Like we been mentioning lately, Basque culture is under siege by the Spanish establishment, here you have another example, this time the target is the music artists:
The censor strikes back against Basque radical music
Two Basque bands SuTaGar and Sociedad Alcoholica and artist Fermin Muguruza have been victims of media campaigns as a result of charges against them by the Association of Victims of Terrorism in October 2003.
For artists Fermin Muguruza, this is not the first time as he has had gigs canceled due to the action of this organisation and had previous experiences with the censor for a song implying the chief of the Guardia Civil in Donostia (San Sebastian) with drug smuggling. For the other band, Sociedad Alcoholica, this is another experience to add to years of media campaigns and boycotts against them. For SuTaGar, this is the price any Basque band with and anti-Spanish message will pay at some point. Like in any other cases of repression, here too the authorities aim at damaging these artists but also to lay a precedent for those youngsters who would like to express themselves in the same way.
Basque radical music enjoyed the same freedoms offered by any other so-called ‘democracies’. Basque radical music especially developed in the eighties as a way of expression of the young generations against the dilation of the conflict and the fake promises of the new system. Before this form of expression, Basque music was limited to traditional expressions and to singer-song-writers. These later ones experienced a harsh repression: their gigs were banned, clandestine and the possibilities of recording etc no until the end of the dictatorship.
The freedom provided to the new generations didn’t mean that the authorities didn’t try to impose their rule. However this never reached the level of the current repression happening in the Basque Country. Artists such Fermin Muguruza, Sutagar and Sociedad Alcoholica to name but a few are suffering the consequences. The list will increase rapidly like a snowball, as once this censorship is applied, the freedoms of the so-called democracy will disappear allowing the authorities to repress without limitations.
Fermin Muguruza is the current most prestigious rock artist in the Basque Country. He’s been playing since the mid eighties when he started with the band Kortatu and later with Negu Gorriak, both together with his brother Iñigo. His courier has been very close to politics and has been candidate for the different names for the Basque separatist party. He was a candidate again for a platform with same ideology in the latest local ellections. The fact that these groups were banned by the Spanish government as a continuation of Batasuna worsened his criminalization. Last year 2002, taking advantage of the war against terrorism, the Spanish government managed to ban any group which they believe sides with ETA. Any of the party’s members qualified as ‘terrorists’ and though there are not charges against them, are treated as such by the International law: the proof is the ban to Fermin from entering the USA for any gigs (he has toured this country several times with Negu Gorriak and in his solo project). The materialization of this criminalization happened this summer when he saw two of his gigs (Malaga and Murcia) banned after being labeled ‘terrorist’ because of his political activity. He was playing these two gigs as part of his joint project with Manu Chao, Jai Alai Katumbi Express and all of them were sold out.
The banning of this gig was promoted by the Association of Victims of Terrorism, the same association who has pushed for the banning of these bands' songs. In theory this organisation, as any other organisation in the country doesn’t have the power to order the banning – they only can take the artists or the songs to court.
However, this is a very frequent phenomenon in the Spanish ‘democracy’ where an association or journalists or the government makes a legal initiative which is followed by a press conference, media echo and the consequent criminalization of artists, writers, other associations, etc. In fact, this is what happens all over the world in any so-called democracies, with the gulf-war, the Afghanistan war, war against terrorism, etc or here in Britain where we have many cases. Perhaps the most obvious one could be the media and police campaign to ban the film Injustice, exposing cases of death in custody and the lack of justice in trials. To this campaigns, we have to add the government’s intervention, a national campaign against Basque nationalism and Basque culture and the reach by the media of the entire country where Basque views are not contrasted.
We also have to add to this, as many personalities had brought it up in the last time, the use by the Spanish government of the media but specially of victims of terrorism and so-called ‘peace’ organisations to attack Basque nationalism, for their own benefit and to impose Spanish nationalism mainly in the Basque Country. This censorship has also to be understood in its current context where PP (Spanish conservative party, in the government since 1996), has developed a tough repression system violating laws and freedom of expression. This policy has included the closure of three publications, a radio, the intervention of a Basque distribution company as well as the closure and banning of many social organizations. And as an illustrative example we can mention the latest attempt to ban another film, The Basque Ball – The Leather Against The Wall by Julio Medem from being showed at the Donostia (San Sebastian) Festival. The Spanish Government through the Spanish embassy tried to do the same for the projection of the film in the London Film Festival, withdrawing the funding that they provided on yearly basis for promotion of Spanish cinema. The problem with this film is that it promotes the dialogue for a conflict that the Spanish government continues to deny.
As Fermin told me, this new attack has meant the cancellation of many of his gigs in Spain. Fermin was the artist who managed to break the siege. He decided to sign entirely in Basque despite the profit that he could gather from signing in Spanish and as proved in his first phase as a musician/singer. This was decided as a commitment with his language and culture and to encourage people to use it and to get used to it. In this way he managed to sign in Basque everywhere in Spain but also all over the world where he has toured from Japan to the USA, Latin America and everywhere in Europe. As we said, the fact of being taken to court and being victim of a media campaign has meant that many of the venues where he has been playing for the last five years have told him that they can’t run that risk (same thing that cinemas said to the Injustice directors when the film was programmed in their venues or that Spanish cinemas may be saying to Medem). And this is without the trial being over and without any decision been made!
Even more: the song that the Association of Victims of Terrorism have taken Fermin to court is a song from 1985: ‘Sarri, Sarri’. This song, as Fermin himself and the defense lawyer Miguel Castell expressed in a TV debate (in the regional Basque TV, of course) is one of the most popular songs by him, plaid by all the village music bands in any fiesta and discotheque. The song itself is a happy ska that Fermin wrote for one of the best Basque poets Joseba Sarrionandia.
Sarrionandia was in Donostia’s prison as member of ETA when he managed to escape hiding inside the speaker of a band who had performed inside the prison. He has been out ever since, living in France where he continues his literature activities. The AVT however finds that the song is a pledge for a ETA prisoner and therefore for ETA and by being victims of ETA they find the song very offensive and hurting and therefore it needs to be banned and the victims compensated. Think what could happen in this situation to Christy Moore for signing to Bobby Sand, or to Specials for signing to Mandela (who is also sung by Fermin Muguruza in the same record). As the defense lawyer Miguel Castell had pointed out, the track was done 18 years ago, therefore if in all this time no police, no judge, no politician has found a crime in the song, why now? His opinion was that this isn’t the aim, but to cause damage from a media campaign as it has happened.
The day after the debate I spoke to Fermin. He was upset – he had had an opportunity to speak but he was cut all the time by the AVT guy and this other guy from a civic organisation (not civic at all). All this happened before the passivity of the presenter, which makes you think. He was also upset because he has had many gigs cancelled. And that was something that both him and Jimy (SA) argue against their accusers: ‘you have taken us to court but before being charged you have already developed a campaign against us were we are criminalized’. The effect is brutal, but that’s what the system wants.
As Fermin reminded his accusers in that debate, Fermin is an artist from the Basque left who has made the difficult decision of speaking out and refuse the armed struggle as the way to achieve independence and to choose dialogue and social work as the option. Even in the debate, his accusers ignored his pledge! After nearly 20 years playing, Fermin has been a voice of injustice in the Basque Country and worldide. This new attack comes when he had gone more intimate and personal without forgetting politics. His latest album is a collection of his tracks remixed by artists in Bristol and UK.
But censorship hasn’t been alien to Fermin Muguruza. Perhaps the worse case happened in 1993 when he was prosecuted together with all the other members of Negu Gorriak for a song he wrote, ‘Ustelkeria’ (‘Corruption’). The song was very original, investigating hip-hop forms through a dialogue between him and guitarist Kaki. But what caused a fuss was that dialogue’s content: the accusation of the Donostia (San Sebastian) Guardia Civil colonel Rodriguez Galindo of colluding with drug smugglers. The song was published in a time when evidence and publication of information exposed the colonel and his headquarters as one of the centre where the para-military activity against Basques was organised from. In the middle of all this controversy, the Spanish government decorated the colonel to acknowledge his service but this was not enough to avoid the justice. Negu Gorriak was punished to pay 15 million pesetas (£60,000). The solidarity was incredible with massive gigs (12,000 in Oiartzun), bands in Italy, etc getting together and organising fund raisings, etc. Months later the colonel was found guilty of corruption and terrorism and imprisoned, though he has enjoyed a very condescending treatment. The case was closed in January 2001, 8 years after: Negu Gorriak was found innocent because of mistakes within the previous prosecution (!!).
Sociedad Alcoholica
S.A. (as they are also known in the scene) are from Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country). They play hardcore punk with very un-compromised lyrics. They don’t position themselves with the Basque separatist movement but more with the anarchist one, though, as they have stated in their communicates challenging to be labelled as ‘terrorists’, they declare that ‘to be Basque and to defend the right to self-determination for all the countries who demand it is not a crime’. Sociedad Alcoholica sign in Spanish and they are very popular all over Spain – as a t-shirt of a punk demonstrated me in Cadiz, right in the other side of the peninsula.
S.A. have been suffering similar attacks for long time, specially last year and now again. This latest attack was started from the charges presented against them by the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT). In the same debate of ETB (Basque regional TV) ‘Politicamente Incorrecto’, AVT accused SA of encouraging terrorism by their song ‘Exploit Military’. Jimmy, guitarist for the group, argued simply that they were free to say what they wanted, that this was a symbolic way of expressing a dislike and that they refused terrorism. But he added that they refused all kinds of violence specially that one coming from the state and those defending it and serving it.
The AVT representative however had many other reasons to target them like their participation in a gig for Catalonian prisoner in Belgium Juanra. SA added quickly that he is an ‘alleged’ ETA member as after nearly 2 years in prison (January 2002), his trial hasn’t happened yet. Juanra can be considered as a miscarriage of justice and also another victim of censorship in music. Juanra was the singer of the band KOP- Ofensiva, another hardcore punk band with big support, and surely the repression against him was due to the active commitment that he took on stage and with his lyrics. He was arrested in Belgium as requested by the Spanish Government for alleged membership of ETA (apparently the Spanish government alleged that he had helped someone belonging to ETA in someway). For all his supporters, this was just a
set-up and Juanra was just imprisoned for his music activities. The fact that he hasn’t had a trial yet and that no evidence has been presented against him yet say it all. The fact that to organise a gig in his support or to highlight his situation should be punished because theoretically it hurts the victims of terrorism says even more.
As we said, the campaigns against S.A. worsened last year when the band found many of their gigs cancelled. Everything started by anti-Basque instigator radio presenter Luis del Olmo in his infamous debates (Onda 0, ‘Protagonistas’, 31st May 2002) suggesting the banning of the band from playing gigs. Even councillors and mayors from the locallities where they were playing were threatened and even asked to resigned as a consequence! This was taken by other programs and papers and developed into a big campaign against the band. As Jimmy also said in that program, they found that the bands called to replace them had even worse lyrics but they weren’t questioned because someone else was the scapegoat and because they weren’t Basques. The attack escalated to the point of being accused of being racist, anti-Semitic as well as terrorist, when S.A. declare themselves ‘antimilitarist, antifascist, antiracist, antisexist, etc’
Su Ta Gar
Su Ta Gar is another Basque band. Their originality is to produce Basque heavy metal with high doses of instrument skills. Basque heavy metal sung in Basque and Basque heavy metal supporting the separatist armed struggle. Their lyrics include from prisoners to demos to the struggle itself. The receipt is really successful and perhaps that’s why the government aims at stopping them. Sutagar publish half a dozen records with the label that Fermin Muguruza started Esan Ozenki (currently Metak). As well as these two, the label works with more than 30 bands who sign entirely in Basque and have an antiestablishment attitude. All them and more bands from other labels could be the next ones to try the new censorship cooked in Madrid.
For Fermin Muguruza: www.muguruzafm.com
For Metak: www.musikametak.com (for Esan Ozenki: www.esanozenki.com)
For Sutagar: www.sutagar.com
For Free Juanra: www.freejuanra.org / www.kop-ofensiva.org
Miguel Castell is a historic Basque defense lawyer who defended ETA militants in the historic trial of Burgos, where they were due to be executed and one of the first civil trials of the end of the dictatorship (as opposite to military ones, without defense lawyers). He was also a defense lawyer for Negu Gorriak on their court case related to Colonel F. Rodriguez Galindo
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