Basque Info 2011.05.10

Basque Info 2011.05.10

• BILDU Legal
• ICG’s Press Release
• Brief News

BILDU Legal

Bildu has been on the eye of the storm since the night of Sunday May 1, when the room 61 of the Supreme Court decided to annul the candidatures of the coalition.

The court outlawed Bildu’s candidatures arguing that they responded to ETA’s strategy, despite the explicit rejection of violence signed by each and every one of the candidates on the coalition’s Ethical Decalogue. In practice, this prohibition meant the outlawing of Eusko Alkartasuna and Alternatiba, since after the Supreme Court’s ruling both parties were excluded from the elections.

Protests and International actions

Protests against the ruling of the Supreme were soon organised and on Tuesday tens of thousands of people took part in protests across Euskal Herria and on Thursday night thousands staged sit-ins in the Arenal of Bilbao and the Town Hall Square in Iruñea.

Furthermore the European Free Alliance has protested at different levels and the Flemish MEP Frieda Brepoels (N-VA) promoted an open letter to President Rodriguez Zapatero and Mr Barroso and Van Rompuy. The letter signed by 24 MEPs was handed to the ambassador of Spain in Brussels during a rally organized by Jong N-VA.

Gernika Network for self determination made a press release against the illegalisation and asking the Spanish state not to hold antidemocratic elections. The Groups of Friends of the Basque Country made a joint declaration and held demonstrations on different cities.

ICG’s Press Release

The International Contact Group released the following note on the 4th May: The ICG has consulted with business associations in the Basque country and has also taken note of ETA’s letters to business leaders confirming the cessation of so called “revolutionary tax” as an integral part of their ceasefire. The conclusion to which we have come is that this practice of extortion has indeed stopped. In our view this is an important development towards the achievement of social and political normalization in the Basque Country and should be welcomed by all. The ICG will nevertheless continue to cross-check information regarding the ceasefire declared by ETA.

It is, therefore, with regret and concern that we have taken note of the decision by the Supreme Court to ban Bildu from participation in the forthcoming local elections, particularly following the same court’s decision to ban Sortu as a political party.

Political normalization will only become a reality when all political parties that are committed to exclusively non violent means are entitled to participate in democratic processes and institutions. Notwithstanding our disappointment we respect the decision of the court. However we are once again encouraged by the minority judgements and sincerely hope that when the Constitutional Court analyses the facts and applies the law it comes to a decision that makes a further contribution towards political normalization in the Basque Country.

Brief News

Police Repression: Agents of the Basque autonomous police charged on Saturday against people demonstrating in Arrasate against life-long condemns. The demonstration took place soon after the release of Jon Aguirre, who has spent 30 years in prison. The demonstration was banned by the national audience and the regional police attacked demonstrators arresting three of them.

Act of anti-Franco fighters prohibited remember: The National Court banned an event last Saturday in memory of the fighters of the Basque army during the Civil War, held annually on Mount Bizkargi.