18/98 : Call For Support

This was published today at EITb, it is an urgent call to the Basque society to show their support and solidarity.

Here you have the note:

Politics

Sunday 12:00

18/98 defendants call rally in Bilbao

12/01/2007

The defendants in the 18/98 case that have not been arrested yet urged the Basque citizens to attend a rally at Sunday's 12:00 in the Basque city of Bilbao.

More than a hundred people, including some of the defendants in the 18/98 case that have not been arrested yet, called a rally for Sunday in the Basque city of Bilbao and a 1-hour-strike next December 13th.

In a press conference in Donostia-San Sebastian, the organizers denounced PSOE and PNV's "strategy of war" to "destroy the Basque Country" and added they thought the PSOE was using the arrests with electoral purposes.

The 18/98 defendants urged the Basques to attend Sunday's rally at 12:00 and to stage a 1-hour-strike next December 13rth from 12:00 to 13:00.

18/98 case

Spain's High Court issued 46 arrest warrants for members of the Basque groups Ekin, Orain, Xaki and Fundación Joxemi Zumalabe suspected by the authorities of having political links with the armed Basque group ETA, judicial sources said on Friday.

The National Court has decided to convict 46 of the defendants, although it will not formally read out the verdicts until some time after Dec. 10. Due to the risk of them trying to flee Spain, the court has ordered police to put them under detention before the convictions are announced, a court official said on ground rules barring publication of her name.

The case stemmed from an eight-year inquiry by Baltasar Garzon, Spain's leading anti-terror investigator. Garzon alleged that ETA was not just made up of armed commandos but also had support through political, financial and media organizations. The defendants were accused of belonging to these groups, some of which have been outlawed.

The organizations, such as banned youth groups called Ekin, Orain, Xaki and Fundación Joxemi Zumalabe engaged in activities ranging from fund-raising and helping ETA plan attacks to organizing street violence by ETA supporters, Garzon has charged.

An eight year inquiry and I bet you Garzon will produce no solid evidence to back up his judicial charade.

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