Attack on Young People

Like I've said before many times, Madrid thinks that anything and everything Basque means terrorism.

The last victims of the repression?

Youth organizations.

Yup, while other countries complain that their youth refuses to engage with the rest of the society in order to build a better present and plan for the future, the Spanish authorities stomp on the rights of the Basque youth to gather and implement programs that will provide young Basques with spaces were to develop their interests.

Once again, without any evidence, on the "one fits all" charge of terrorism, the Spanish Courts sentence Basques to years and years of jail time.

State violence, that is how is called.

Here is a note that appeared today at Berria regarding this new case of opression:

Indictees say case is attack on all young Basque people

They believe the response also has to be big and are planning to start talks with young people’s groups

Aitziber Laskibar – BILBO

“654 years is the penalty they want to make us pay for creating and developing the tools needed to build the Basque Country. In this country 654 years is the price exacted for engaging in the struggle against the job insecurity we young people suffer, or for fighting for our own education system. In this country it is a crime to build a Basque Country made up of seven provinces. In this country the 654 years requested by the Public Prosecutor is the price for setting up communication projects for young people, for regaining linguistic rights, for promoting leisure activities, a spirit of criticism, and alternative life styles in the youth centres, and for working in favour of gender equality.” This was the reaction expressed yesterday by the people indicted in the case involving the Haika and Segi Basque nationalist left youth organisations to the penalties that the Prosecutor of the Spanish National Criminal Court is requesting.

The indictees say the Court regards the 42 people who have been working in these spheres as criminals; the court is, in fact, aiming to pass judgement on the work done by young peoples’ organisations over the last 25 years. This is why they are saying that it is an assault on all Basque youth and on the whole of the Basque Country. They therefore believe that the response should be on the same scale: “All young Basque people have to respond to this situation,” explained Markel Ormazabal, on behalf on the indictees.

Ormazabal said they would therefore be holding a series of talks with youth organisations “to unite as many forces as possible in the face of an assault of such proportions, and to send a clear message to the [Spanish and French] States that they will not achieve their aims as far as Basque youth is concerned”. So the indictees are planning to meet “with as wide a range of organisations as possible”, explained Ibon Meñika.

However, the young people want to take this beyond mere talks. “What we want is for all young people to express themselves alongside us; we want to respond to this situation brought about by the States by uniting the maximum number of forces in order to channel the denunciation by all kinds of young people.” So this is what the indictees will be asking of the young people working in different fields: to give a united response to the Haika-Segi case. Yesterday’s press conference was the initial response of the young and not so young to the support they are demanding. The indictees were joined by representatives of many different organisations expressing their support. There were about 80 people behind the seven indictees during yesterday’s press conference.

.... ... .