Remember, Speak Basque

This is a quite interesting note regarding the defense of Euskara:

3,000 voices backing Basque

Masses of people gathered in the streets of Baiona for a demo organised by the Seaska, Biga Bai and Euskal Haziak associations under the auspices of the Hiru Sareta pressure group to call for the development of education in Basque and the official recognition of the language

Eneko Bidegain – BAIONA (Bayonne)

Joaldunak were supposed to frighten away evil spirits. That is what an Ikastola parent told his or her son. Joaldunak led the Hiru Sareta pressure group march, which set off at 15.40 hours. 3,000 people gathered in Baiona (Bayonne) yesterday afternoon in support of education in the Basque language. t remains to be seen whether or not the joaldunak have performed their function. Along the route there was something only rarely seen in demonstrations in favour of the Basque language and education in Basque: police, masses of CRS police officers and vans protected by nets, as if it were a dangerous protest.

Members of the Seaska, Biga Bai and Euskal Haziak education networks are unhappy with the attitude shown by Dominique de Villepin, the French Interior Minister, during his visit. During the speech to mark the end of the march they complained: “You have shown us that speaking the same language is not enough to enable us to understand each other, we need to speak on the same wavelength. And we in the Basque Country and you haven’t reached that point yet.” They went on to criticise the justification for limiting the number of posts in Basque language education, and less funding than originally announced for the IPE body.

The organisers were also unhappy that an announcement was made during the Minister’s visit to measure the demand for education in Basque. “We mustn’t waste time measuring the demand for Basque for the umpteenth time. The social demand has already been measured. We know it exists. We know that the offer creates demand. In our daily lives we realise that Basque is declining, so there’s no point in measuring the demand yet again,” they stressed. In this context it is clear that France is sticking to the same tune when it sends in so many police officers.

But little attention was paid to the officers in black uniforms. The music and friendly atmosphere took over. Eight pipers and four drum players raised the spirits of the marchers, or at least of those who were close by. On one side the sounds of the Otsagi dances, on the other of the Larrain dances helped one forget the grey sky and the cold. The sound of Basque accordion music could also be heard.

Slogans were shouted from other parts of the march supporting the Basque language, and calling for unity, for example. The first part of the slogan came out of loudspeakers on a van while children carrying red, white and green Basque flags or ikurriñak enthusiastically responded by shouting out the second part. Another time songs came from the loudspeakers. People sang Euskara jalgi hadi plazara (Basque, go out into the square), followed by Guk euskaraz, zuk zergatik ez? (We speak in Basque, so why don’t you?).

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City of Baiona Fines Demo

Today at Berria English:

Baiona court imposes 33,000 euro fine on Demo members

The Demo members have explained that they do not accept the judgement and that they will be filing an appeal with the court of Pau. They are denouncing the fact that through this judgement the Court has expressed its approval of the economic war begun by the French railways

Aitor Renteria – BAIONA (Bayonne)

Yesterday the Baiona Court announced its judgement in the case against the Demo (1) members heard on January 8. Those convicted will have to pay nearly 33,000 euros. The Magistrate has imposed two kinds of fine on the pro-Basque language activists: 400 euros for those in work and 300 euros for the students and unemployed. On top of that those convicted will have to pay the SNCF, the company that runs the French Railways, 9,300 euros in compensation for five trains which had difficulties. The Magistrate has explained that they will have to pay the compensation through joint liability, in other words, if one of the convicted is unable to pay, the rest will be responsible for payment. They will also have to pay court costs: 1,200 euros.

The Magistrate has imposed an additional penalty on the people who have already been tried for acting against the SNCF. So Gorka Torre, Pascal Mulet and Jokin Zaldunbide have had their driving licenses taken away from them for three months. Jean Francois Blanco, the Demo lawyer, explained that the Magistrate can take the decision to take away driving licenses when the fines are imposed. Gorka Torre is a Seaska (2) school teacher and yesterday he did not know how he was going to get to school today. As soon as the Magistrate’s judgement was made known, the Demo members said that they would be filing an appeal. If they do so, the Court of Pau will handle the affair.

Yesterday Demo’s Jean Noel Etxeberri said, “With the violence meted out by the police the Court of Baiona has taken a qualitative leap with this judgement.” He stressed the fact that the penalty imposed was very harsh and explained that the court agreed with the SNCF’s strategy. “The SNCF wants to take advantage of the economic war to stifle our movement, but it has to realise that we will inflict greater losses and that we are not going to give in. If they want continue this way, the cost they will incur will be two hundred times higher than that involved in putting a bilingual policy into effect in all the stations in the Northern Basque Country.”

(1) Demoak: a movement using active, non-violent means created in the Northern Basque Country (under French jurisdiction) in 2000. It demands DEMOcracy for the Basque Country, an effective Basque language policy, a Basque département and respect for the rights of Basque political prisoners.

(2) Seaska: the Association of Ikastolas or Basque-medium schools in the Northern Basque Country (under French jurisdiction).

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