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Sunday 27 May RNW - NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM THE NETHERLANDS IN 10 LANGUAGES, WORLDWIDE 24/7 ON RADIO, TV AND ONLINE
Catherina Windemeijer, 1971

The State We're In - Identity Crisis

On air: 30 September 2011 2:00 (Photo: Catharina Windemeijer)

More about:

The State We're In, 1 October 2011. A Dutch woman nearly becomes an unwitting terrorist bomber. A former bullfighter on how the bulls he killed still haunt his dreams, while a British philosopher talks about why he became a bullfighter. And an Irish journalist recounts being incarcerated, wrongly, for internet fraud. A victim of identity theft, she struggles to clear her name.



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Catherina Windemeijer, present day
Catherina Windemeijer, present day
The bomber girl

When Catherina Windemeijer (pictured above, 1971) was asked by her friend George to bring some presents to his parents in Bethlehem in the West Bank, she didn’t think much of it.

But at arrival Catherina couldn’t find the delivery address. So she opened the suitcase and then discovered... a bomb.

Catherina tells host Jonathan Groubert how life went on after this explosive finding.

Catherina Windemeijer's website (in Dutch)


Álvaro Múnera
Álvaro Múnera
The vegetarian bullfighter

Álvaro Múnera was once “El Pilarico” the star bullfighter (more photos below).

Then in 1984, he was gored by a bull which left him confined to a wheelchair.

Today he’s a staunch animal rights defender and works to have bullfighting banned.

He tells Jonathan about his bullfighting career, the attack that changed his life, his recuperation, the woman who called him a murderer and how he became an anti-bullfighting campaigner.


Alexander Fiske-Harrison
Alexander Fiske-Harrison
No bull

After our interview with ex-bullfighter Álvaro Múnera, writer/philosopher/bullfighter Alexander Fiske-Harrison contacted us to make the case that bullfighting can be acceptable (more photos below).

He tells Jonathan what it was like getting into the ring with a bull and delivering the tiro de gracia himself.

Alexander Fiske-Harrison's blog is The Last Arena

Click for YouTube footage of Alexander in an early training session
 


Louise Williams
Louise Williams
I can tell by looking at you

Irish journalist Louise Williams was travelling home to Ireland from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, after giving a training course.

But at passport control, she was told that her name had come up in the system.

Then came the stunning news: she was under arrest. For internet fraud.

Louise was jailed, and later released, but still feels too many questions remain unanswered.

Click to listen to the full version of the documentary on RTÉ Radio 1


Click image for slideshow - use arrows to scroll

  • Álvaro Múnera was once “El Pilarico” the star bullfighter<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • The accident on September 22 1984 that left Álvaro in a wheelchair<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • Álvaro in hospital<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • &#039;Terciopelo&#039; or &#039;Velvet&#039;, the bull Álvaro Múnera killed so brutally in a practice session<br>&copy; Photo: RNW - http://www.rnw.nl/english
  • Alexander Fiske-Harrison preparing with matador Rafael Rubio (or &#039;Rafaelillo&#039;)<br>&copy; Photo: Nicolás Haro - http://www.thelastarena.com/
  • Alexander Fiske-Harrison with bull breeder Enrique Moreno de la Cova<br>&copy; Photo: Nicolás Haro - http://www.thelastarena.com/
  • Alexander Fiske-Harrison fighting a historic breed of bull called the Saltillo<br>&copy; Photo: Nicolás Haro - http://www.thelastarena.com/
  • Alexander Fiske-Harrison dedicates the bull to his parents<br>&copy; Photo: Nicolás Haro - http://www.thelastarena.com/

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Discussion

Anonymous 17 May 2012 - 9:17pm / USA

The interview of Alexander was stunning and compelling on so many levels. Though he serves as an ideal embodiment of an "identity crisis" he is also serving as a mirror to you. And he knows it. In his retort of shame, he quite validly reveals the evil of the modern meat industry, in which is acceptable only because of chosen ignorance. And there is quite a difference in the level of dishonor between chosen ignorance and unintended ignorance. Do not kid yourselves for a minute that the animals that we eat live or die better than these bulls. So if you are damning the bull fighters while your carnage thaws on the kitchen counter, it would appear you have some homework, and soul searching....to be done. Ultimately, the world is waking up. Humanity is growing a heart!

Anonymous 10 May 2012 - 9:54pm

what is the song intro playing at the end of Catherina Windemeijer "the bomber girl" interview?

Janessa 28 February 2012 - 8:54pm / USA

To the interviewer: I would like to sincerely thank you for your interview with Alexander Fiske-Harrison, and specifically for your piercing questions towards him where you expressed your doubts about reconciling his philosophy with his deeds. I was listening to the interview and becoming more and more enraged with his slick justification of the "dance" of bullfighting (side note: Doesn't dance usually constitute willing participants who don't get stabbed to death in the process?), and then came your very partial questions, which I was so happy to hear, and which obviously gave him pause. It seems to me that this man got swept up in the tradition and testosterone-driven bravado that is bullfighting, and it's obvious from the photos that he was welcomed into that world openly by the men who live that life, which may have produced a Stockholm-syndrome like effect, where he defends this primitive torture despite being a "Greenpeace member" and all the other bells and whistles that he waves in front of our faces to prove that he cares about animal welfare. I also wonder if he actually listened to the interview with Munera, where Munera tells of where his awakening came from, when he unknowingly killed a pregnant cow and walked by the slaughterhouse to see the baby being cut from its dead mother, and when later he expressed his distress to his father and manager, they talked him back into bullfighting, which is totally understandable for a young boy who has known nothing else for his entire life. Talk about identity crisis! In fact, Fiske-Harrison should perfectly understand that, seeing as how he got so completely swept up in that sick world that he claims that he is "unbiased" about. It looks like maybe he's going through an identity crisis of his own. And his pathetic attempt to link bullfighting and meat consumption fell embarrassingly flat. Yes, there are so many things wrong with the way animals are raised for meat, but please--spare me with your pathetic attempt at justification. These thousands of people who love bullfighting get dressed up in their finest clothes to sit in a stadium and watch an animal be repeatedly stabbed in the spine for HOURS. There is blood pouring down the sides of this animal and it is just crying and moaning in sheer pain and terror. It has no escape, and every single person who is watching this bull wants it dead. But these people don't want it killed right away--no, they want its death to be as slow and painful as possible. THAT is entertainment. And that is a snapshot of everything that is wrong with the human race, with our sick lust for watching other creatures slowly die in agony so that we can once again heave a collective sigh of relief and sleep tight with the reaffirmation that we are still at the top of the food chain. God help all these poor creatures that have the misfortune of sharing the planet with us--I don't know what they did to us in the past to incur our wrath, but it must have been terrible for this constant torture we inflict upon them for our own amusement and ego.

Jack Lambert 17 May 2012 - 5:35pm / United States

Brilliantly written and so righteous to examine humamity's lust, to inflict pain on a helpless creature for sheer entertainment.

Dian 14 May 2012 - 6:21pm / USA

Janessa,

Your words strike my soul with their truth. Thank you.

David Berridge 4 October 2011 - 2:43am / Canada

I can only express my amazement at what happened to Louise Willams over alledged internet fraud. This "error" by the Dutch police deserves some form of compensation accompanied by an offical apology. Best of luck to Louise in getting to the bottom of this mess, and further protecting her own identity.

user avatar
Jonathan Groubert 4 October 2011 - 1:54pm / Netherlands

Thanks for commenting David. There is an epilogue to this. After a lot of pressure and calling everyone she could, including the ombudsman, the Dutch police finally admitted they'd made a mistake, her name was in the system as the result of a typo and her identity was never stolen. They have also apologized in writing.

indiana 2 October 2011 - 1:09am / peru

SÓLO HE LEIDO SUPERFICIALMENTE LA NOTICIA SOBRE ESTE TORERO CONVERTIDO AHORA EN ACTIVISTA EN CONTRA DE LAS CORRIDAS DE TOROS. ESTARÉ SIGUIENDO LA NOTICIA Y PROFUNDIZARÉ EN EL ASUNTO. POR AHORA SÓLO DESEO-UNA VEZ MÁS-ENFATIZAR SOBRE EL HECHO DE QUE LAS CORRIDAS DE TOROS Y TODO ESPECTÁCULO QUE ABUSIVA E INJUSTAMENTE DISPONE DE LA VIDA DE ANIMALES COMO LES DA LA GANA DEBERÍAN SER ERRADICADOS Y-ADEMÁS-TODA PERSONA O GRUPO DE PERSONAS QUE MALTRATASEN A UN ANIMAL(INCLUIDA LA INDUSTRIA PARA CONSUMO DE CARNE) DEBERÍAN SER SANCIONADOS CON EL MAYOR RIGOR DE LA LEY. PIENSO QUE LOS GOBIERNOS DEBERÍAN REFORZAR LEYES E IMPLEMENTAR CAMPAÑAS EDUCATIVAS PARA QUE LOS SERES HUMANOS ENTIENDAN DE UNA VEZ POR TODAS QUE LOS ANIMALES MERECEN NUESTRO RESPETO, APRECIO,CUIDADOS Y AGRADECIMIENTO POR TODO LO QUE HAN CONTRIBUIDO EN HACER NUESTRAS VIDAS MÁS CÓMODAS. ES TIEMPO QUE LOS HUMANOS DEJEMOS DE CREERNOS LOS DIOSES TODOPODEROSOS DEL PLANETA Y DE LA CREACIÓN Y EMPECEMOS A RESPETAR A OTRAS ESPECIES. ES UNA ABERRACIÓN MORAL JUSTIFICAR EL SUFRIMIENTO DE UN ANIMAL EN EL AFÁN DE OBTENER UNA GRATIFICACIÓN MONETARIA O EMOCIONAL. CUALQUIER PERSONA QUE DISFRUTE DE VER UNA CORRIDA DE TOROS U OTRO ESPECTÁCULO DONDE UN ANIMAL SUFRE, SANGRA, SE ESTRESA Y DESESPERA-SINCERAMENTE- DEBERÍA CUESTIONARSE SOBRE LA ESTABILIDAD DE SU SALUD MENTAL Y SOBRE EL ORIGEN DE SUS OSCURAS Y ENFERMIZAS PASIONES. ES TIEMPO DE DEJAR DE SER TAN EGOCÉNTRICOS Y EMPEZAR A PONERNOS EN LA PIEL DEL OTRO-SEA ÉSTE HUMANO O ANIMAL- PARA EVITAR INFLIGIR DOLOR Y CAUSAR MISERIAS INNECESARIAMENTE. EVOLUCIONEMOS HUMANOS!!

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