It is not the first time Euskal Herria experiences the combined threat of fascist minded European "leaders". Back in 1936, Hitler and Mussolini in support of Franco attacked the Basque Country. Today a "democratically elected" minister by the name of Zapatero (in reality no more than the messenger boy for Juan Carlos Borbon, true successor to the afore mentioned Franco) is relying on France's Nicolas Sarkozy (the French version of George W. Bush) to clamp down on Euskal Herria's political rights.
This note you are about to read was published at France 24:
Two relevant issues come out of this situation.
1) Spain and France are accepting that the so called "Basque conflict" is of an international nature since it involves two countries (with statehood) and one nation (without statehood). Therefore, according to the international treaties, the international community has the obligation to stop making up excuses for Spain's violent campaign of repression against the Basque people and activelly take part in the resolution of the conflict.
2) The Spaniards recognize that they are not willing to truly involve themselves in a peace process for Euskal Herria like England did in regards of Northern Ireland when they included Sinn Fein. Instead, Spain has banned Batasuna and many other political parties and electoral lists, choosing to incarcerate as many Basque activists as they can. They refuse to follow the path shown by England and instead they put all their chips on the support by a fascist minded individual like Nicolas Sarkozy. Just like in 1936, Spain resorts to Europe's worst characters to "solve" its political disagreement with Euskal Herria.
This note you are about to read was published at France 24:
Spain looks to France for help against Basque separatists
Friday 26 September 2008
Spain is increasingly seeking France's help against the Basque nationalist groups ETA and Batasuna, which Spain considers the political arm of the terrorist ETA and which has been barred in Spain from taking part in elections since 2003.
By Adeline Percept, France 24 correspondent in Spain
Considered by the Spanish government to be the political branch of the terrorist organisation ETA, the Batasuna, Unity in the Basque language, party is in the cross-hairs of Spain's justice system and the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government.
The crackdown against the organisation intensified after June 2006, when the ceasefire agreement between the government and ETA was broken.
After the arrests on Wednesday, September 24, of 11 alleged members of Batasuna in the French Basque Country, Zapatero, said yesterday, while in New York for the UN General assembly, that he does "not exclude the possibility of asking France to ban Batasuna".
In a press release a couple of hours later, Javier Zaragoza, Spain's attorney general, is urging "unconditional collaboration in order to establish a penal process enabling the banning of Batasuna in France".
These statements come in the midst of violent retaliatory actions in Spain's Basque Country, where a police officer was killed in Santona (Cantabria) on September 22 in one of several attacks to take place over recent days.
The French-Spanish collaboration has proved to be the cornerstone in the fight against radical separatism.
"In the 80s, France viewed ETA as a Spanish problem." Antonio Elorza, a political expert at Madrid's Complutense University, told France 24. "In those days, members of ETA travelled to and fro between the two countries completely at their ease. Since his arrival in power, Nicolas Sarkozy has made a huge contribution to Spain's struggle against ETA."
Even if the French branch of Batasuna does play an important role in the organisation, it is less active than its Spanish counterpart.
"There's a big difference between Batasuna in France and in Spain," said Elorza. "Batasuna in Spain is clearly the political arm of ETA, like Sinn Fein and the IRA in Ireland. ETA is active in Spain and until now, 15% of the Basque population has supported the terrorist organisation. That's why ETA has a special rapport with Batasuna, a rapport which couldn't exist in France – popular support there is much more limited. So Batasuna's strategies are different on the two sides of the Pyrennees, but they are complementary."
Two relevant issues come out of this situation.
1) Spain and France are accepting that the so called "Basque conflict" is of an international nature since it involves two countries (with statehood) and one nation (without statehood). Therefore, according to the international treaties, the international community has the obligation to stop making up excuses for Spain's violent campaign of repression against the Basque people and activelly take part in the resolution of the conflict.
2) The Spaniards recognize that they are not willing to truly involve themselves in a peace process for Euskal Herria like England did in regards of Northern Ireland when they included Sinn Fein. Instead, Spain has banned Batasuna and many other political parties and electoral lists, choosing to incarcerate as many Basque activists as they can. They refuse to follow the path shown by England and instead they put all their chips on the support by a fascist minded individual like Nicolas Sarkozy. Just like in 1936, Spain resorts to Europe's worst characters to "solve" its political disagreement with Euskal Herria.
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