The Ertzaintza to Operate in Iparralde

Ares has gone where no PNV member has gone before... Iparralde in now part of the Basque Autonomous Community. We still remember when Ibarretxe said at the Think Gaur page that Ipar Euskal Herria was just an "area of interest". Now photophobic Ares and his boss Francisco Javier López have accomplished something amazing, the Ertzaintza (a police force that is not allowed in Nafarroa within the Spanish state) will now operate in Iparralde which happens to be located in the French state according to this note at EiTB:

Ertzaintza agents to work at Hendaye's police station

According to Basque Interior councillor Rodolfo Ares, Basque police will settle on the office of Iparralde, or French Basque Country, "in the coming months."

Basque Government's Interior councillor Rodolfo Ares has announced that Ertzaintza, or Basque police, will have presence at Hendaye's station in the following months. In fact, Spanish and French police are already working together at Iparralde's offices.

"We will also be there," he told Basque newspaper El Correo.

According to Ares, "it is fundamental that Ertzaintza can work when it is necessary, through an immediate coordination to share information."

New Ertzaintza's division

Ares insisted that the "Basque police antiterrorist division" recently created is not integrated in any other area. "The information brought up here should be investigated in order to stop terrorists and to prevent that more people join ETA."

Last week, ex Interior councillor Juan Mari Atutxa denounced that Ares had not created any new unity but he had rebaptized an already existing one.

Lovely how Atutxa makes a big deal out of nothing. Who cares, the bottom line is, when it comes to suppressing the civil and political rights of the Basque people, suddenly Paris and Madrid are not as ultra-nationalistic as usual.

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Romain Sicard's Win

Back in 2006 we had the chance to spend a few days during the summer in the northern Basque town of Hazparne and during a road trip to Mauleon we had the chance to see a number of cyclists going up and down the steep hills of Iparralde. Well, today at Velo News they have this note about Romain Sicard, a Basque rider who just won a competition called Avenir:

Sicard wins Avenir, Van Garderen second

American Tejay van Garderen wrapped up an excellent Tour de l’Avenir with second place overall in the nine-stage U23 race across northern France.

Despite a challenging circuit in Besançon in Sunday’s final stage, there was no shaking race winner Romain Sicard (France A). Dutch rider Van Winden won the stage.

Van Garderen’s second overall was the best U.S. result at the prestigious Avenir race since Kevin Livingston was second to Frenchman Laurent Roux in 1997.

“Thanks USA team and staff,” Van Garderen wrote on Twitter. “Second overall at Tour de l’Avenir. No time to relax. Mendrisio, here we come!”

Van Garderen will race with Columbia-HTC next season and will line up later this month for a shot at the U23 world title in Switzerland.

Tenth overall last year, Peter Stetina also rode well throughout the week to cap an excellent performance by the American squad.

Sicard won Saturday’s time trial, just three seconds ahead of Van Garderen, to secure the overall title.

He becomes the first French rider to win the Avenir since Sylvain Calzati in 2004.

“It’s a great satisfaction to win the Tour de l’Avenir, the most important victory of my amateur career,” Sicard said. “It was difficult every day because we were forced to carry the weight of the race on our shoulders.”

Sicard will join many of the top amateurs heading to the pro ranks next year and he has already signed a deal to join Euskaltel-Euskadi for 2010.

Sicard, who hails from the Basque region of France, is just the second French rider to race with the Basque-backed team.

Hopefully Romain will contribute to Euskaltel Euskadi's stands during the 2010's Tour de France.

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Surf in Biarritz

Miarritze is redefining itself according to this article that comes to us via Irish Times:

Surf's up, m'lord

BIARRITZ: Once the preserve of royalty and the superwealthy, Biarritz has been reinventing itself as the destination of choice for avid windsurfers, writes Peter Cluskey

IF EVERY grand-but-fading seaside resort dreams of reinventing itself to meet the quick-fire demands of the 21st century, they have a role model: Biarritz.

For centuries it was the glamorous spa town of choice for the crowned heads of Europe. Today its award-winning beaches are regarded as some of the best windsurfing coastline in the world – and its wealthier regulars mix quite happily with an international parade of,well, beach bums.

It has been an extraordinary transformation. Perched at the southernmost point of France’s Atlantic coast, on the border with Spain, Biarritz first appeared on the radar of Europe’s elite in 1854, when Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, built a magnificent white palace on cliffs just outside the town.

The British royal family, including Queen Victoria and Edward VII, were regular visitors. So were Alfonso XIII of Spain, Leopold II of Belgium and even Germany’s Iron Chancellor, Otto Von Bismark. But republic replaced empire, and in a sign of the times Villa Eugénie, as it was dubbed by les Biarrots, was bought by Banque Parisienne and reopened as Hôtel du Palais Imperial Resort Spa in 1893.

The clientele changed but the hotel’s cachet remained unassailable. A new royalty replaced the old – the shah of Persia, Frank Sinatra, Jayne Mansfield, Bing Crosby, Hemingway, Chaplin and Stravinsky – although the duke and duchess of Windsor remained loyal to the end. And while some of the glamour of Biarritz was usurped over the years by the Côte d’Azur, and Saint Tropez in particular during the 1960s, the town remained a byword for high-end leisure and sophistication.

Why does the history matter? Because it’s what has made Biarritz the charming, relaxed and welcoming place it is today. The ancient split-windscreen VW campers with fading anti-nuclear stickers may outnumber Rolls-Royce Silver Shadows; more holidaymakers may arrive by no-frills airline than by private jet; more waitresses may be speaking French with distinctly Aussie accents, but Biarritz is more vibrant than ever. It has made the journey from chic to cool. And the celebs are coming back: the iconic designer Karl Lagerfeld bought a holiday home here last year.

Place Georges Clemenceau, in the centre of town, is where you’ll find yourself as you get your bearings. Almost everyone starts by taking a walk along the promenade, Quai de la Grande Plage, which gives a magnificent view of the crescent of apartments, hotels and restaurants overlooking the bay.

At one end you’ll find the Hôtel du Palais, still the reserve of those with five-star budgets. At the other there’s the less-than-exclusive Casino Municipal, where you can choose between an informal section with slot machines and a more elegant section with table games.

By day, if you fancy your chances, there are numerous surf schools on the Grande Plage. Given the town’s elite background, golf is popular, with five top-class courses within an hour’s drive. Biarritz’s Basque heritage is most evident in the food and in the souvenir shops, which sell intricately-sewn Basque tablecloths, antiques, jewellery and handmade sandals.

To spoil yourself, there are a a number of famous local chocolatiers and one or two still-demure tea rooms. Or, for something healthier, there’s thalassotherapy at the Thalassa Institute, at Hôtel Miramar, and thermal seawater baths on Rue de Madrid.

When the sun goes down, relax in a deckchair with a cocktail at Côte 57, nibble some tapas at Le Bistroye or head to Chez Albert for some memorable local seafood. And while you tuck into the house speciality – steak de thon rouge aux saveurs douces, confitures d’oignons au vinaigre balsamique et croustillant de pommes de terre aux pieds de porc – remember the old Basque saying “To know how to eat is to know enough.”

Where to stay, eat and go

5 places to stay

Hôtel du Palais . 1 Avenue de l’Impératrice, 00-33-559- 416400, www.hotel-du-palais. com. If you need to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford to stay here. But we all have special occasions – and it is one of the world’s historic hotels.

Sofitel Thalassa Miramar . 13 Rue Louison Bobet, 00-33-559-413000, www.sofitel.com. A luxury hotel incorporating the Institute of Thalassotherapy (sea-water spa treatment), and with a golf course just a stone’s throw away. High-season rates for a double room go as high as €544, with breakfast €27.

Radisson SAS Biarritz. 1 Carrefour Hélianthe, 00-33-559-011313, www.biarritz.radissonsas.com. It may not be the Hôtel du Palais, but it’s luxurious nonetheless, and only a short walk from the centre. Rates begin at about €350 for a double standard room with an ocean view.

Hôtel Mercure Thalassa Régina et Golf. 52 Avenue de l’Impératrice, 00-33-559-413300, www.mercure.com. The thalassotherapy centre is very popular here. High-season rates for a double are around €240.

Hôtel Centre-Biarritz . 7 Rue de Gascogne, 00-33-559- 223654, www.hotel-centre biarritz.com. This is a nice quiet hotel just two minutes’ walk from the centre. The high-season rate for a double room is about €72.

5 places to eat

Hôtel du Palais. 1 Avenue de l’Impératrice, 00-33-559- 416400, www.hotel-du- palais.com. The hotel has three restaurants: La Rotonde, overlooking the ocean; Hippocampe, by the pool; and Villa Eugénie, for foodies.

Chez Albert. Allée Port des Pecheurs, 00-33-559-244384, www.chezalbert.fr. Bright, colourful, buzzing seafood restaurant with large outside terrace and Basque specialities.

Café de Paris . 5 Place Bellevue, 00-33-559-241953. If you fancy eating well, with the ocean and the Grand Plage spread out below you, this is the place to soak up the atmosphere.

Le Bistroye . 6 Rue Jean Bart, 00-33-559-220102. If you’re looking for fresh, authentic Basque cuisine in a friendly atmosphere, this is the place to go.

Bar Jean . 5 Rue des Halles, 00-33-559-248038. A relaxed bistro atmosphere with excellent tapas – after all, Spain is just 35km away – and grilled langoustines.

5 places to go

Russian Orthodox Church, 8 Avenue de l’Impératrice. Located right next door, this extraordinary church was built for Russian aristocrats who visited Hôtel du Palais before the 1917 revolution.

Chocolate museum (Planète Musée du Chocolat). 14 Avenue Beaurivage, 00-33-559-232772, www.planetemuseeduchocolat.com. The history of chocolate, how it’s made, and best of all, a hot-chocolate tasting. Pretend it’s for the kids.

Rocher de la Vierge (Rock of the Virgin). On the outskirts of the town, this outcrop, which you reached over an old iron footbridge, is topped with a celebrated statue of the Virgin Mary. It’s a popular stroll, with great views right along the Basque coast.

Asiatica Museum of Oriental Art, 1 Rue Guy Petit, 00-33-559-227878, www.museeasiatica.com. This is reputed to be one of the best oriental art collections in all of Europe. Don’t miss it.

Créations Jean-Vier, 58 Avenue Edouard VII and 25 rue Mazagran, 00-33-559-222936, www.jean-vier.com. Basque linen has a big reputation in France, and Jean-Vier is where the renowned Parisian chef Alain Ducasse buys his table linen.

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Update On Raid In Iparralde

Just a couple of days ago the mean stream media (news corporations key to the propaganda effort by Spain against the Basque people) was calling those arrested in the pre-dawn raids by French police by labels like "militants", "separatists", "leftists" and such.

Now that they are free without charges, they are just "people".

All 14 arrested in French Basque sweep freed without charge

Sat Sep 27, 2:49 AM ET

French authorities said Saturday 14 people arrested this week in a major operation within the Basque separatist movement in southwest France have been released after no charges were brought against them.

The 14 people -- not 12 as originally reported -- were released from custody "in stages starting Friday night into the early hours of Saturday," said the Paris prosecutor's office, which is in charge of anti-terrorism throughout France.

Seven of the arrests were in connection with the 2006 attack on the hotel in the southern French town of Bidarry and five others were part of a probe into the financing of Basque groups, a legal source in Paris had said on Wednesday.
The detainees had been held since Wednesday in several cities in the southwestern Basque region such as Bayonne and Pau and included two senior figures of the separatist political party Batasuna.

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Sarkozy's Anti-Basque Crusade

It was just a matter of time before France's Nicolas Sarkozy would start showing his full support for Juan Carlos Borbon's repressive campaign against Basque society.

Yesterday 17 Basque citizens from different political parties and associations were detained in pre-dawn raids, once again the name of Basque-phobe judge Baltasar Garzon was mentioned as the mastermind behind the operation.

Here you have the article regarding this issue published at the International Herald Tribune, a news outlet close to the Spanish Ministry of Propaganda:

French police arrest 17 suspected Basque militants

The Associated Press
Published: September 24, 2008

PARIS: Police arrested 11 suspected Basque militants Wednesday in southwest France in two separate investigations, including the financing of terror attacks in France and Spain, officials said.

The 11 — all French nationals — were being held in police custody after being questioned Wednesday.

Seven were questioned in connection with explosions in 2006 that slightly damaged a hotel in the French Basque country owned by acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse, according to a judicial official in Paris. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation and asked not to be identified by name.

The four other suspects were questioned as part of a preliminary investigation into an alleged illegal money transfer from the Basque Communist Party in Spain to people residing in southwest France and close to the Spanish Basque movement, the official said.

French police searched the French headquarters of the pro-independence Batasuna party, authorized in France but banned in Spain. Batasuna members were reportedly among those arrested.

The investigation into Communist Party funds allegedly transferred to France to finance attacks was opened based on information supplied by Spanish anti-terror judge Baltasar Garzon.

The arrests were made in sweeps along France's border with Spain. Officials had originally reported 17 arrests.

Like I said, yes, they were 17 arrests that violate the political rights of the Basque people living in Iparralde under French occupation. Yet, the Spaniards and their supporters in the international arena claim that the Basques are Spaniards and that the Basque conflict is not of an international nature.

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This Time, Biarritz

It is the summer, so a lot of the news papers take this rare chance to talk about the Basque Country without referring to the political conflict, which is a welcomed relief. Yesterday I posted about traveling from England to Euskal Herria by ferry, well, today is time to pay a quick visit to Biarritz thanks to The New York Times:

36 Hours in Biarritz

By KABIR CHIBBER
Published: August 31, 2008

THE glitz may have migrated to the French Riviera, but Biarritz doesn’t need it. The posh seaside town in southwest France is enjoying a renaissance, as people discover the appeal of this aristocratic resort on the Bay of Biscay where worlds collide and expectations are upended. Once the reigning vacation spot for Europe’s noble and gentry classes, Biarritz’s golden shores are now shared by everyone from bronze beauties in designer sandals to drop-out surfers in frayed flip-flops. Even the languages are mixed up. Walk into any of the town’s creaky old bars, and the patrons might strike up a conservation by saying a few words in rapid-fire French, Spanish, English or even Basque, the local language that, like the resort, is in a class by itself.

Friday

5 p.m.

1) THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

Biarritz is a tale of two beaches, so start by getting acquainted with the Grande Plage, a curved stretch of golden sand dotted with brightly colored parasols. Buy a gelato from La Passion des Fruits and watch the impossibly pretty young things in oversized Christian Dior shades flirt for hours in the blazing sun. Farther down the beach, the crowd splits between chic-looking families frolicking in the water, and wealthy 50-year-olds enjoying their early retirement.

9 p.m.

2) DUCK!

Linguists have long been stumped by Basque, a language that bears no relation to Latin or any other European tongue. Hear it shouted at a pelote match, a game similar to handball that’s reputed to be the fastest sport in the world and is played in almost every village. Watch a competitive match, sometime using a curved wooden glove called a xistera, at the Fronton Couvert Plaza Berri.

10:30 p.m

3) LA CôTE BASQUE

Avoid the tourist-trap fish restaurants and head straight for L’Instant in the Port Vieux area, the throbbing historic old town. Be prepared to pass some time: the small restaurant is run entirely by the husband-and-wife team of Jean-Marc and Sylvie Leonhard-Salva. The menu, which changes monthly, features seasonal dishes like baked Basque trout with a light artichoke purée and an almond tart with an ice cream made of cheese. A meal for two, about 70 euros.

Saturday

10 a.m.

4) CAKE WALK

Pick up a gâteau Basque, a small cake filled with a delicious eggy custard, from the posh pâtisserie Loubère. Then head down to the Côte des Basques, a plain beach with rowdy waves where Peter Viertel, a Hollywood screenwriter, introduced surfing to the stunned French more than 50 years ago. Expect to find rows of beat-up vans with makeshift clotheslines parked along the road leading to the sea. There are no changing rooms, so be prepared to shed your modesty or practice changing underneath a towel.

11 a.m.

5) ÉCOLE DU SURF

If you’re prone to wiping out, track down Jean-Baptiste, the true-blue dude at the beach’s sole surf shop, BTZ Clothing. He’ll set you up with a lesson at Hastea, a professional surfing school, and BTZ’s owner. Ninety-minute lessons with the gruff-but-friendly instructors run 35 euros per person for a group session. And don’t worry about all the small jellyfish in the water. They don’t sting ...much.

1 p.m.

6) RECHARGE

Walk straight up from the shore to Le Surfing, the coziest of the two bars on this undeveloped stretch of coast. It may be the most casual place in Biarritz, with groovy boards, black-and-white surf posters and friendly employees who don’t mind if you’re dripping water everywhere. Order the brandade de morue, a sort of purée of salt cod, or the hefty rib-eye steak.

4 p.m.

7) FASHION VICTIM

As the day progresses, the unspoken dress code goes from beach bum to Diddy and Donatella. Pay a visit to 64, a fashion label that has several stylish stores on Biarritz’s most fashionable street, including ones for beachwear and children, and was set up by local designers. Named for the area code of this département of France, 64 is famous for making T-shirts with the eponymous number in every color. Devotees of the brand collect them all.

8 p.m.

8) FOOD AS ART

With his long hair and air of cockiness, the Ducasse-trained chef Philippe Lafargue may come across as a pretentious rock star. But his restaurant, Chez Philippe serves some of the most exciting nouveau Basque cuisine in the region. Start with an aperitif of Txakoli, a sparkling wine from the Spanish Basque country, and then sample the degustation menu, which features delights like roasted pork loin and sea bass with herbs from the restaurant’s own garden.

11 p.m.

9) BEER-ITZ

People in Biarritz don’t booze, but they certainly know how to unwind. Start with drinks at the Côte Vestiaire. This unassuming little bar, which feels a world away from the masses in the Port Vieux, is packed with rugby shirts hanging from hooks and other memorabilia, a reminder of how proud (and borderline fanatical) everyone here is about the local team, Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque. Strike up a conversation and rest your feet on the quintessential French stool: overturned wine crates.

1 a.m.

10) CLUB WITH A VIEW

Park the Ferrari with the valet and slide into Le Carré Coast, a sleek club that looks out over the beach. Sip vodka cocktails with the sons and daughters of Europe’s elite until the wee hours. Not ready to go home? Just cross the road and sit on the Grande Plage with the other diehards until the sun rises.

Sunday

11 a.m.

11) ONE-STOP SHOP

Pick up goodies at the Halles, a large covered market just off the Rue Gambetta, where getting elbowed by a grandmother who jumps the line is part of the fun. Overwhelmed? Pick up a few slices of the famed Bayonne ham from Didier Carrére’s stall. Then, walk down the road to Mille et Un Fromages, where the moustachioed, fourth-generation owner Henri Bilé sells only the finest in Basque cheeses and wines. Try a Bostmendi, a bright-red liquor made from prunes and sealed in bottles with melted wax.

1 p.m.

12) HISTORY LESSON

It would be heresy to leave Biarritz without meeting Jêrôme Dimitri. He’s an institution, a Serbian who gained fame by photographing celebrities and European royalty in Biarritz’s heyday in the 1960s. His store, Biarritz Photo, is in a back alley, and covered with old photos for sale, as well as pictures and articles about himself. Dimitri doesn’t speak much English, but that won’t stop him from talking about his past, his travels or his children — until you’re called back out to the sea.

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Visit Biarritz

The page Times On Line published an article for those who wish to visit Biarritz (Miarritze), a magnificent tourist destination in the Basque Country.

Here you have extracts of it:

From Times Online
July 2, 2008

Biarritz: the complete guide

France’s once-regal resort is now a shabby-chic surf spot – but it still oozes glamour

Sean Thomas

It’s come a long way, Biarritz. In the 15th century it was a grubby little whaling port in the heart of the Basque country, where local fishermen gutted whales on the beach.

By the 1600s it was already known for its sea-bathing – although locals remained suspicious: in 1609 a councillor complained that local women were swimming ‘naked under their bathing costumes’.

By the 1830s, Victor Hugo could still describe this French-Spanish-Basque-Gascon backwater as a rural place ‘with red roofs and green shutters’ –although he reckoned the town’s glorious setting, with its silvery beaches and backdrop of green mountains, would also be its ruin, as the place became fashionable.

He was right about the ‘fashionable’ bit. In the Victorian era, Biarritz took off, attracting potentates from across the Continent.

Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Eugenie were the most famous, building a villa in salmon-pink Second Empire style – an architectural genre still echoed through the town. Various kings, premiers and White Russian princelings quickly followed.

But the 20th century was not so kind to Biarritz. The jet set decamped to the Côte d’Azur; the Russians spent their roubles and died. Concrete buildings sprang up along the foreshore, giving it an air of East Berlin-on-sea (an air that still lingers in places).

So why go to Biarritz now? Because it’s great fun. With that gorgeous seafront and intriguing hinterland – as well as some of the finest surfing and seafood in Europe, Biarritz is rightly regaining its confidence, without reassuming its more pretentious airs. Whether you want sport or siestas, if you’re after French seaside chic without St Tropez silliness, this is the place to be.

BUSY WEEKENDER

Surfing began in Biarritz in 1957, when Hollywood starlet Deborah Kerr was filming here with her husband – a dude from sunny California who brought his surfboard along. Mister Deborah Kerr took one look at those Biscay waves, and an industry was born. Try the Grande Plage for great rip curls; boards can be hired and lessons booked at the Quiksilver Boardriders Club.

If you like to spoil a good walk, you have 10 superb golf courses to choose from. The city also has Europe’s only golf training centre, which would explain why Biarritz is twinned with Augusta, Georgia, the world-famous host of the US Masters. The best course is the sandy and undulating Le Phare.

It’s not the cutest building in France – in fact, it’s an unhappy mixture of Art Deco and Soviet Constructivism. But the Municipal Casino Barrière de Biarritz has an illustrious history: Kings Farouk, Michael and Peter (of Egypt, Romania and Yugoslavia respectively) have all sat at the baccarat tables. Today the casino is more populist, but well worth a punt, nonetheless. Open all hours.

You can’t stroll very far in Biarritz without realising that rugby, the game of barbarians played by gentlemen, is a grande passion among Gascons and Basques. As well as players, there are shops and pubs honouring the game everywhere. Olympique Biarritz are regular national champions – quite a feat for a town of 30,000 inhabitants – and they play at the Parc des Sports Aguilera.

LAZY WEEKENDER

In the middle of the Biarrois seafront is the tiny-but-dramatic cove known as Port des Pêcheurs, where whales were once clubbed. Now a smart marina, it’s less gory these days but still pretty busy, packed with posh pleasure craft, harbourside bars and colourful crampottes (fishermen’s huts).

The architecture of Biarritz comprises a strange mix of Victorian townhouses, concrete monstrosities and giddy pink stucco palaces. But amidst this striking ensemble, a hundred or so ‘villas’ still stand out. These bizarre brick edifices were built around 1900. Said to be haunted, the Villa Belza (‘Villa of Darkness’) above the old port is especially compelling for the way it broods, gloomily, above the waterfront. Ask for a map at the Tourist Office.

Biarritz has two centres: the first is the 10km seafront; the second is Les Halles (Rue des Halles; open 7am – 1.30pm daily), a small but winsome market at the heart of ‘old Biarritz’, roughly a kilometre inland. It has stalls selling seafood, sheep’s cheese, cut flowers, bewildering arrays of olive oils and gleaming fruit and veg. Look out for flamboyantly calorific Basque specialities such as kanougas, an unctuous chocolate toffee.

Take a breezy stroll to Biarritz’s Rock of the Virgin, jutting out between two of the best surfing beaches at the end of the Pointe Atalaye, then look south to the receding blue coastline of northern Spain. You can see just how small Biarritz is from here, how hemmed in it is by hills and mountains, the snow-capped Pyrenees shimmering in the distance. Those uplands are the real Basque country: alluring, rugged, enigmatic and full of bars selling local cider. Get in a car, or maybe a bus, and go.

Thalassotherapy, or seawater therapy, was invented by a French physician from just up the coast in Arcachon. So it’s fitting that Biarritz has a fair sprinkling of excellent spas, where you can be rubbed with mud, have tonifying showers and get seaweed in your bellybutton. Try the luxurious Miramar Spa.

Sharks and stingrays, mantas and mako sharks – you’ll find them in shoals at the Musée de la Mer. They feed the seals at 10.30am and 5pm; the excellent cafe feeds tourists all day. Check the surreal collection of stuffed birds on the top floor.

YOU CAN’T SAY YOU’VE BEEN TO BIARRITZ UNTIL: You’ve seen the locals play the fastest game in the world, pelota. Watch those goatskin balls fly. Don’t say: What’s wrong with your ears? (Basques may not appreciate you pointing out the fact they have unusually large earlobes.) £10 BUYS YOU: An authentic Makila – a traditional Basque shepherd’s stick – decorated with copper and engraved with your motto (if you have one). BIARRITZ’S FAVOURITE RECORD: Anything by Imanol, the famous Basque singer-storyteller. LOCAL JOKE: The Basques say that their unique and impenetrable language is ‘God’s joke against the Spanish’. (If you do want to learn a word, make it ‘topa!’ – ‘cheers!’)

Continues...

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Vulture Infestation in Iparralde

No, I am not talking about the French occupation of the northern portion of Euskal Herria, this note is about a EU regulation gone wrong.

It was published at The Telegraph, here you have it:

How EU turned vultures into birds of prey

By Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 16/06/2008

Farmers in the French Pyrenees are blaming the European Union for a rise in the number of vulture attacks on their livestock.

EU ruling introduced in 2006 stipulates that carcasses must be incinerated, which deprives the scavengers of their usual food.

Before the rule was enforced, the birds were able to gorge on an estimated 150,000 tons of rotting pig flesh that was left out by Spanish farmers every year.

But since the restrictions came in, French farmers claim, the birds are crossing into the French Pyrenees – and in one case flying as far as Belgium.

"It's becoming crazy," said Vincent Moustirats, 31, a farmer in Beguios, in the French Basque region. "Every week there is an attack. They killed one of my cows as it was giving birth on Saturday, and that same day they ate two calves in the nearby village of Sare."

In Saint-Michel, near the Spanish border, Pascal Guecaimburu said he fought to save four young heifers.

"I was milking. The vultures came in low then swooped down on their backs. The heifers ran but were cornered by the gate. Twenty or so birds surrounded them and moved in. I got my gun and fired in the air."

The birds flew off, but Mr Guecaimburu had to rescue the heifers again before nightfall.

"These were four healthy cows," he added.

Ornithologists insist such accounts are exaggerated and that vultures feed only on dead or dying animals.

But farmers reported 87 vulture attacks last year, four times more than in previous years.

Jean Lassalle, deputy of the département of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, backed the farmers. He said: "Vultures used to be our friends as they dealt with dead animals, but have now become predators. The state won't acknowledge this and is treating farmers as imbeciles."

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A Culinary Tour of Iparralde

This article comes to us via The Sidney Morning Herald:

Basque in gastro glory

June 15, 2008

Tricia Welsh goes hunting for European delicacies

It's the hunting season in the French Pyrenees and the surrounding, lush, oak-covered mountains are studded with cepe and girolle mushrooms just waiting to be plucked.

The days are becoming shorter - it's not light until about 8am and the mountain air cools right down early in the evening. The signature Basque beret is not worn merely through tradition. It really is needed in this delightful but coolish autumnal weather.

We're on a gourmet tour of the region and we are in the capable hands of Patrick and Robyn Arrieula from Bowral, NSW. They have been leading food and walking tours of the area for the past 12 years.

Patrick has a wealth of knowledge and knows the Basque region well - he grew up here. His parents live in Abos, where his father is deputy mayor. Patrick makes twice-yearly forays back from Australia to share his passion with like-minded travellers.

Passion is a word that sits well with the Basque folk. It's passion for their own unique traditions that has kept alive the extraordinarily complex Basque language and that has maintained their own Basque-speaking schools, Basque flag and rich traditions dating back many centuries.

From our hotel base in the village of Hasparren it is an easy drive in any direction to explore this primarily agricultural region. Its picturesque landscape changes dramatically with every bend in the road, from impossibly green fields where thick-coated sheep graze, to the steep mountains that form the perilous border with Spain - for many years the latter provided a popular smugglers' route.

The hotel runs the village's best restaurant kitchen. Breakfasts comprise perfect croissants and crispy baguettes that prove a wonderful foil for the locally produced ewe's milk Ossau-Iraty cheese - considered one of the five best cheeses in the world. It is traditionally eaten with a black-cherry conserve from the nearby cherry capital, Itxassou. But it goes down equally well with local ham.

The region produces some of the country's finest gourmet produce, such as Bayonne ham, foie gras, duck confit, wild boar and squab. Farmers and artisans sell it all over Europe.

Our first day is typical of the next nine. We start with a visit to one of the many trout farms at Banca that hold succulent fingerlings in pens in the chilly waters of the Nive des Aldudes, which cascades down from the Pyrenees. These rainbow trout are fed on prawns and hake pellets and smoked over beechwood.

Smoked trout pate{aac} is passed around. It gets the nod of approval as manager Francois Juanicotena says he gets into trouble for telling the truth about the artificial colouring that goes into 80 per cent of cheap smoked salmon. His product has won gold medals at the International Agricultural Show in Paris.

Nearby is the celebrated charcuterie of Pierre Oteiza. Formerly a butcher, Oteiza has revived the rare porc Basque breed of pig that has found appreciative markets around France for its unique and rich flavour, very similar to the acorn-fed jamon iberico of Spain. Here, in the lush valley around Les Aldudes, he has built traditional hay-stacked sties with a chestnut tree in each enclosure - the pink- and black-spotted pigs graze on the windfall.

Oteiza tells of how he discovered his home region's rare breed of pig when he went to the Easter Show in Paris in 1988. Instead of returning with a diamond ring for his fiancee, he turned up with two pigs under his arms. From that breeding pair there are now 3000 pigs in the area.

Oteiza has also opened 10 smallgoods shops that sell everything from Basque ham to foie gras and confit. He, too, has won many awards for produce.

Next stop is the charming village of Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry, where a long lunch table has been set up in the Arce Hotel's conservatory-style restaurant, which overlooks a little stream. Glasses are filled with good local wines as we tuck into grilled trout with house-made pasta, and fresh fruit tarts.

Another day we visit a small village metres from the Spanish border in the Labourd province. Ainhoa is a gem of a town with historic old farmhouses in the main street featuring the traditional bastide architecture - many dating from the mid-17th century. In 1629 they were nearly all destroyed by the Spanish.

We wander through the village and happen upon a shop selling traditional Basque berets. A dozen sales later and the shopkeeper's face has brightened up somewhat.

One morning we are given a demonstration of how to cook the traditional gateau Basque. The specialist Basque patisserie chef, Bixente Marishvlar, is po-faced and has us in hysterics as he demonstrates the cooking steps. Once made from cornflour, pork fat and honey, this sophisticated cake resembles a shortbread pie filled with either a rum-and-vanilla cream or bitter cherries. Either way, it is delicious and we enjoy generous samplings.

We head for a lovely nearby farmhouse that has been converted in recent years into splendid country accommodation with a restaurant. The family cooks, waits on the table and offers outstanding country hospitality, producing one of the highlights of the tour: pan-fried foie frais. This is not canned or packaged foie gras; it is fresh, lightly fried and served with roast vegetables and pear. It oozes flavour and melts in the mouth.

Also on the itinerary are visits to a duck farm; to the fortified village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on market day; to a cheese farm; to Espelette, the capital of the red chilli; to the magnificent house and garden of Edmond Rostand, author of Cyrano De Bergerac; a terrific tapas lunch in Bayonne; and a day at the beach in Biarritz.

Tricia Welsh was a guest of Singapore Airlines, Rail Plus and In The French Pyrenees Tours.

.... ... .

Aia

This note was published at EITb:

Routes

Boundary between two provinces

Peñas de Aia

04/04/2008

The Peñas de Aia stand out clearly in the scenery of the area lying to the east of Donostia-San Sebastián (the Donostia-San Sebastián - Irún “corridor”).

Its unmistakable outline is also remarkable because of its height which, although moderate in absolute terms (833 m) is considerable if we take account of the fact that it is so near the coast (less than 10 km away as the crow flies).

The Aiako Harria (the Basque name for Peñas de Aia) massif stands in both Gipuzkoa and Navarre (it marks the boundary between the two provinces), and one of its far ends also lies on the border with the French side of the Basque Country, known as Iparralde in Basque. In fact, the north-eastern part of the park reaches as far as the river Bidasoa.

Among the mountains in the Basque Autonomous Community, the Aiako Harria massif enjoys the singularity of standing at the end of the Pyrenean Cordillera. We will no longer find plutonic rock (granite and its metamorphic aureole) towards the west on leaving behind the Aiako Harria and its area of influence. We are therefore talking about a geological singularity in the context of our province, i.e., the fact that the oldest land dates from the Primary or Paleozoic Era.

This rocky mass of solidified magma has given rise to veins of different metals which have been exploited since very ancient times, some since Roman times, and the number of wells and mining galleries dotted over the massif can be counted in dozens. It has been calculated that there is a total tunnel length of some 15-18 km. Minerals are still extracted at Arditurri.

The coast forms a part of the neighbouring scenery, with in the foreground the bay of Txingudi, an important enclave on the migration paths of aquatic birds; the towns of Hondarribia, Irún and Hendaye, Mount Jaizkibel, the Oiartzun valley... But the Nature Reserve extends southwards, through a landscape of summits and passes along the whole boundary with Navarre: Aritxulegi, Bianditz, Aldura, Urdaburu, etc.

.... ... .

Athletic : The Basque Team

Here you have a nice article about the Basque football team Athletic de Bilbao appeared at Telegraph:

Athletic Bilbao live out the Basque ideal

By Tony Francis
Last Updated: 1:07am GMT 20/12/2007

Arsene Wenger will need smelling salts if he reads this - one of Europe's more successful clubs won't accept foreign players at any price. It gets worse. They only recruit from their own parish and prefer footballers who can get their tongues around an unfathomable language spoken by a mere 650,000 people. Bixente Lizarazu and Andoni Goikoetxea sailed through the auditions, but they had the alphabet on their side.

The club in question is Athletic Bilbao. The language is Euskera, or Basque. The model is unique. It's also unshakeable. I make no apologies for being 109 years late with the story because recent events at home demand that we take a closer look at alternative systems. Should our senior clubs be persuaded to produce more of their own players instead of raiding Africa's pantry? Would England benefit as a result? Italian officials studied the Bilbao example last season when Serie A was in a mess. Their conclusions are still under wraps.

Athletic are the most exclusive club in world football and proud of it. If you're not Basque, you can't join. Their favourite saying is: Con cantera y aficion, no hace falta importacion. It translates as: With home-grown talent and local support, you don't need foreigners. Can you see Arsenal buying that? Or Sir Alex Ferguson, despite his talk of quotas? Howard Kendall felt a trifle strangulated by it when he was Athletic's coach in the 80s. Their Basque neighbours, Real Sociedad, matched them for half a century but officially abandoned the policy by signing John Aldridge in 1989. They reckoned the Basque Country was too small to sustain two top clubs.

The only sporting parallel was Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Much to many a Yorky's disgust, they relaxed their qualification rules when motorway verges became cluttered with the progeny of cricket nuts from Pontefract to Wensleydale racing home to deposit their wives over the county boundary before their waters broke.

Not once in more than a century have Athletic's 35,000 members even discussed the possibility of opening their doors to the rest of Spain, never mind the world at large. "Why should they?" asked Andoni Zubizarreta, the goalkeeper in Javier Clemente's league and cup-winning side of 1984. "Some think it's a limitation, but I see it as a strength. It unites us. It's our reference point."

The club showed me an extraordinary photograph of the 'double' celebrations which occupied both banks and every bridge over the River Nervion as the players' barge led a fleet of vessels reminiscent of the Armada. It would never happen on the Manchester Ship Canal.

Athletic have been trophyless since that day. Even 'Zubi' concedes that it gets harder and harder to win things. Last season they were almost relegated for the first time in 109 years but survived on the final day. This season they are also too close to the bottom for comfort. I recently watched them surrender a 2-0 lead to their fellow strugglers, Deportivo La Coruna. In spite of that, the atmosphere in San Mames, their crumbling bowl of a stadium, was different from anything I'd experienced in the Bernabeu, the Maracana or the San Siro. Thirty-seven thousand Basques felt like a nation. To paraphrase C?S Lewis, the disappointment they suffered then was part of the joy they felt after beating Valencia 3-0 in the Mestalla a week later.

So why do Bilbao insist on home-grown talent when there are only about three million Basques to choose from and the French side of the Pyrenees prefers rugby anyway? More to the point, can they ever be truly competitive again? After all, there was no Bosman ruling when they won eight league titles and 24 Copas del Rey.

Their president, Fernando Garcia Macua, seemed surprised by the question. "It's not written into our constitution that the team has to be all-Basque. It's just a philosophy we've had from the start and we see no reason to change."

What if Athletic are in the second division next season? "We'd rather go down than change our habits," he said. "I know the supporters feel the same." Paradoxically, Athletic are a foreign creation, started by British workers who left Sunderland and Southampton to work in the steel and shipbuilding industries.

I was introduced to Jose Angel Iribar, the club's legendary goalkeeper in the Sixties and Seventies who achieved notoriety by carrying the illegal Basque flag on to the pitch as soon as General Franco died. He was bullish about the future: "Our cantera (youth academy) is still one of the strongest in Spain. The spirit among young men who grow up together playing for the club they supported as boys is something every club envies."

When Athletic are losing, their crowds grow bigger. It's almost biblical. Followers tell me they connect with the players in a way that Arsenal fans can't hope to connect with Emmanuel Adebayor or Liverpool fans with Fernando Torres. They've watched them come through the academy; been to their confirmations; bumped into them in the shopping mall. If it sounds parochial, it shouldn't. At my local club, Leicester City, we were delighted when Keith Weller and Frank Worthington joined us but it gave us the most pleasure when Graham Cross, David Nish, Peter Shilton and Gary Lineker came through the ranks.

On the broader question of whether Athletic Bilbao's no-foreigners policy benefits the national team, the answer is a resounding yes - in the past. However, there are few Basques in the present Spanish squad and when it comes to underperforming, Spain have consistently left England in the shade.

~ ~ ~

Rugby's Basque Derby

This note about the Miarritze and Baiona rugby team's derby appeared today at Planet Rugby:

Biarritz beat Bayonne in Basque derby
Sunday 02nd December 2007

Biarritz went up the coast and just beat Bayonne in a house-full Basque derby. But the big winners over the weekend in Round 4 of France's Top 14 were probably Clermont Auvergne.

The Auvergnats went east from the Massif Central to Bourgoin-Jallieu, a satellite town southeast of Lyon in the Rhône Valley On Friday Bourgoin, who always have a strong pack of forwards, were second on the Top 14 table, Clermont Auvergne fifth. On Saturday night the Auvergnats had moved up to third, Bourgoin down to 6th.

Stade Français move into second spot after their "lucky" win over Dax at home when lowly Dax scored two tries to an intercept try and destroyed the Parisian scrum.

Montpellier's old-fashioned 9-6 win over Brive has meant that the southern side is now fourth while Brive, rumoured to be about to receive Ben Cohen, are winless and at the bottom of the table.

Bayonne's defeat has meant that they have gone from 1st to 6th and now to 8th in two weeks.

The Catalans have not been having the best of seasons but their away win over Castres may just be the start of fairer fortunes.

Biarritz vs Bayonne, 14-10

Scorers:

For Bayonne:
Try: Heguy
Con: Dourthe
Pen: Dourthe

For Biarritz:
Try: Masi
Pens: Dupuy 2
Drop: Brusque

The teams:

Bayonne: 15 Jean-Baptiste Peyras, 14 Sam Gerber, 13 Richard Dourthe, 12 Henri-Pierre Vermis, 11 Xavier Garbajosa, 10 Manny Edmonds, 9 Julien Tilloles, 8 Dwayne Haare, 7 Louis Massabeau, 6 Jacque Deen, 5 Cédric Bergez, 4 Andrew Springgay, 3 Augustin Lopresti, 2 David Roumieu, 1 Julian Fiorini.
Replacements: 16 Avtandil Kopaliani, 17 Arnaud Heguy, 18 Aretz Iguiniz, 19 Benjamin Lhande, 20 Shaun Hegarty, 21 Nicolas Lafitte, 22 Guillaume Bernad

Biarritz: 15 Nicolas Brusque, 14 Ashwin Willemse, 13 Henry Fa'afili, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Benjamin Thiéry, 10 Marcelo Bosch, 9 Julien Dupuy, 8 Samiu Vahafolau, 7 Imanol Harinordoquy, 6 Jacques Cronje, 5 Trevor Hall, 4 Jérôme Thion, 3 Benoît Lecouls, 2 Benoît August, 1 Mosese Moala.
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Noirot, 17 Eduard Coetzee, 18, 19 Augustin Creevy, 20, 21, 22.

~ ~ ~

New Site : Kanaldude

There is a new website dedicated to broadcasting videos of Euskal Herria.

It broadcasts from Behe Nafarroa in Iparralde, here you have the link:

Kanaldude

Enjoy it!

~ ~ ~

One Basque Anthem

Poor old Colin Davis, always getting it wrong when it comes to his hated Basques.

Here you have his last pearl of wisdom:

Many of you will be unaware the Rugby World Cup is currently taking place, mostly in France. So far, it’s been a terrific event, with the ‘minnows’ of Georgia, Portugal, Fiji and Namibia putting in spectacular performances against the big-name teams. But at one match the other night the commentator said something rather odd, viz. “The crowd has begun to sing the Basque national anthem, which has become something of an unofficial song for this tournament.” Did he mean the anthem of the French Basque region? Or is there something shared between the French Basques and their brethren across the Pyrenees?

There is only one Basque anthem dear Colin, and the reason why it has become the unofficial anthem to the tournament is because the stars of the French rugby team are either Basques or play for Basque teams.

One people, one nation, one anthem.

And one day those Basque players will play the Rugby World Cup as part of their own team, mark my words.

~ ~ ~

Unesco Visits Euskal Herria

This is an interesting note regarding the Unesco's visit to Euskal Herria to asses if the caves of Santimamiñe and Ekain deserve to be considered as part of humankind's cultural heritage.

Here you have the note by EITb:

Assessment

Unesco visits Basque Palaeolithic caves of Santimamiñe and Ekain

09/03/2007

An expert will assess the caves to study if they are included in the World Heritage List. The only site in the Basque Country in the list nowadays is the Hanging Bridge of Bizkaia.

An expert from the Unesco will visit the Basque caves of Santimamiñe (in Kortezubi, Bizkaia) and Ekain (in Deba, Gipuzkoa) to assess the "Palaeolithic Cave Art of the Cantabrian coast" candidature, which could be included in the World Heritage List.

Anyway, the World Heritage Committee of the Unesco won't make a decision on the award until June or July 2008.

The candidature is formed by several caves, those two in the Basque Country, as well as Peña de Candamo, Tito Bustillo and El Pindal in Asturias; and Chufin, Hornos de la Peña, El castillo, La Pasiega, Las Monedas, El Pendo, La Garma and Covalanas in Cantabria.

On January 31, day the Unesco accepted the candidature, the general director of the Culture Department of the Government of Cantabria, Justo Barreda, explained in the name of the whole candidacy that the initiative "is necessary as it helps to place Altamira within its context," as this cave is already included within the World Heritage List.

The text to back the petition defends that "Palaeolithic cave art is one of the most relevant cultural expressions of the history of Humanity" as it is "the first artistic expression of the human species," giving it "a universal value and meaning tightly linked with the evolution of culture and society."

These values, already recognised since 1985 for the cave of Altamira, "are applicable to other groups of cave art located in the same phisiographic region," among them the two Basque caves.

Hanging Bridge of Bizkaia, only precedent

Up to this date, the Hanging Bridge of Bizkaia (which links the towns of Portugalete and Getxo) is the only Basque good included in the World Heritage List.

Anyway, the Way of Saint James as a whole is in the list, and part of that way runs through Iparralde (Basque provinces within the French State), Navarre, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia.

The real question here is, what took so long?

~ ~ ~

Euskera in Iparralde

These are such great news, check this out, comes to us via EITb:

Life

Promotion of Basque Language

Historical agreement to promote Basque language in Iparralde

02/07/2007

The Basque Government and the Public Office of the Basque Language of Iparralde (Northern Basque Country) signed an agreement to collaborate in linguistic issues. An economic fund of €1,450,000 was fixed for 2007.

The Basque Government and the Public Office of the Basque Language of Iparralde (Northern Basque Country in the French State) signed in Baiona an agreement to collaborate in linguistic issues. Both institutions qualified the agreement as historical, as it makes official an institutional collaboration that goes beyond juridical and administrative borders.

The agreement signed by the Basque Government and the Public Office of the Basque Language will make possible a linguistic policy that promotes the Basque language in Iparralde.

In March a call for projects will be announced, to be financed with a €1,450,000 fund, a fund to which the Basque Government will contribute €450,000.

In 2007 several joint initiatives will be carried out such as the 4th Social-linguistic Survey of the Basque Country and the collaboration in research on toponyms and education.

The agreement institutionalizes a relationship existing since 2003, when the Councilor for Culture signed a first protocol with different French institutions. The recent creation of the Public Office of the Basque Language opens the path to a historical transfrontier collaboration.

A mixed commission will follow up the evolution of the projects. Today's signed agreement will be valid until 2010, but has to be ratified every year.

.... ... .

Orson Wells in Euskal Herria II

This is a segment of a documentary that Orson Wells produced about the Basque Country.

The segment shows a bit of the everyday life in Iparralde, the northern Basque Country. But pay attention to the last few minutes when it goes into the part that the Basques played in WWII, specially the very end when it describes how a young boy was tortured by the Nazis to obtain information about the boy's father who was in charge of smuggling Allied pilots, political dissidents and Jewish children into the southern Basque Country were they would be transferred to England.

I mention this because you will not find any information about this in the Yad Vashem nor the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

~ ~ ~

Holocaust Warning

To all Basque-phobes out there (Franco Aleman, John Rosenthal, Joe Gandelman, Colin Davis, to mention some), you better watch it, from today on any denial of the Holocaust is considered a crime.

Here you have the note from Yahoo News:

UN condemns Holocaust denial

The UN General Assembly unanimously condemned denial of the Holocaust, in a move diplomats said was directly aimed at Iran for branding the World War II mass murder of Jews a lie.

In the resolution proposed by the United States and co-sponsored by more than 100 countries, the 192-member Assembly General "urges all member states unreservedly to reject any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, or any activities to this end."

The resolution, adopted by consensus, does not name any country but points to "efforts to deny the Holocaust, which by ignoring the historical fact of these terrible events increase the risk they will be repeated."

Why does it affect you?

Because one of the core issues you deny or downplay when refusing the right of the Basque people to their self-determination are the crimes committed by Francisco Franco's regime against the Basques.

You never talk about Gernika and how the extreme right in Spain has never been accountable for the crimes commit ed by Franco and Hitler that day. I want to remind you today that unlike Berlin, Madrid has never apologized for that genocidal crime.

You conveniently leave out all the Basques that died in Hitler's death camps.

You have never mentioned that the Spanish Guardia Civil hunted down, tortured and murdered Basque resistance fighters who participated in operations to rescue Jewish people (specially children) from the Nazis.

You willingly participate in the massive cover up of the Gestapo crimes in Iparralde, where dozens of Basque villages were destroyed for the active participation of the Baques in the war efforts against the Axis.

Often you refused that there was a Basque Republic before WWII (and a Catalonian Republic for that matter), the only reason why that Basque state ceased to exist was because of the aid that Hitler and Mussolini gave to Francisco Franco.

During WWII while the Basques aligned themselves with the Allies and became a key instrument in the operations to hide and spirit away downed Allied pilots, dissidents and refugees, Franco sent his Blue Division to fight alongside the Nazis in Russia.

After the war the Basque Government in the Exile provided an intelligence network that was proven very valuable when it came to finding Nazi murderers hiding in different Latin American countries in the aftermath of WWII, something that not even the Mossad could match.

So, read this part again:

"...the 192-member Assembly General "urges all member states unreservedly to reject any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, or any activities to this end."

There you have it.

~ ~ ~

"Fashionable" Basque

A woman arranges clothes at a store in Guethary on 13 December 2006. The Basque country comprising northern Spain and southwest France is often associated, especially on the Spanish side, with its struggle for territorial independence. Now, people on the French side of the border are wearing their identity on their sleeve. Or, at least through other fashion details of their clothes, thanks to a half dozen 'Made in Basque' labels.(AFP/File/Daniel Velez)

Go figure, a fashion note gets it right.

~ ~ ~

Baiona: Thousands March for Prisoners Rights

Thousands of Basques demonstrated their support for the rights of the political prisoners during a march that took place in Baiona.

The police operation in place at the border between Hegoalde (occupied by Spain) and Iparralde (occupied by France) demonstrated that the laws in Europe do not apply to the Basque citizenry. Maybe this time the nay-sayers will understand the Basque dream of a free and unified nation, so in the future they are not prevented from exercising their freedom of transit, their freedom of gathering and their freedom of speech, all of them trampled in an Europe with no borders.

Here you have the report by EITb:

Thousands of people defend Basque prisoners' rights

March in Bayonne

06/24/2006

According to a French police spokesman, police controls at the French-Spanish frontier increased on Saturday due to the demonstration supporting Basque prisioners in Bayonne.

As a consequence of this measure, the demonstration organized by a group called Ibaeta Forum, started later than it was supposed to start and twelve buses were unable to cross the frontier.

According to the organizers, 3,500 people took part in the march of Bayonne where Basque prisioners' right have been demanded.

In the communiqué read at the end of the demonstration, the Ibaeta Forum reminded French Government "France is also part of the conflict" as one out of four Basque prisioners are in French prisions.

.... ... .