As we were on our way to the airport after an overnight stay in Madrid on 16th march 2007 we came across a demonstration against the Iraq and Afghanistan occupations. The thing that struck me was the huge age range of those participating. This wasn't a student protest, this was a people protest. Many of the demonstrators had stuck posters to their foreheads and this gentleman also had the red, yellow and purple flag of the International Brigades that was used during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39).

Back then, almost 60,000 anti-fascist volunteers from 55 countries joined International Brigades to fight for the Republican cause. Rather pointedly, the first of these, the International Column, marched into Madrid on 8th November 1936.