De Villepin: Empty Words

Everytime the French Interior Minister goes to Iparralde, the part of the Basque Country within France, the old French arrogance and contempt for the ethnic and cultural minorities comes with him.

He never brings solutions, he never brings compromises, he always brings empty words.

My grandfather is one of those who "shed their blood". He did so fighting Franco in Hegoalde when he could have been living an easy life in Mexico, he then went back to his own land and continued to fight the Nazis after France capitulated in record time.

He did not fight for France, he fought for the Basque Country, he believed in a different set of empty words, those by the Allied Forces that promised the Basques an independent state in return for their commitment to fight against Hitler and Mussolini.

The Basques upheld their part of the deal, on Liberation Day in Paris they marched under their beloved Ikurriña, my grandfather did not get to see that day, he died in operations in the area of Montalivet.

Now this clown De Villepin goes to Iparralde to deny the Basques their right to have their own department, he goes to Iparralde to tell the Basques that in France only French must be spoken as to "preserve national unity".

Vive la Liberté!

De Villepin turns down Batera’s four requests

The French Interior Minister signed an agreement to set up a Public Bureau for Basque Language Policy, in addition to a collaboration agreement established with the Département on Basque language teaching

Eneko Bidegain – BAIONA (Bayonne)

“Your fathers shed their blood for the [French] Fatherland, today you devote all your energy to France.” That is how Dominique de Villepin padded out his speech to show how “proud” he was of “the Basque Country being in France”. The French Interior Minister came to the Northern Basque Country yesterday with lots of compliments like that. But with little else besides.

He spoke in front of numerous elected representatives in the Chamber of Commerce. It was a long speech full of platitudes about the Basque Country but lacking in content. He confirmed his position against the creation of a Basque Département. He rejected the official recognition of the Basque language. “We have to defend diversity without damaging unity,” he explained to reporters.

Yet the main focus of De Villepin’s visit was based on the work to support the Basque language. At the building of the General Council in Baiona (Bayonne) he signed an agreement on the creation of a Public Bureau for Basque Language Policy. Jean-Jacques Lasserre praised the work of the associations. “Without your work the Basque language would have been about to disappear. Thanks to you we have developed an awareness with respect to the language.” The words of the Chairman of the General Council were like a victory speech. He presented the creation of a Public Bureau as “the finishing line”.

.... ... .

Batera's Proposals

Yesterday in Berria.info:

Batera forum proposes constructive action as well as disobedience

A process of debate is underway between now and December 13, which is the deadline France has been given

Eneko Bidegain – BAIONA (Bayonne)

“So far 500 people have filled in the commitment paper,” shouted Jean-Noel Etxeberri as the head of the “Batera” march was approaching the finish. Thousands of people converged on Baiona yesterday afternoon in support of a Basque département, official recognition of the Basque language, a chamber of agriculture and its own university. The paper asks for a commitment to be taken to occupy the buildings of official institutions. Ten minutes later they totalled 540. It will be one of the mainstays of the Batera forum’s strategy. The debate will continue until December 13 and yesterday other lines of action were presented.

One of them is based on disobedience. Actions like the occupation of public buildings, the disruption of the meetings of the Development Council, the Council of Elected Representatives and the General Council, the “dismantling” of the Millau McDonalds, hunger strikes, etc. are also mentioned in the papers distributed among the demonstrators. Another possibility is the indefinite occupation of some symbolic building.

The second most important mainstay will be constructive action. A proposal has been put forward that a “parallel” General Council be created. This would consist of a language council, an agricultural council and an office for economic development and university matters. Everyone who wishes can pay a “tax” by making a donation, or organise festivals with the participation of the Udalbiltza and the Government of the BAC [Basque Autonomous Community of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa]. This General Council would “pursue initiatives to push through its proposals” and would “reach agreements with the Udalbiltza, the universities of the BAC, Europe, associations of cities, companies, etc.”

Another focal point of the work will be to demand that a referendum be organised. A campaign would be launched to demand this, and if it did not succeed, a process would be started so that the town councils themselves could organise a referendum.

.... ... .

Batera Seeks to Create Jobs

This effort to improve conditions in Iparralde is worth publishing about.

Here you have it:

Batera’s demands could create 5,000 jobs

Experts have examined the possible consequences in the area of employment if the Forum’s four demands are met

Eneko Bidegain – BAIONA

“How and why do certain elected representatives, despite being in the minority, insist on opposing our four demands and thereby go against the interests of the people of this country?” With this question Jean-Noel Etxeberri launched Batera’s campaign yesterday morning. “These people will have to explain themselves publicly.” Batera aims to hold the Deputies, Jean Grenet and Daniel Poulou and other “important” elected representatives, who are against a Basque department, responsible for opposing the creation of 5,000 jobs in the Northern Basque Country [under French jurisdiction].

According to the research the Batera forum has commissioned from a number of experts, if the four demands (a Basque département, the recognition of the Basque language, the département’s own university and a chamber of agriculture) were met, 4,920 jobs could be created directly or indirectly in the Northern Basque Country. The Batera forum has been meeting with economists, trade union leaders, university people, people involved in the Development Council, people working in Basque language and cultural activities, etc. They were asked to calculate how many jobs would be created in five years, if the four demands were met.

They concentrating on measuring the number of public sector jobs that would be created, because they have “objective data” for calculating this. They admitted that coming up with figures on the jobs that could be created in the private sector was more difficult, but they did, however, put forward some hypotheses regarding the jobs in the chamber of agriculture and the university.

Jean-Noel Etxeberri admitted that the study presented by Batera does not represent “the absolute truth.” “We have been working on modest hypotheses. They could be lower than what they might actually turn out to be. Moreover, we have not gauged the other benefits that could result from the creation of new jobs.” Batera does not want to resort to “demagogy by giving inflated figures”.

.... ... .

Batera in Baiona

For those who insist that the Basques from Iparralde are perfectly fine with the French occupation of their land here you have a note found at Yahoo News:

Thousands of people congregate in Baiona to demand recognition of the Northern Basque Country

The march started off in four columns and there were about 7,000 people in all in the pouring rain


E. Bidegain & N. Arbelbide/Baiona

An unusual demonstration was held on the streets of Baiona yesterday afternoon. According to the organisers about 7,000 people gathered at four different points in Baiona and then joined together at the San Leon crossroads. The demonstration organised by the "Batera" forum was a success, bearing in mind the driving rain, the cold and the wind, which didn't let up.

Under umbrellas or in the rain the people followed the route for two and a half hours. A special atmosphere was created by having four rendezvous and four routes, which converged at the end: one to demand a department for the Northern Basque Country, another for the official recognition of the Basque language, another for a Basque Chamber of Agriculture and the fourth for the Northern Basque Country's own university.

.... ... .