Week of International Solidarity

This call to solidarity with Euskal Herria was sent to us by our friends from the Irish Solidarity Committees with the Basque Country:

18th-24th February International Week of Solidarity with the Basque Country.

Thursday 21st Film Screenings:

Belfast: 7pm Felons Club.

Cork: 6pm University College Cork.

Saturday 23rd Picket lines:

Derry: 2pm Free Derry Corner.

Belfast: 2pm Cultúrlann, Falls Road.

Dublin: 12pm GPO.

Cork: 2pm Daunt’s Square.

Tuesday 26th:

Dublin: Film screening Teacher’s Club, Parnell Square.

SUPPORT DEMOCRACY FOR THE BASQUE COUNTRY. STOP REPRESSION.

Last year once again, the Spanish government destroyed all hopes of resolving the conflict between the Basque Country and the French and Spanish States.

During the negotiations:

- the majority of pro-independence organisations continued to be banned.

- Several media were closed down.

- 40 pro-independence activists were called to appear before court due to their political or social activities.

- 50 political events of the pro-independence movement were banned.

- 25 demonstrations were brutally attacked.

- 200 militants were sentenced for their activities before the negotiation period.

- 700 check points were detected on the roads.

- The Spanish army carried out operations in 30 towns in the south of the Basque Country.

- 500 people were identified for so called propaganda activities.

- Dozens of people were fined for participating or requesting permission to organise political events.

- The Spanish government increased the maximum penalty for “terrorism acts” to 40 years, ten additional years.

- Political prisoner Iñaki de Juana went on hunger strike for 100 days to protest against the fact that he had been sentenced to 3 additional years for writing an opinion article.

- Pro-independence Basque citizens denounced being tortured.

- The arrest of ETA volunteers continued…

Despite their maintaining the truce his, the pro-independence movement remained at the negotiating table until the Spanish government withdrew leaving the pro-independence movement alone at the table.

Since the end of the negotiations:

- the number of political prisoners has been increased by 120 people.

- There are currently 700 political prisoners (out of the Basque Country’s population of under 3 million inhabitants).

- 42 people have been imprisoned for their social and political activities.

- New trials are approaching: Udabiltza the association of elected representatives, the anti-repressive group Askatasuna, the political party Batasuna, whose executive is currently in prison. There will be more illegalisations, torture has increased with detainees ending up in hospital with serious injuries and with disturbing rape allegations while in police hands.

The intent is clear: the total intimidation and legal destruction of the pro-independence left movement and of its social and political support.

The pro-independence movement continues to defend the same proposal as during the negotiations :

- A statute of autonomy for the four Basque provinces under Spanish rule including the right to self-determination.

- A statute of autonomy also for the three provinces which are under French administration with a framework that gives the opportunity to develop all political projects.

These are hard times for the Basque Country. We are calling on international solidarity to mobilise, to denounce the denial of political and social rights and to support the right of the Basque Country to self-determination.

Irish Basque Committees

www.irishbasquecommittees.blogspot.com
irishbasques@hotmail.com
Listen to Basque Info online Tuesdays 6.30-7pm at www.feilefm.com

Eskerrik asko!

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Udalbiltza : Unified Celebration

This text was sent to us by our friends from Udalbiltza:

UDALBILTZA

ABERRI EGUNA 2007

DECLARATION

THE MOMENT HAS COME TO ACT LIKE A NATION. FROM THE ABERRI EGUNA, LET US FACE TOGETHER THE CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY EUSKAL HERRIA’S NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION.

Today represents an important date in Euskal Herria’s national calendar: today is the Aberri Eguna, the day of Euskal Herria and the Basque citizenry. Today Euskal Herria constitutes a nation without statehood, given that the Spanish and French states refuse to accept it as such. Due to this situation, the Basque citizenry is not free, because it is not subject to the rights enshrined by the international rights’ declarations.

More so, the tendency by the Basque citizenry to allow divisions within itself has exercised a great influence in the difficult situation we live in. The time has come for us to overcome those divisions. The Basque citizenry will open a brand new age, but for this it is fundamental that we present ourselves as a nation, not only before the states that violate our national rights, but before Europe and the entire world. An Euskal Herria above any imposed borders, three million inhabitants, 685 municipalities, seven territories, and one Basque community in the Diaspora… one nation that pretends to regain its sovereignty.

It is because of this that, historically, the organization of a joined Aberri Eguna has been of great importance. We should recall the very first ones, the ones that took place before Franco’s uprising, the ones that took place after his death and the ones from the last few years; the success obtained during 1999 and 200 in hundreds of municipalities from the hand of Udalbiltza. Fortunately enough, dozens of municipalities have maintained this tendency and its model has been echoed successfully even within the Diaspora. This year, let us commend the great step taken thanks to the demonstration that, from the hand of renown Basque personalities has brought together Irun and Hendaia, for this constitutes proof that, although slowly, we advance in the right direction.

Nevertheless, this can not be the exception but the rule. We must learn how to take advantage of the opportunities presented to us today. Above all the apparent difficulties, the will of our society to overcome the conflict once and for all, becoming the driving force for the political process that will usher a new and more democratic stage, is gaining strength; and the right of Euskal Herria to organize itself as a nation, politically and institutionally, has achieved great acceptance.

Our people have seen its freedom of speech and its freedom to build its own institutional work frame denied, and it must regain them. Therefore, we can not waste the opportunity presented to us by the elections within a year of municipal representatives in the seven territories, because this is a chance, starting with the institutions that are closer to the citizenry, to initiate the democratic organization of this nation. We must learn to overcome the divisions produced within Udalbiltza and seize this historic opportunity to build Euskal Herria politically and institutionally.

Euskal Herria needs an institution like Udalbiltza, capable of gathering the strength of all of Euskal Herria to ensure that, living anywhere they may, the Basque citizens are enabled to take part in the present democratic process, being this one only the first stage in the national institutional process. In any case, for all of this to become a reality, with utmost respect to the principles approved in the Euskalduna palace, Udalbiltza most adequate itself in order to be able to respond to the new needs of Euskal Herria’s new era, becoming a democratic agent that supports peace and the political process, developing the compromise assumed in favor of all the rights for the entire citizenry, presenting Udalbiltza as the first national institution consolidated and permanent as required by our people, favoring the structural process of our nation.

Being that Udalbiltza’s contribution to Euskal Herria can be so significant, it is time that we take some steps together. The cooperation and the dialogue are vital, this is why, with the firm conviction that the time for compromise has arrive to all of us, we conclude this institutional declaration for this year’s Aberri Eguna celebration with an open call:

1.- We call upon all of Euskal Herria’s social, political and worker union agents to, in this crossroad, assume their own responsibility and, leaving behind all partisanship, acting as one people while encompassing the whole of Euskal Herria, establishing the necessary democratic agreements.

2.- We call upon all of the Basque citizens, faced with the importance of this present moment we all live in, and above all perceived barriers, to get involved both in the construction of Euskal Herria and the dynamics regarding the democratic resolution of the conflict that we’ve endured for so long.

3.- We call upon the two states that violate the rights bestowed upon us as Basque citizens and as a people to not only recognize them but also to respect the political rights of Euskal Herria.

4.- We call upon all nations and states around the world, and specially the European ones, to support and facilitate Euskal Herria’s political process, defending, acknowledging and guaranteeing the rights of the Basque citizenry enshrined in the international treaties created to protect these very rights.

5.- Finally, we call upon the leadership of the political parties present in Euskal Herria and upon those who will be present as candidates in this upcoming electoral process to vindicate the necessity to celebrate democratic elections, and also to defend the people’s will. More so, to strengthen their bonds and to make public their compromise to create a national institution that gathers within itself all of the municipal representatives.

Euskal Herria, April 8th of 2007

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Udalbiltza and the Aberri Eguna '06

This text was sent to us by Udalbiltza:

ON THE TRESHOLD OF A NEW ERA, ALL OF THE RIGHTS, TO ALL OF THE CITIZENS, IN ALL OF EUSKAL HERRIA

And after the harsh winter… spring arrives

Udalbiltza considers the spring of 2006 as the moment by the Basque citizenry to acquire a firm compromise, especially, because the announcement a few days ago by the ETA organization that has ushered a new era full of hope and opportunities. However, although we recognize the potential of this new era, the national institution calls for everyone to act with moderation.

The way is wide open, but there’s still much that needs to be done. This means that there is a lot of work to do in conjunction with all the different sensibilities present in today’s Basque society, with the aim of bridging the gaps open for so many years, while we strengthen the reciprocal trust among us.

We need to point out that since 1999, year in which Udalbiltza came to be, the political landscape has changed dramatically, both on the nation building process of our society and on all that is involved in the resolution of the conflict. We made some important gains, but, without a doubt, there is still a lot we can achieve. That is why, in Udalbiltza’s opinion, this is a historic and vital moment, the maturity and level of responsibility that must be shown by each one of the actors is framed by the acquisition of new compromises.

The national institution considers that this is the moment to establish a compromise and strengthen the collaboration in the scope of the rights of the Basque society and, that in this very moment the necessary conditions were created as the first few practical steps of a process that could resolve the conflict are being taken, here you have the position assumed by the national institution: all of the rights, to all of the citizens, in all of Euskal Herria. This is Udalbiltza’s contribution, and this is, precisely, the key to the final resolution of the conflict.

It is within this context, that we find ourselves just a few days away from the Aberri Eguna.

The national institution is willing to acquire this afore mentioned compromise, collaborating with the new actors, with the goal of regaining its sense of priority. Behind the scope of this effort we find the work done in behalf of the rights of Euskal Herria and the Basque society, and it is within that frame that the national institution found its rightful place, demanding the right to a nationality, which is an inalienable right of the Basque people, taking it from the theory into the practice.

Udalbiltza adheres itself to the effort carried out by the Assembly for the National Development towards the celebration of an united and dignified Aberri Eguna, making this ideal our own, based on the principles and philosophy of collaboration that Udalbiltza has encouraged for years.

We are working towards disseminating this Aberri Eguna celebration to all the municipalities in Euskal Herria, with the sole objective of making the initiatives as inclusive as possible. We also call for all the Basque citizens spread around the world to celebrate this day that defines all the Basque society in each one of their communities, united and through a number of different acts.

Because this new era demands our effort and compromise,

Gora Euskal Herria!!

Euskal Herria, April 5th of 2006

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Udalbiltza's Push for Nationhood

Very interesting note, indeed.

Loren Arkotxa, leader of Udalbiltza, the first Basque national institution, told Berria that his organization is ready to present the request for nationhood for Euskal Herria to the UN.

Here you have the note:

Arkotxa: “We are going to proclaim our nationhood in the UN and request that it be recognised”

The Udalbiltza continues its work, difficulties notwithstanding. Its chairman, Loren Arkotxa, is proud of the work it has done and upbeat about the future

Aitziber Laskibar – DURANGO (Bizkaia)

We met Loren Arkotxa (Ondarroa, Bizkaia, 1945) on Spanish Constitution Day (December 6). Before going to the demo called by the Bai Euskal Herriari (Yes to the Basque Country) initiative in Durango, he told us that the demand for Basque nationhood would lead to practical results “sooner rather than later”. That is the context in which the campaign Udalbiltza is due to launch tomorrow is set. They will be requesting that Basque nationhood be recognised in the UN. On the other hand, he is optimistic and hopeful about the resolution of the Basque conflict, even though he reckons he has a “70% chance” of being sent to prison, in view of how the 18/98 is progressing.

Now that the Udalbiltza has been in existence for six years, you have been quoted as saying that one era has come to an end and that another cycle will be starting. What has the past era been and what can one expect of the new one?

The Udalbiltza was founded six years ago. When it was founded, it had to fill many gaps. And these six years have been truly fruitful for the Udalbiltza and, in my view, what the Udalbiltza has given has also been fruitful. In other words, at that time significant players were thin on the ground, although that is not the case today. For instance, the Conflict Resolution Commission and the National Development Council that have been created out of the Forum for National Debate, which has a National Plan today. This has filled many gaps and that is where our work and efforts have been directed from the very start. On the other hand, the Udalbiltza has struck deals to collaborate with many other social players. Even though the public at large has many players, what was needed was one that somehow linked them in a national perspective. And that is why we are saying that a period has somehow been completed. And from now on we will have to pursue other lines. In other words, the Udalbiltza will be moving towards its natural position; in other words, municipal work and the work of municipal elected representatives from the perspective of the whole of Euskal Herria. The Udalbiltza is obviously not an Eudel. It does not simply look to municipalities, but is also an institution to conduct work on a national level for the whole of the Euskal Herria from the town councils. I think the elected municipal representatives are active elements. (…)

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EHNA in Argentina

Udalbiltza gladly announces a deal between Udalbiltza and a number of Eusko Etxeas in Argentina to start issuing the EHNA to Basques in that country.

Here you have the information:

Udalbiltza will sign agreements with Argentine euskal etxeak to allow EHNA processing in the Diaspora

Within the important framework of the National Basque Week in Argentina, which is being held in the city of Necochea this year, Udalbiltza announced it will sign agreements with a series of euskal etxeak in order to make the processing of Euskal Herriko Naziotasun Aitormena (EHNA, Declaration of Basque Nationality) possible for the Diaspora of the said South American country. At least three euskal etxeak expressed their disposition to process EHNA.

This initiative was presented by the elected councillor for Irun and member of the Udalbiltza Executive Commission, Peio Gascon, during a press conference held in Necochea, the location of the aforementioned yearly events, which congregates over a thousand members of the Basque population in Argentina. Gascon appeared before the press flanked by representatives of the towns of Trenque Lauquen (Ignacio Uriarte), Buenos Aires (Irene López), Rosario (Santiago Bereciartua) and San Miguel (Mariana Fernández).

After expressing the gratefulness of the Basque national institution towards the Diaspora in Argentina, “for having maintained and extended Basque culture all year round, and especially this week”, Gascon stressed that this year the Udalbiltza delegation “has not just come to inform you of the situation in the Basque Country and to listen to your thoughts and contributions, we are also offering the Diaspora an opportunity to take part in the Nation Building process and in the struggle to obtain all political and civil rights for the Basque Country”.

He said, “As part of its defence of the rights of the Basque Country, Udalbiltza will continue on the road we begun with the Charter of Rights of the Basque Country, in favour of the right of our country to have national status”. He insisted that “in this field of political and civil rights , the Basque Country, thanks to Udalbiltza, has a practical tool: EHNA, a declaration of Basque nationality which all Basques can join through a personal and freely taken decision”. Then he announced that “as of this week, we are extending EHNA processing to Basques from the Diaspora”.

Gascon explained it was an initiative directed at the Diaspora, “in order to claim Basque nationality, which cannot be substituted by any other nationality”, in a reference to the nationality of Diaspora Basques, in this case, Argentine nationality. Thus, he pointed out that EHNA processing within the Basque community overseas “will only afford a chance to declare the internationally recognised right through which any person has a right to a nationality”. “Through EHNA, the declaration of Basque nationality, all Basques have an opportunity to express their link to the Basque Country in an individual and collective manner” he added.

“today, we have been joined by a number of people and euskal etxeak from Argentina, who support and will bolster the EHNA dynamics in this country” said Gascón, who highlighted the fact that the General Villegas, Trenque Lauquen and Tres Arroyos euskal etxeak will take on EHNA processing on an institutional level. In addition, EHNA will also be processed (through people expressly authorised for this task) in Buenos Aires, Rosario and Bolivar. However, Gascon expressed his conviction that “more euskal etxeak will join this initiative from now on”.

*You can also read the entire text in Euskera at Artxiboak.

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Civil and Political Rights

There is a very interesting article at Berria today, it provides information about the upcoming trial in the 18/98 Case and the so called "Excercise Book".

Here you have the entire article, is worth reading:

Demand for civil and political rights receives broad support

A thick, colourful, varied ‘Exercise Book’ reached its finishing post and two volumes were needed to include all the contributions

Aitziber Laskibar – DURANGO (Bizkaia)

The hearing in the 18/98 Case is about to start. Within a week 59 Basque citizens will be tried at the Spanish National Criminal Court. The Public Prosecutor is not only requesting 991 years behind bars for the indictees but also the dissolving of certain companies. But the 59 will not be going down to Madrid on their own; they will be going with the support of thousands of citizens. With the words and drawings that have been added to the ‘Exercise Book’ and with the warmth reflected in yesterday’s event in Durango (Bizkaia), which a large crowd turned out for.

After crossing the whole of the Basque Country, the ‘Exercise Book’ was nice and thick by the time it got to Durango. There wasn’t room for the contributions people had added to be fitted into one volume, so more than two were needed. It is thick, colourful and varied. That is the final result of the ‘Exercise Book’. It has become a symbol because many, many Basque citizens feel there has been an abuse of civil and political rights. According to the journalist Mariano Ferrer of the 18/98 + Group, thousands of people have experienced these abuses personally; they feel “involved”. That is why there have been so many “personal and intimate” contributions. Ferrer expressed the view that the public at large had understood that the abuses of civil and political rights affect everyone.

People of many different persuasions have also made their own demands in favour of rights. Proof of this is the origin of those who took part in the initiatives in Durango. The number of people indicted in the cases included in the 19/98+ Group was also clear yesterday. These cases involve over 200 indictees and wherever one looked one could see people facing charges in one case or another. Among those who turned up were Loren Arkotxa and Maribi Ugarteburu of Udalbiltza; Martxelo Otamendi, Iñaki Uria and Joanmari Larrarte of Egunkaria;Arnaldo Otegi, Pernando Barrena and Joseba Permach of Batasuna; Juan Mari Olano and Jon Enparantza of the Pro-Amnesty Movement (AAM); Rafa Diez of the trade union LAB and most of the indictees in the cases relating to the Haika and Segi Basque nationalist left youth organisations. They were joined by Jone Goirizeliala, Arantza Zulueta and Iker Urbina, the lawyers defending them.

Yesterday a prominent role was taken by the indictees in the 18/98 case, which is about to start; they climbed up onto the stage and filled it. They got a warm round of applause from the audience. They in turn applauded the people who had come to support them.

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Udalbiltza Is Back

The nation building process in Euskal Herria requires the compromise and efforts of the Basque people in the seven provinces.

Udalbiltza, the first Basque institution representative of all the seven herrialdes is back after the repressive attack by Madrid:

The day after the second anniversary of the police operation against Udalbiltza, its chairman, Loren Arkotxa, asserted yesterday that the national institution continued to be valid and was fully committed to contributing to the process which needed to be started in Euskal Herria.

Berria goes on to publish Arkotxa's call to unity:

He called for a commitment from every single player. He extended “an invitation” for the resources of political, social and trade union players and of representatives of the institutions “to be placed at the service of the process” and urged that “the political moment be put to advantage”.

Finally, he insists on the need to apply a democratic model that will provide a voice to all Basques:

He said: “The outlines of the model of a democratic process to enable Basque citizens to express their wishes have begun to take shape.” He said at the heart of this process lay the need for consensus among all Basque citizens, a process without exclusions and a chance for all Basque citizens to be given a say.

You can read the note as published by Berria here.

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Clamp Down on Batasuna

Aznar may be gone, but his legacy is still providing scumbags like Baltasar Garzón with the perfect excuse to attack members of a political party and accuse them of working for ETA.

And after two years of "investigation" he backs up his hypothesis with theories, how professional of him.

Here is the note at Berria that depicts the last Garzonada:

Garzon charges 36 Batasuna members with being ETA members

In a 267-page indictment the judge confirms his hypothesis put forward in the 18/98 Case and includes all the organisations of the Basque National Liberation Movement within the armed organisation “in one way or another”

Aitziber Laskibar – BILBO

Baltasar Garzon, the Spanish National Criminal Court judge, issued his indictment yesterday on the 35/02 case relating to Batasuna and the Herriko Tabernas. In it Garzon pursues the same line of argument as in the legal proceedings instituted in the 18/98 Case and maintains that all the organisations within the Basque National Liberation Movement (ENAM) are, “in one way or another”, part of the armed organisation, On the basis of this argument Garzon has indicted 36 members of the HB, Euskal Herritarrok and Batasuna, accusing them of “being members of a terrorist organisation”. The indictment is 267 pages long and in it Garzon develops his arguments at length. The 36 people concerned have been summonsed to the Spanish National Criminal Court on Monday morning to have their charges read out to them.

Judge Garzon has also decided to maintain the precautionary measures which have hitherto been in place. So apart from the freezing of Batasuna’s accounts, the seizure of the Herriko Tabernas remains in force. The judge believes that the indictees committed crimes through the Herriko Tabernas, and that is why he deduces that they are ETA members.

The indictees also include members of the BAC-Basque Autonomous Community Parliament, but they cannot be indicted and tried by the National Criminal Court. So the Judge of the 5th Examining Court of the National Criminal Court has requested the High Court of the BAC to start proceedings against them.

Garzon has used two main arguments to say that Batasuna members are members of ETA: a political and an economic one. He says that in both these spheres all the organisations in the ENAM operate within “the same parameters” and that puts them all inside ETA. This argument begins with a sentence on the first pages of the indictment made public yesterday: “ETA has not only used HB, EH and Batasuna in the political and institutional sphere, it has also used them in the economic sphere for its funding.”

In the case against Batasuna, Garzon has included the same analysis that he made concerning the funding of the ENAM in the 18/98 Case, in the one against the Pro-Amnesty Committees (AAB), in the case against Haika and Segi (Basque nationalist left youth movements) and in the Udalbiltza case. He considers the AEK, the HB, the AAB and a number of companies to be “large companies” of the ENAM. He says that the stands (set up to sell refreshments during local fêtes), the sale of materials of the organisations, the membership fees and draws all constitute sources of funding for all of them.

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Press Release

Six months ago IBO sent out this press release about the arrest of Basque journalist and politician Xarlo Etxezaharetta: Basque Journalist Snatched Off The Street. Here is a little update.

Yesterday, the Audencia Nacional decreed that Xarlo and three other members of the political federation Udalbiltza, Loren Arkotxa, Miren Josu Aranburu and Imanol Esnaola, will be released from prison upon posting bail. We are extremely happy that these men and women will finally be released from prison and we fully expect that they will be found innocent of charges when their trials do come up in the next year or so. The question is, why did it take six months and more for these people to be released from prison? Maybe now that actual ETA members are being captured, the authorities decided to release some of the innocent prisoners? Maybe under the new government, the authorities are trying to send a message that they can be a little more reasonable? Who knows...this is all conjecture.

I would also like to remind you of the tragic case of Ainara Gorostiaga who was just released from prison this past week after serving 2 years for a crime she did not commit. For two years she proclaimed her innocence and declared that her confessions and testimony given against several other people were tortured out of her. For two years the authorities ignored her pleas, claiming she was just following the ETA handbook by claiming torture. Then, a real member of ETA, Ibon Fernandez-Irati, was captured and in his papers were the accounts of the killing that Ainara was accused of, accounts which proved her innocence and the innocence of those she implicated under torture. Ainara was immediately set free.

http://www.berria.info/english/ikusi.php?id=369

You would think that the human rights organizations in Spain would be outraged. There has been no comment. You would think that a story like this would be front page news. Spanish newspapers have not carried the story; only Basque newspapers.

Perhaps an American newspaper will do what the Spanish papers won't?

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The Professor's Legacy

It was a bittersweet day yesterday in the Basque Country, on one side there was happiness due to the release of four courageous Basques that have been in jail accused of abetting terrorrism just because they belong to Udalbiltza, the Basque Country political institution that empompasses the seven provinces. After more than a year the Spanish authorities have been unable to come up with solid evidence so they ordered them released on bail, which means that now they have to pay their ransoms and still fight hard to prove their innocence since the Spanish system refuses to admit they are victims of a witch hunt and exonerate them.

And all of this is the legacy that the spanking new Professor at Georgetown University leaves behind. Hundreds of Basques are today in jail for the only crime of loving their country and working towards the advancement of Basque culture, language and the dream of achieving self determination.

While the Spanish regime was busy prosecuting innocent people (and holding their lives in the mean time preventing them from using them to strenghten the Basque organizations working towards solidifying the Basque cultural and political identities), the real terrorists got deep within the Spanish state and were able to plan the attacks on Madrid and the subsequent acts of violence like the bomb found on a train last week and the standoff that resulted on the death of four terrorists and one special forces agent, a bombing that also destroyed a building and wounded eleven police officers.

And I say it was bittersweet because eight more people related to the Udalbiltza case are still in jail, waiting for the Spanish Inquisidor Baltasar Garzon to either free them or hold them for even a longer time on some hokey pokey charges,

Freedom to the Udalbiltza eight!

Arkotxa, Esnaola, Etxezaharreta and Aranburu to go free

If the four are released today, another seven linked to the case will still be in prison

Eider Goenaga – DONOSTIA (San Sebastian)

Loren Arkotxa, Imanol Esnaola, Miren Josu Aranburu and Xarlo Etxezaharreta, four
of the people linked to the Udalbiltza case and who had been in custody, are to be allowed to leave prison today after the Spanish National Criminal Court ordered that they should be released on bail. The Court’s decision was announced yesterday, but the families of the four did not have time to pay. Once they have done so, the detainees could leave prison today. Arkotxa, Esnaola and Aranburu have been ordered to post bail of 30,000 euros each and Etxezaharreta 60,000 euros.

When the four are released, seven will remain in custody in connection with the Udalbiltza case: Karmele Urbistondo, Miriam Campos, Lander Etxebarria, Txema Jurado, Oskar Goñi, Xabier Alegria and Joseba Garmendia. Back in September and October last year Eider Casanova, Leire Idoiaga and Larraitz Sanzberro were released by Judge Baltasar Garzon.

On April 29 it will be a year since Judge Baltasar Garzon ordered the raid on Udalbiltza. His committal warrant states that Udalbiltza is “ ETA’s tool”. He outlawed Udalbiltza and accused the detainees of being ETA members and of promoting the creation of the AuB and the town platforms (*) on the orders of the organisation. The Spanish Supreme Court in fact based its suspension of the AuB and the town platforms on Garzon’s warrant.

In that police raid Garzon remanded eight people in custody –Campos, Etxebarria, Idoiaga, Casanova, Urbistondo, Sanzberro, Jurado and Goñi– and despite the Public Prosecutor’s request to allow Idoiaga to go free, the Judge remanded them all in custody. But the Udalbiltza operation did not end there. On May 23 last year Garzon summoned four more people to give evidence and except for Xabier Iragorri, the Mayor of Oiartzun (Gipuzkoa), the other three –Arkotxa, Esnaola and Aranburu– were remanded in custody. On the same day he also questioned Xabier Alegria, detained in connection with the operation against Egunkaria, and Joseba Garmendia, in custody in the operation against Batasuna’s Herriko Tabernas and party premises. Both were already in custody and Garzon added Udalbiltza to their previous charges. The last arrest was that of Xarlo Etxezaharreta. Garzon took advantage of a visit to the Southern Basque Country of this former elected representative of Hazparne (Lapurdi). His arrest took place in Abadiño (Bizkaia) when he was participating in Askapena’s Internationalist Day. He was charged with working to consolidate Udalbiltza in the Northern Basque Country, despite the fact that it had not been outlawed there.

(*) Set up to represent Basque nationalist left interests in the May 2003 municipal elections after Batasuna had been banned.

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Oleaga is Free

Today at Berria:

Oleaga free after eight and a half months behind bars

Judge Del Olmo also ordered Xabier Alegria’s release on bail, but the latter will have to remain in custody in connection with the ‘Udalbiltza’ case; Inaki Uria will also have to stay in prison as the judge has taken no decision with respect to him

Imanol Murua Uria – DONOSTIA (San Sebastian)

After being behind bars for eight and a half months in connection with the Egunkaria case Xabier Oleaga was released from prison last night after posting bail of 30,000 euros. Juan Del Olmo, the Spanish National High Court Judge, also ordered the release of Xabier Alegria on bail of 50,000 euros, but the latter will have to remain in the prison of Soto del Real [near Madrid], because he is in unconditional custody in connection with the Udalbiltza case. Judge Del Olmo did not announce any decision regarding Inaki Uria, so the unconditional custody of Egunkaria’s Managing Director in the prison of Aranjuez will remain unchanged for the time being.

According to the writ issued yesterday, the Public Prosecutor had requested the release of Oleaga and Alegria on bail arguing that the “change in the personal situation of these two among the three accused” will not impede the case proceedings. The writ made no mention of Uria’s situation.

Oleaga, Alegria and Uria were arrested by the Spanish Civil Guard in the police operation to close down Egunkaria on February 20 along with another seven people, who were later released on bail. Like Martxelo Otamendi [Egunkaria’s Chief Editor], the three reported that they had been tortured during the five days held incommunicado in the hands of the Spanish Civil Guard and were later taken to the prison of Soto del Real. Alegria is still there, Uria was taken to Aranjuez [Madrid] and Oleaga was in the prison of Navalcarnero, [Madrid], until last night. Xabier Oleaga is from Errenteria (Gipuzkoa) and worked for Egunkaria from 1994 to 1996 as Deputy Chairman of the Board. From 1997 onwards he worked for the “Partaide” association of Ikastolas [Basque-medium schools].

.... ... .

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.

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IBO : Xarlo Etxezaharreta Kidnapped

Here you have another demand for the immediate liberation of Xarlo Etxezaharreta, abducted in Hegoalde by the Spanish secret service, this one from the International Basque Organization for Human Rights:

September 29, 2003

Basque Journalist snatched off the street

Sunday night in Abadiño finished off a day of festivals. XarloEtxezaharreta was escorting a visiting friend around the region and was about to drive his friend home. Suddenly, strange men surround all, and Xarlo was put into a car and driven away. No charges read, no explanations given. None are needed when the victim is Basque and the arrestor is the Spanish Guardia Civil. All the more frightening is that Xarlo is from Hazparne,the northern Basque region, and is a French citizen.

Xarlo's friends were stranded and frightened, not knowing at that time who these men were or why they took Xarlo. His family was contacted and was confused, having thought of no apparent reasons for his arrest.

Sixty two year old Xarlo Etxezaharreta is the editor of the Basque political magazine Kale Gorria. This magazine writes commentary on politicians and organizations in Spain and the Basque region. In its previous incarnation, Ardi Beltza, Spanish authorities accused the magazine of being part of the terrorist group ETA because its articles were critical of politicians and those in authority. The magazine’s editor at the time, Pepe Rei, was imprisoned and later released due to lack of evidence.

Xarlo is also a member of Udalbiltza, a political group that spanned all regions of the Basque country. Udalbiltza was an organization made up of politicians and others from hundreds of city and town councils of the Basque region within Spain and France. They regularly met and discussed ways of working together politically, to advance Basque cultural and political causes. Spanish authorities did not like Udalbiltza. Here was an organization of Basque politicians, spanningborders, working together legally to change their political landscape. In order to stop this, the authorities called Udalbiltza an "integration of ETA" They outlawed Udalbiltza, and asked the United States to add them to their list of terrorist organizations. The US, owing a favor to their Iraqi War allies, did just that.

It was because of Xarlo's participation in Udalbiltza that he was arrested and held incommunicado this past Sunday night. Xarlo now joins the ranks of the dozens of politicians and journalists currently being held for the same reason: that they dared to work in a legal manner to change their political reality in the Basque Country.

International Basque Organization For Human Rights
PO Box 225 Corte Madera, CA 94976
www.euskojustice.org

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ADV : Free Xarlo!

Xarlo Etxezaharreta has been abducted by the Spanish secret police following an arrest order by Baltasar Garzón.

This is the press release by the Asociación Diáspora Vasca (Basque Diaspora Association) demanding Xarlo's liberation:

INTERNATIONAL PROTEST BY THE BASQUE DIASPORA ASSOCIATION OVER DETENTION OF ONE OF ITS MEMBERS

The Basque Diaspora Association, which groups Basque citizens and Basque descendants who live in twenty countries around the world, denounces the arrest yesterday (September 28th, 2003), on what amounts to abduction of Xarlo Etxezaharreta, natural and resident of Hazparne (Northern Euskal Herria, under French administration) on thetown of Abadiño (Southern Euskal Herria, under Spanish administration).

After being taken to an undisclosed location by his abducters in plain cloths, sketchy information indicate that Mr. Etxezaharreta was abducted following orders of Judge Baltasar Garzon Real. It is believed at this time while awaiting confirmation that he will be accused of colaborating with the armed Basque group Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA), also as being involved with Udalbiltza, organization of Basque representatives elected in formal elections, but criminalized under judicial investigation ordered by Garzon Real himself.

At this time we denounce the blatant abduction by Spanish police officers. The operative by the law enforcement agents mirrors the one that took place recently in Venezuela, where Jose Ramon Foruria Zubialdea was abducted and illegally turned into the hands of the Spanish police despite him holding the Venezuelan citizenship. This took place last week, and it has its precedents on the illegal prodedures that ended up on the unlawful deportation against Basque citizens Sebas Etxaniz Alkorta and Bittor Galarza.

At this time, the Basque Diaspora Association does everything in its power to make sure that the Argentinian authorities do not give up to the demands by the Spanish government to extradite Jose Lariz, on preventive detention after being shamefuly expelled from Uruguay by the local authorities. On a heart lifting note, Mexico's government rejected ten days ago the extradition process against Lorenzo Llona, closing a judicial process that was corrupted by political quagmires and judicial treacheries under the lead of Garzon Real.

Xarlo Etxezaharreta is the director of Basque magazine "Kale Gorria" and he is an important and beloved member of the Basque Diaspora Association. From the everyday contact with him we admire his deep love towards everything Basque, his profound loyalty towards Euskal Herria, his solidarity with all the oppressed peoples, his sense of humor and his exemplary family life.

Xarlo Etxezaharreta joins Miriam Campos who was previously arrested and is today in jail under a sentence ad hoc instructed against her by Garzon Real. Miriam Campos who belongs to the previously mentioned organization Udalbiltza is part of our association too, which entitles us to be character witnesses of her high moral and human standards. Despite this, the Spanish executive/judicial tandem keeps her behind bars.

The abduction of Mr. Etxezaharreta is blatant example of the repression against the Basque people by the Spanish state. The way the case developes will demonstrate the degree of permisivness and complicity by the French state, Mr. Etxeharreta is under French jurisdiction due to the fact that he is a Basque citizen who was born and lives on territory under French administration.

In broadcasting this new abuse without borders against the Basque people, the Basque Diaspora Association appeals to the sensibility of individuals and organizations working in the defense of human rights, human rights which include the right to self determination of every people in the world. We also ask from the people reading this statement to express within their own space and means their rejection to this new abuse and display of excessive force by a state.

Asociación Diáspora Vasca
29 de septiembre de 2003

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Mounting Attack on Udalbiltza

With his boss Jose Maria Aznar in excellent stance with the big dogs the inquisidor Baltasar Garzon is free to do as he pleases when it comes to strengthening the political Apartheid stance against Basque society.

Five more members of Udalbiltza have been abducted by Spain's repressive forces deployed in Euskal Herria. Here you have an article regarding this new attack against democracy in the Basque Country:

Spanish Judge Orders Jail for 5 Basque Politicians

Fri May 23, 7:48 PM ET

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish High Court Judge Baltasar Garzon has sent to prison five leaders of a Basque local government association who he accuses of links to armed separatist group ETA, judicial sources said.

Garzon ordered the five, several of whom are town councillors, held without bail pending trial after questioning them Friday, the sources said.

The five are leaders of Udalbiltza, an association of Basque Country town halls created by nationalist parties, including radical groups such as Batasuna which was banned in March for not condemning ETA violence.

The five are accused of cooperating with an armed group.

Garzon described Udalbiltza in court documents as "a platform under the direct and exclusive control of ETA through ... Batasuna."

Garzon's move is the latest step in a wide-ranging crackdown by Spain's government and courts on ETA and people accused of being its political allies.

It came on the last day of campaigning for Sunday's local elections throughout Spain.

The five sent to jail include the mayor of the Basque town of Ondarroa, Loren Arkotxa, and town councillors Miren Josu Aramburu and Imanol Esnaola. The two other Udalbiltza leaders ordered held were Xabier Alegria and Joseba Mikel Garmendia.

Garzon released another politician on bail of 50,000 euro ($58,910) -- the mayor of the Basque town of Oyarzun, Xabier Iragorri.

All six denied any link to ETA, according to news reports.

Wednesday, a Spanish court ordered a radical seven-member group in the Basque regional parliament to be broken up, a step aimed at denying them powers that could aid ETA.

Batasuna attempted to run more than 1,000 candidates in Sunday's local elections under the party name AuB but had almost all of them struck down by the courts. Batasuna, which won 10 percent of the vote in the Basque Country in the last elections in 2001, denies it is part of ETA.

Since Spain is an openly fascist state the amount of money they demand for the political prisoners to be freed can not be called a bail, it is actually a ransom.

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Legal in France, Illegal in Spain

This article sheds light on how Batasuna (and Udalbiltza for that case) is legal in France while in Spain it has been banned over non substantiated accusations that it is ETA's political wing.

Here you have it:

Basque Batasuna party legal in France

By Elizabeth Bryant

United Press International
From the International Desk
Published 5/12/2003 3:40 PM

PARIS, May 12 (UPI) -- The Basque Batasuna Party is banned in Spain, and now figures on Washington's list of groups with suspected terrorism connections.

But Batasuna is alive and well in Bayonne, France, where it has established a French headquarters, and counts two party sympathizers on the local town council.

"For the moment, Batasuna's illegality is only recognized by the Spanish nation, and we haven't entered into that debate," said Yves Ugalde, cabinet director for the Bayonne city hall, in an interview United Press International Monday. "And Spain hasn't asked us to get into the debate."

Last week, Spanish courts barred hundreds of independence candidates from running in upcoming municipal elections because of their alleged Batasuna links.

The party says it champions an independent Basque homeland in southern France and northern Spain through the ballot box. But the government of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar argues Batasuna is nothing less than the political arm of ETA.

During Aznar's trip to Washington last week, the Bush administration also added Batasuna to its list of groups risking financial sanctions, for allegedly supporting terrorism.

Neither Spain nor the United States has asked Paris to place Batasuna on a similar list, a French Interior Ministry spokesman said Monday -- though such a request was apparently made to the European Union.

Nor has Spain asked France to ban Batasuna, the spokesman told UPI.

Leaders of Batasuna's Bayonne office could not be reached for comment. But Joseba Alvarez, a top official from the former Batasuna party in Spain, denied any links to terrorism.

"We consider ETA as a violent answer to an unresolved problem," he said in a telephone interview from San Sebastian, Spain. "We've been in existence for 23 years -- and become illegal only two months ago. Jose Marie Aznar is exploiting the climate created by Sept. 11."

As for Batasuna's arm in Bayonne, he said, "its a legal formation, just like any other" which campaigns to promote the Basque language, and more jobs, among other social issues, he said.

Despite the party's peaceful claims, Bayonne officials are eyeing the French Batasuna arm warily since its barring from Spain.

"Sure, there are lots of demonstrations in Bayonne, and Batasuna participates in each time," Ugalde said. "But they are totally correct, and legal."

"But the decision (to ban Batasuna) may have direct repercussions here," he added. "Although things are calm, for the moment.

Ties between Basque nationalist movements in France and Spain have grown in recent years. But French movements are far smaller than their Spanish counterparts, and receive a tiny fraction of popular support.

Meanwhile, cross-border cooperation has also grown between French and Spanish law enforcement officials.

French police, for example, arrested six alleged ETA members in southern France on Friday and Saturday. Their efforts received a warm thanks from the Spanish government.

And it is not exactly that the French authorities love the Basques, it is only that they are not as rabidly vicious as Aznar and Garzon. Until today that is, it could change.

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Ban On Independent Candidates

The Apartheid measures against Basque society keep piling up. Finding a courage they don't really have in the full support they are getting these days from Bush and Blair, the members of the Spanish political elite led by Aznar are taking this opportunity to launch an all-out attack against Euskal Herria. First it was Batasuna, later it was Egunkaria, then Udalbiltza and now, independent candidates.

All they need to do is to cry wolf (in this case, cry terrorist) and voila, they have full permission to do whatever they please to do against the Basque people.

Here you have the latest, from the heavily biased Yahoo News:

Spanish Court Bars Basque Separatist Candidates

Sat May 3, 6:02 PM ET

By Inmaculada Sanz

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Supreme Court barred hundreds of Basque independence candidates on Saturday from running in municipal elections this month on grounds they were successors to an outlawed Basque nationalist party.

The state attorney this week challenged 249 lists of candidates standing in regional elections in the Basque country, alleging each contained one or more members of the Batasuna party, outlawed in March for failing to condemn violence by the separatist ETA guerrilla group.

Justice Minister Jose Maria Michavila argued the lists contained candidates who were "clones" of Batasuna standing under new party names to circumvent the ban. He alleged that the 249 lists included 1,500 former Batasuna members.

The Supreme Court said in a statement it had upheld the challenges over 241 of the lists, meaning those candidates could not participate in the May 25 municipal elections.

Eight of the party lists were given clearance.

Candidates barred from running in the elections have until Monday to appeal to the constitutional court against the ruling.

Spain's center-right government, backed by the opposition Socialists, led the push to ban Batasuna, accusing it of supporting ETA.

Earlier, the regional head of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's Popular Party said the May 25 elections would be the "first in which ETA will not be present in the institutions of the Basque country."

"This is a success for Spanish democracy, this is a success for the maturity of Spanish society, this is an expression of justice," said Jaime Major Oreja.

But for Basque regional premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe, the official crackdown on Batasuna and its alleged successors had radicalized political and social life in the region.

"How far will they go to get a handful of votes for the Socialist Party and the Popular Party? By putting under suspicion the whole of Basque society, bishops, universities, newspapers, the media?" Ibarretxe said before the ruling.

"Is everyone who doesn't think like them in the service of ETA in this country?"

By the way, Ibarretxe, you need to do more than that.

.... ... .

Basque Priests' Letter to the Pope

You're about to read a rather unique and remarkable document, this is a letter that 530 Basque priests sent to Karol Wojtyla, the Polish who today heads the Catholic Church. When you read it take into consideration that Wojtyla is a true fascist, a backwards minded individual that has been harping to the most sinister characters in modern history.

Here you have it:

LETTER ADDRESSED BY 530 PRIESTS FROM THE BASQUE COUNTRY (Basque dioceses of Bayonne, Bilbao, Pamplona/Tudela and Vitoria) TO THE POPE JOHN PAUL II
___________________

The Basque Country
April, 2003
To His Holiness, Pope John Paul II
VATICAN CITY

Holy Father,

Your forthcoming visit to the Spanish State has prompted us priests of the Church in the Basque Country to write to you. The Church of the Basque Country consists of the dioceses of Bayonne, Bilbao, Pamplona/Tudela, San Sebastian and Vitoria, and it is where our pastoral ministry takes place to make God's kingdom of justice, love and peace present amid the conflicts that we as a People endure.

Fulfilling your wish to listen to and maintain contact with the Peoples where the Church you preside over in Christian love is present, we should like to bring to your attention the concerns that we have felt as priests in the Basque Country. We are particularly concerned about the fact that reports and interpretations, on occasions biased, from different political as well as ecclesiastical authorities will reach you in connection with the reality of our situation and will contribute towards creating moral confusion. As the principal representative of a Church which desires to be close to the poor and to those who suffer, we trust in your pastoral understanding.

Our People feel and know that the deepest roots of its political problems and the serious, painful, violent expressions of them lie in a conflict caused by the lack of recognition of our collective rights. As you yourself affirmed on the occasion of the World Peace Conference in 1999, "One of the most dramatic forms of discrimination is to deny ethnic groups and national minorities their basic right to exist as such. This happens when an attempt is made to suppress or exile them and when attempts are made to water down their ethnic identities to the point of rendering them unrecognisable. Is it possible to remain silent before such serious crimes against humanity? No effort should be spared when it comes to putting an end to these aberrations, which are unworthy of human beings."

Nevertheless, we believe that this situation can be resolved in a humane and evangelical way -as our Bishops have called for on numerous occasions- along the paths of dialogue and negotiation, respect, and the unfettered expression of all options in the absence of any kind of threat, and above all, through the exercise of the free decision of this People with neither impositions nor antidemocratic curbs. As your predecessor Pope Paul VI warned when he spoke to the Cardinals during the Christmas of 1974, "there can be no true and lasting peace until the rights of all Peoples, including the right to self-determination and independence, are properly recognised and honoured." From our own pastoral experience we believe that a necessary and decisive step towards reconciliation and peace lies in our People's right to existence in democratically expressed political ways.

We were deeply distressed -and a large group of us priests expressed this in two documents- that the latest Pastoral Statement of the Spanish Bishops' Conference, with a significant number of votes against, should refer to the demands of a Basque majority who, regarding themselves as a people, are crying out for individual and collective human rights, as totalitarian nationalism that aims to impose itself by means of terrorism, and absolutist ideology. Holy Father, we condemn any kind of terrorism and in particular that which is exerted from a position of power and directed by States. In order to be true to history we feel bound to point out that the origin of the current terrorist violence among us lies in the military uprising, the fratricidal war- blessed as a Crusade by the Church- and the Franco dictatorship.

We regret that the Statement neither mentioned nor ethically discredited the heightened Spanish nationalism and the repression of the Basque language and culture, which are so relevant today. The secular tradition, the current awareness and the ethical conduct of our People desire and seek peace in the coexistence of a pluralist society and in the inalienable respect of the right to freedom of all persons and Peoples. Holy Father, you yourself, who as a citizen and pastor endured the serious, distressing difficulties that for years prevented Poland, your homeland, from being free and in control of her destiny, will be able to understand our feelings, desires and aspirations.

Our pastoral responsibility and love for the Basque Country and all the other Peoples of the world have prompted us to support so many people of different ideologies who suffer and are victims of political conflict, which has been maintained on purpose but which can be resolved through the democratic channels of respect for all human rights, as you have repeatedly emphasised and called for.

We are aware of the difficulties involved in such recognition and in the exercise of democracy in view of the complexity of the situation in which we live, and which has been aggravated over the years by violations of basic human rights with deaths, torture, attacks, repression, threats, curbs on democratic liberties including the appalling situation of the prisoners who are far away from their homeland. As Cardinal Roger Etchegaray said in a statement during a visit to his native Basque Country, ". the Basque People have suffered enough already, dialogue must replace violence and the politicians must demonstrate lucidity and courage." Holy Father, it is our hope that during your visit to the Spanish State you may promote the political will so that all these situations of suffering may be overcome.

Our service of pastoral care in the Church of the Basque Country is today intimately involved in and committed to the building of peace, as our Bishops continually stress, and it is the general Christian endeavour. We are aware that it is not easy to find the right means to achieve this peace based on justice, bearing in mind the serious conflicts that divide us. For this reason, we hope, Holy Father, that your presence in the Spanish State and your visit to the Christian communities may be a sign of and a driving force for reconciliation.

We share your deep sensitivity for all the persons and Peoples who have suffered and who continue to suffer the consequences of different kinds of violence and terrorism, an expression in the last analysis of the absence of dialogue. We join your continual calls -that unfortunately go all too often unheeded- to avoid all wars and violence. We support your untiring work in the interests of peace and the achievement of fraternal, reconciling relations among all Peoples, in particular the poorest and most deprived. We admire your evangelical testimony in asking for forgiveness for the grave injustices for which the Church has been guilty, and if you were to invite the Spanish Church to seek forgiveness for its historical complicity in the civil confrontation and in the subsequent regime that oppressed human rights, such a gesture would be greatly valued.

It is our evangelising responsibility that has prompted us to express these concerns, feelings and wishes. We do so in communion within our church in the Basque Country and in solidarity with all the other Peoples on earth. We should also like to take this opportunity to point out once again that we are and feel divided ecclesiastically. We believe that the pastoral union of our local churches into a single Basque Ecclesiastical Province with Iruñea/Pamplona as the archbishopric has been backed by the views and wishes expressed over many years by Christian people and the majority of the Basque bishops and would be an important ecclesiastical sign of reconciliation and of pastoral service to this People.

We trust and hope that your visit will be an evangelical sign of good news for the poor, of freedom for prisoners, of fraternity and of the drawing closer to those who suffer most, and of a just peace for all Peoples in the recognition of all the rights that belong to human dignity and of their condition as God's children.

From the ecclesiastical communion in Christ we send you our most respectful and fraternal regards.

THE LETTER IS SIGNED BY 530 PRIESTS FROM ALL THE DIOCESES OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY

I love the basic principle behind their statement that they write from all the dioceses of Euskal Herria... it would make of them a true Basque institution like Udalbiltza. And that is two of them now.

Its my belief that each one of these 530 priests put their lives in danger when they signed this letter, all what Wojtyla needs to do is to contact Joseph Ratzinger to have them punished. After all, he is visiting Spain at the very time when this country is taking part in the invasion of Iraq.

.... ... .

The Media and Udalbiltza

As I stated when I started this blog, the main drive is to counter what the media writes about Euskal Herria and the Basque people.

The article you are about to read contains every single element of the smear campaign set against the Basque people by Madrid. The reason why the news outlets are very willing to reproduce what Madrid wants you to believe about the Basque issue is simple, Aznar it's an important piece in George W. Bush's present crusade for oil and gas profits. So, Bush's friends are returning the favor by creating a web of lies and deception around Basque civil groups and institutions, like in the case of Udalbiltza.

Here you have what the Associated Press is distributing among the different news corporations:

Spanish Police Arrest Eight in Anti-ETA Clampdown

Tue Apr 29,12:38 PM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!

BILBAO, Spain (Reuters) - Eight alleged members of radical Basque parties, including six local councilors, were arrested in northern Spain on Tuesday as part of a crackdown on armed separatist group ETA, officials said.

Interior Minister Angel Acebes said the eight were leaders of Udalbiltza, an association of Basque Country town halls created by nationalist parties, including radical groups such as Batasuna -- banned in March for not condemning ETA violence.

"The eight arrested are top leaders of Udalbiltza; their homes and headquarters in the Basque Country and Navarre have been searched and we have confiscated documents," Acebes told a conference in Madrid. "Some... are Batasuna members."

The Basque region's moderate nationalist government criticized the arrests, which came less than a month before May 25 local elections across Spain. A spokesman said the Madrid government's approach would only serve to radicalize Basque society before the polls.

The Interior Ministry said about 150 police officers took part in Tuesday's pre-dawn operation, which was ordered by High Court Judge Baltasar Garzon. Garzon was at the forefront of the drive to outlaw Batasuna.

A ministry statement those arrested had contributed to ETA's plan to "maintain its political front" following the banning of Batasuna. Police also closed Udalbiltza offices in four towns.

Acebes said Udalbiltza had in recent weeks been in charge of preparing independent candidates for the polls in the Basque region, but could not confirm whether those arrested were themselves candidates.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar welcomed the arrests and said he hoped for firm court action so "those who defend terrorism can in no case take part in the coming elections."

"We want terrorists arrested by the security forces, judged by the judges and in the place where they should be for many years," he said, speaking in Valladolid.

Several Batasuna members plan to stand in the elections on the newly created platform AuB. AuB presented its electoral list last week, a step being challenged by the state attorney.

A police source said one of those arrested early on Tuesday was a councilor and spokesman for Socialista Abertzaleak, an alleged successor party to Batasuna, in the city of Bilbao.

The May 25 local elections will be the first electoral test for Aznar's center-right Popular Party since the Prestige oil spill along the northern Spanish coast late last year and the government's unpopular support for the war in Iraq.

The "one fits all" accusation that you saw against Batasuna and Egunkaria is now being used against Udalbiltza, and that is that it belongs to ETA. And the media is all too happy to repeat it despite the fact that Spain has not produced any hard evidence to support the accusation. One would think that after the pre-dawn raids were a lot of material and computers were confiscated Madrid would have something solid by now, but no, the truth is they have nothing. What Aznar is doing is to take full advantage of Bush's "war on terrorism" to apply the kind of violence and repression that the Basque people had not experienced since Felipe González and his beloved GAL.

Is strange how at a time when the human rights and civil liberties of an entire nation are being savegely ravaged by an authoritarian government heir to a genocidal and fascist dictatorship, the US media dares to apply the "T" label to anything and everything Basque, taking into consideration that the USA has been murdering innocent civilians by the tens of thousands in Afghanistan and Iraq. The only terrorists at this moment are José María Aznar and his junta (Garzón, Acebes, Rajoy) supported by the even biggest terrorists Bush and Blair.

.... ... .

The Empite Strikes...Again

You are not going to read it on the news, most of you won't care but heck, this is my Blog so you will read it here.

Last night Spain's Guardia Civil raided Udalbiltza and arrested eight of its employees. Udalbiltza is a pro independence organization that unites the elected representatives of every town in Euskal Herria, and that includes the seven provinces, it is the only organization that groups together Basques from the Autonomous Basque Community (Euskadi) and the Foral Community of Nafarroa in Spain and Iparralde in France.

This comes one month before the elections in the Basque provinces, let me make you understand, the Spanish government just imprisioned Basque candidates for the elections in May, and Spain is supposed to be a democracy.

Spain just in case you forgot is an ally of the US and Britain in the present war on Iraq, a war that had to be waged to take a dictator down and bring peace and democracy to the Iraqi people, so I ask, where is the democratic spirit in Spain?

Aznar's party is facing a hard time, Basques, Catalonians, Galizans and Spaniards are against the war and blame Aznar for his stupid decision about the oil tanker Prestige, so now in order to secure some votes he is incarcerating the opposition candidates because he knows the common people was going to take him down the democratic way, with votes.

And people has the nerve to ask me why the Basques insist in having their own country, how would you feel if your language, your culture and your democratic institutions could be attacked on a regular basis by a totalitarian regime?

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