous killings.
Imagine our families being suddenly extinguished on the DART or Luas. In Ireland we need no reminders that such cruel acts are not the sole prerogative of Middle Eastern terrorists.
This makes it all the more depressing that both politicians and media ignore those who seek attention for their legitimate causes by non-violent means. One thinks of the Tibetans, for example, and the Falun Gong in China, of whom over 2,000 have been killed in detention over the last few years.
The media are not much interested in non-violent struggles and rarely report on them. It is a chilling reflection on our society that bloodshed, horror and death will always seize the headlines - unless, of course it is taking place far away and out of sight under a foreign government, as in China or Burma. - Yours, etc.,
ANTHONY OBRIEN, Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4.