Friday, March 25, 2005

Lunatics in Jakarta

I never thought that this nice little article about the touristic attractions that the Basque Country offers would trigger such venomous responses on the part of a couple of Spaniards in Jakarta.

There was a time before the Tsunami when people had no clue there are a couple of independentist movements in both Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Suddenly the entire world learned about the Tamils and the Acehnese.

Indonesia had been stuck in a long war against the rebels in the Aceh province. But Banda Aceh was the region that endured the largest devastation both from the earthquake and the tsunami. The warring sides decided to call a truce that is still holding in order to provide the victims and survivors with much needed aid.

It was only natural that the author, Jim Read, used Aceh as an example to put the Basque Country into context.

Well, someone that claims to be from Bilbo decided to send an scathing letter to the editor, the author of the letter says that he wants to sets some things straight, and then he proceeds to spill the usual venom against anyone that dares to be sympathetic towards the Basques.

Here I am to set him straight:

One hundred percent of all political parties in the Spanish Parliament, and all the real Basque democratic nationalist parties are against ETA and have requested ETA to stop the violence under the slogan Basta Ya, which means "Stop".

The Basque nationalist parties are not behid Basta Ya, Basta Ya is a front group for the PP, just like AVT, their only function is to provide the Neofrancoists with a space among the real human rights organizations so they can make noise and create distractions each time Madrid tramples the rights of the Basque society. By the way, it means Enough.

It is stated that "Guernika-Luno have been since the Middle Ages the center of the Basque regional assembly". It is not correct in Guernika-Luno are and have been the Juntas de Guernika assembly only for Bizkaia county and not for the other two counties Gipuzkoa and Alava.
Gernika is not the heart of the BAC, it is the heart of the entire Euskal Herria, which besides the afore mentioned Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Araba, includes Nafarroa, Behe Nafarroa, Lapurdi and Zuberoa.

No Basque would call them counties, is either herrialdes or provinces. And he goes from Gipuzkoa in Euskera to Álava in Spanish, quite unique.

It's stated that "Alava where one of Spain's most famous wines, Rioja is produced." The "Riojas" can only be produced in "La Rioja", a land with its own government and parliament and the only wines that can have the label of "Rioja ". At least later on in your report you describe its wines correctly as "Rioja Alavesa" wines.
Huh?

Jim Read is right from the begining, but then Mr. Delgado (quite a Basque last name by the way) goes into this convoluted attack that only demonstrates how sick and twisted he is. Some Rioja wines ARE produced in the Rioja Alavesa, and they say so. Most of them are produced in you guessed it, La Rioja, which neighbors the Basque Country.

But it was not over, then someone by the name of Francisco Aquilera took the chance to deliver the favorite piece of propaganda from Madrid, here you go:

ETA, and its several branches, is outlawed, and it is currently included, as a terrorist group, on the official list of the United Nations, the European Union and other relevant international bodies.
That beauty goes hand in hand with Mr. Delgado's:
Only Batasuna, ETA's political party, does not criticize ETA violence but most Batusuna supporters are against the use of violence by ETA.
That is the whole package, right there, is not only ETA, but its several branches, meaning political parties, youth organizations, newspapers, unions, cultural groups. Bottom line, anyone that works towards the self determination of the Basque Country either as an individual or as a group can be accused by Madrid of being part of these "branches".

What both of them fail to mention is that after two years, Madrid has been unable to produce solid evidence to demonstrate that Batasuna is in fact ETA's political branch.

The lies that the Españolistas say. And the half assed information they expect us to believe.

.... ... .

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