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Basque Info
Submitted by admin on Az, 2009/10/14 - 16:41
- The Spanish government tries to block any new political initiative arresting 10 prominent Basque pro-independence activists.
- The northern Basque Country demands recognition.
- Thousands attend demonstrations against Spanish fascism.
- ETA members arrested.
www.irishbasquecommittees.blogspot.com
Read here the bulletin:
The Spanish government tries to block any new political initiative arresting 10 prominent Basque pro-independence activists.
Less than two months after the Spanish Interior Minister’s threats against the Basque pro-independence left’s new political proposals last evening 10 people were arrested in Donostia/San Sebastian. All of them are prominent Basque pro-independence activists like Batasuna’s spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi and former LAB trade union leader Rafa Diez. Another one, Rufi Etxebarria, had been released from jail just one week ago after spending two years in prison for being a member of the outlawed Batasuna party.
Five of them were arrested in the LAB trade union’s offices and the others in different places around the country. All of them are being accused by the Spanish authorities and pro-Spanish media of reorganising the Basque pro-independence left’s leadership.
While some sort of repressive action was expected after weeks of strong Spanish criminalization and pressure the arrestes have shocked and outraged the majority of Basque society. Several political parties and the main trade unions have already spoken out against the police operation. According to them the arrests are political and are
directed at preventing any new political initiative by the pro-independence left to bring the Basque Country to a scenario of peace and democracy.
It’s been publicly known that the Basque pro-independence left has been involved in a deep strategic debate for the last few months. At the same time discussions have been held with other progressive and pro-independence parties, trade unions and social organizations in order to form a strong pro-self-determination front.
Over the last 13 years every time the pro-independence left has taken a new political step the Spanish authorities have responded with police operations. Batasuna’s spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi is a good example of it as he has been arrested and imprisoned on numerous ocasions for his political work. Just last week he was told he will be tried for the so called “Anoeta event” in 2004 when himself and other Basque pro-independence movement representatives launched a peace proposal in front of 15,000 people. The proposal was widely accepted and set the way for dialogue and resolution which led to the 2005 negotiations between ETA and the Spanish government and ETA’s 2006 ceasefire.
Despite the attacks the Spanish authorities haven’t been able to stop the Basque pro-independence left’s political initiative and strength. Arnaldo Otegi quoting father Alec Reid has repeated on many ocasions that “the more reasonable our proposals are the more they’ll persecute us”.
Since 2002 the Basque left has had to organise in the most difficult conditions, mainly underground due to the Spanish authorities continuous criminalisation policies. However the pro-independence movement has always kept a public profile refusing to be silenced.
At a conference in Bilbao last week United Nations Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism Special Rapporteur Martin Scheinin warned that cutting off the political ways is extremely dangerous.
As has happened in previous repressive attacks the Basque pro-independence left has also declared today: Against more repression we’ll respond with more political initiative".
The northern Basque Country demands recognition.
40 representatives of Batera, the umbrella group in favour of a Basque official region in the north presented 32,000 signatures at the French government’s office in Baiona.
Four years ago 64% of northern Basque council mayors asked the French government to hold a referendum on the issue of Basque recognition. The northern Basque Country belongs to the Bearn region. This demand has been long supported by the majority of northern Basques who are continuously ignored by the French government.
Over the last two years the demand for Basque autonomy in the north has considerably grown and it’s on the main political agenda.
Thousands attend demonstrations against Spanish fascism.
Last Monday thousands of people took part in demonstrations organised in the four Basque southern provinces’ capital cities. They had been called by the Basque pro-independence movement to protest against the “Spanish National Day”. The slogan for this year’s protest was: “Stop yesterday’s and today’s fascism”.
Speakers at the end of the demonstrations said Basques don’t have anything to celebrate on the 12^th of October, the so called “Hispanity Day” when the Spanish elites remember the brutal conquest of America. The speakers talked about the new wave of dirty war and fascist attacks across the Basque Country and asked for a round of applause for all those who were assassinated by the Franco regime.
Another 2,000 people had marched in Irunea/Pamplona also the previous day against a Spanish fascist demonstration in the city. 50 Spanish fascists came form Madrid to claim the Basque Country is Spain. Fascist speakers called out slogans against Basques, homosexuals, immigrants and left-wing sympathisers.
The Spanish police protected them the whole way long and attacked the antifascists. Six of them were arrested and riots spread around the city centre.
In Donostia/San Sebastian some nationalist youth were attacked last weekend by Spanish fascists, probably soliders, and a nationalist councillor has received death threats.
Thousands of people filled Villabona’s main square on Sunday to remember their pro-independence deputy mayor who died after being harassed by the police during the local festivals. The police had tried to repress a picket line in favour of the Basque political prisoners. He suffered a heart attack and died immediately. He was just 29 years old. On Sunday at a very emotive event he was remebered with love and commitment to follow his example.
ETA members arrested.
Three ETA members were arrested last week in France is separate police operations. One of them was arrested after he apparently asked for help on a farm due to gunshot injuries on his hand.
A Basque political prisoner has entered his second week on hunger strike in France to protest against his inminent hand over to Spanish police after ending his 9 year sentence in France. Another one was extradited last week for accusations dating from 1982.
Another Basque prisoner was beaten by jail guards in the south of Spain.
Meanwhile pro-Spanish parties in the Basque region’s parliament refused to pass a motion against the incommunicado period. Under this detention regime Basque pro-independence activists are denied assistance from trusted solicitors and doctors of their choice and are often tortured. The United Nations and Amnisty International have continuously demanded the end of this practice but the Spanish authorities have refused to do so.
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Irish Basque Solidarity Committees
irishbsc@gmail.com
www.irishbasquecommittees.blogspot.com
