Sir - Paddy Woodworth's article on ETA and the dirty war (date?) makes interesting reading but I strongly disagree with his comment that ETA are neither psychopaths nor sadists. The callous murder of Miguel Angel Blano and the total disregard for the cries of mercy from this innocent victim's family are not the hallmarks of normal people. To lock somebody up in a dungeon for over 500 days, during which time you enjoy a few drinks with your friends, spend Christmas with your family, etc, is not the work of normal people. To commit these terrible deeds one must be inhumane and have a complete disregard for human life.
ETA have committed atrocity after atrocity in the name of some cause which has little or no support among the Basque people. From a Basque population of 2.5 million people, HB, ETA's so called political wing, receives 180,000 votes. Hardly a mandate, I think. Monday night's demonstrations were a cry from the heart from Spain, which no normal person could ignore. - Yours, etc., JOHN MORRISSEY, Madrid, Spain.