Headlines:

-Riots spread for hours in Lekeitio.

-Calls to build a strong popular wall against repression.

-More activists called to declare in Madrid.

-Lizartza village against political apartheid.

-Prisoner family suffers accident.

-Irrintzi claims attacks.

-Basque prisoners solidarity events prohibited.

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Read here the bulletin:

-Riots spread for hours in Lekeitio.
Last Sunday Lekeitio was celebrating the main day of the local festival with tens of thousands of people in attendance. As has happened throughout the summer in many other Basque towns and villages, in the morning the Basque-Spanish police entered the main festival area to take down pictures of Basque political prisoners. They charged and shot rubber balls against the people who were having their first drinks. An 84 year-old man had to be taken to the hospital.

Later in the evening the police entered the packed streets to take down one picture which was being carried by some people. It finally sparked riots that went on for 5 hours until the early hours of Monday. 9 people were badly beaten while being arrested and later on in the police station. One of the arrested, a young girl, denounced she was sexually harassed by the police while in custody. All of them were released today and charged with
“terrorism”.

During the riots cars and rubbish containers were set on fire (acording to some witnesses some of them were burnt by undercover policemen) and banks, insurance companies and the local Basque Nationalist Party’s officies were attacked.

Locals acussed the police of provoking the worst riots in the fishing village since the Franco times more than 30 years ago.

Opposition politicians accused the Basque region’s government of incresing the political temperature during the summer with their campaign against Basque political prisoners pictures and solidarity events.

This campaign has had the opposite of its intended consequence because now more and more places are covered by large pictures of Basque political prisoners.

-Calls to build a strong popular wall against repression.
At a press conference last week the pro-amnesty movement called on Basque citizens to strengthen the solidarity with the Basque political prisoners and to continue to confront the wild Spanish repression. This repression has hugely increased over the summer.

People who have suffered this repression were present at the press conference also:

The relatives of Remi Aiestaran, the pro-independence councillor who died after being harassed by the Basque-Spanish police, Alain Berastegi who was kidnapped and tortured by undercover policemen, the relatives of Jon Anza who has been dispappeared, people who have suffered the police attacks in demonstrations...

They said that the Spanish government wants to end the political conflict through repression and by annihilating the Basque pro-independence left.

They called trade unions and social and political organisations to come together to overcome this situation and set a new scenario where all fundamental rights will be respected.

-More activists called to declare in Madrid.
9 well known cultural and youth activists had to appear in court last week to declare about their relation with Gaztesarea, the Basque youth movement’s website. Three people were previoulsy arrested and the offices searched by the Spanish police. All of them have been accused of helping ETA.

At a press conference the pro-independence movement expressed support to all of them and spoke of the importance of Gaztesarea as a key instrument for young people to develop different struggles and show a different reality ignored by the mass media.

They said this has been an attack against freedom of speech as happened before with newspapers, radio stations and magazines.

Two members and former MPs of the banned Communist Party of the Basque Lands appeared last week in the Spanish National Court after being indicted in the case against the party for alleged membership of a terrorist organisation. They were finally released after paying a 60,000€ bail. Another three are in the same situation.

-Lizartza village against political apartheid.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of the small village of Lizartza on Sunday to show their support to local 61 year-old grandmother Kontsuelo Agirrebarrena who was imprisoned just two days before. She will have to spend the next four years in jail after being accused of trying to hit the local pro-Spanish mayor with a flag.

Kontsuelo had been elected by her neighbours as a pro-independence councillor at the last elections but despite getting 187 votes the pro-Spanish mayor who got just 27 was elected the village’s mayor due to the political apartheid installed by the so called Law of Parties. This law bans Basque pro-independence parties.

-Prisoner family suffers accident.

The family of Basque political prisoner Adur Fernandez suffered a serious road accident on their way to visit him in a Madrid jail.

The car was completed destroyed and Adur’s parents and girlfriend had to be taken to hospital. The father is still in hospital and has his lungs damaged.

The Basque political prisoners’ relatives association Etxerat said that every 15 months a relative gets killed in a road accident. More than 750 Basque prisoners are held in 85 jails across France and Spain at hundreds of miles from home.

-Irrintzi claims attacks.
Basque militant group Irrintzi claimed last week’s armed attacks against two estate agencies in the Landes French region, just miles away from the north of the Basque Country. The group also left a message where: “Irrintzi. UMP. Sarko (refering to French Primer Minister Sarkozy and his political party). The Basque Country is not for sale.”

Irrintzi has claimed more attacks in the north of the Basque Country in the last two years. All of them against tourism resorts and estate agencies. According to them all of them pose a threat against the survival of the Basque Contry itself.

-Basque prisoners solidarity events prohibited.
Once again Spanish judges and the Basque-Spanish police prevented events organised to display solidarity with the Basque political prisoners. The situation is getting as Kafquiesque as it got last weekend in Hernani when even a Basque cards game and a football championship were forbidden.

Next day around 50 young people gathered in Hernani’s main square dressed up and playing with huge footballs in a festive way to expose the whole ridiculous situation.

The police attacked them and charged against them all across the town.

The annual demonstration held in Donostia/San Sebastian during the boats race finals has been also forbidden. The demonstration was called by well known oarsmen who said they couldn’t understand why a demonstration held annually to demand human righst are respected can be banned.

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Irish Basque Solidarity Committees
irishbsc@gmail.com
www.irishbasquecommittees.blogspot.com