Basques and sympathisers demonstrate in London for prisoner I. Makazaga and closed paper Egunkaria
Yesterday Saturday 22nd February around 20 people demonstrated in London for Iñigo Makazaga outside Belmarsh prison and later in the afternoon outside the Spanish embassy against the closure of Basque paper Egunkaria. The demos were organised by England based Basque groups Basque Campaign (London) and Euskalinfo (Bristol).
The demo for Iñigo Makazaga left the Plumstead train station (London) to walk towards this new prison. The demonstrators held the banner demanding freedom for Makazaga, ikurriñas (Basque flags), flags demanding the repatriation of Basque prisoners and other placards in solidarity with Makazaga. The demo arrived to the well- defended prison, and as soon as it reached there the shouts on behalf of Iñigo, for the end of his dispersion and isolation and for the end of this brutal prison system started. We hope he managed to hear this first solidarity act of this kind in the year that he has been inside The group managed to walk almost to the end of the prison's rightwing when it was intercepted by a 4x prison patrol, not very happy with them being there.
This company's guard-dog made it clear to the demonstrators: they weren't allowed in that area as all the area around the prison (apparently) belongs to the prison. The patrol ordered us to follow him outside the compound: the only place where we could demonstrate was outside their car park, miles away from the prison walls and near a busy road which suffocated our frustrated screams. The police turned up straight away, but they knew very little. We just had to stick to what the prison officer had told us and wait for their sergeant. In frustration we tried to reach the wing where Iñigo is held prisoner through the road and then across an industrial state. The wing was even farer than before, making our screams pointless.
The sergeant advised us: if you want next time you ask for a permission.. What for? To be restricted in the same way, as nowadays this country citizens have no right to roam private companies (taken over the public sector from railways to prisons) even owe those rights. Even the right of freedom of expression is breached by them and the government. Belmarsh is classified as a high security prison, a dispersal prison.
According the police, this is a prison holding high risk terrorists. Seeing who they call terrorist and seeing the little possibilities that e enjoyed there, we wonder what kind of risk we meant for them, but anyway: this is the so-called 'after S-11 paranoia'. The frustration that we experienced is somehow similar to that one experienced by Iñigo on daily basis, inside those 4 walls, in isolation, far from his family, his country, his culture, his language. Another case of Basque suffering dispersion and injustice.
Making the best of the gathering, the demonstrators decided to head for the Spanish embassy to protest against the recent repression in the Basque Country which resulted in the closure of the only paper published entirely in Basque Egunkaria. This
repression has being viewed worldwide as a huge violation against freedom of expression but also against the delicate Basque culture. On the same day that a huge demonstration happened in Donostia (San Sebastian) this group showed the same outrage in London. Placards made for the occasion included: Freedom of Speech in the Basque Country, You Fascists are the Terrorists, Egunkaria Censored - PP= Nazis, etc. The placards were placed in the embassy's fence.
There was people inside but they didn't do anything until the police turned up. When they came, they sent a bellboy to withdraw the placards that we had place - sure they read them and got the message across. The police was the armed one guarding this area of London where all the embassies are based: guns in bells and bullet-proof jackets. They informed us we didn't have permission to stay there - being across the road from the embassy!- and that if we hanged anything else on the fence we would be arrested (another funny conception of property and freedom of speech!). after informing us, they went to the embassy where two civil servants came out together with the bellboy and a plainclothes element.
They weren't very happy about us demonstrating and they spent some time explaining this to the coppers. At some point one of them got crazy because of the flash of a camera, to show the good manners of these Francoists by showing a finger to the demonstrators. This and his provocative attitude upset the mediating copper who forced to getting when he came back to inform us back.
After the continuous harassment in one and other way from the police and the arrival of more officers -they managed to unnumbered us!!!- and thinking the goal was achieved, the demonstrators decided to dissolve the demo. Mission accomplished.
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