Winds of Change

We are today witnessing the "Cedar" revolt.

A couple of months ago we saw Kiev paint itself orange.

The winds of change are blowing all over the place, people around the world demand their self determination.

Yet, the cowards, the so called "liberals", the hypocrites, they all turn their backs on Euskal Herria.

Shame on them.

Beirut

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Enjoying Ondarreta

Ondarreta

Former cyclist Peio Ruiz Cabestany, left skis past a bather on the snow covered Ondarreta beach in San Sebastian, Spain Friday March 4, 2005. (AP Photo/EFE, Juan Herrero)

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EH Pics by J

Well, J is back from his visit to Euskal Herria.

Unfortunately, Athletic was not able to clinch its pass to the next round in the UEFA Cup.

The pictures are great, go check them out at Keine Problem.

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EH Watch

Check out this web page if you want to follow up in the case known as 18/98.

EH Watch

Eskerrik asko Cat!

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With Reuters

Interview

Basque premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe gestures during an interview with Reuters journalists at the Basque government headquarters in Vitoria, northern Spain, March 3, 2005. REUTERS/ Vincent West

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No Ireland For Harinordoquy

Imanol

France's No 8 Imanol Harinordoquy practices in a line-out during a training session. France coach Bernard Laporte has dropped Harinordoquy, a second half replacement in the 24-18 defeat to Wales last Saturday, for the the Six Nations match with Ireland at Lansdowne Road on March 12.(AFP/File/Damian Meyer)

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Good Riddance!

The clown is headed for a new stage.

He loves the limelight, and what better that the USA.

But before he actually left, during the process of packing his bags full of poison and bile, he took his time to attack Batasuna one last time:

In the end Baltasar Garzon had to leave without managing to sit Arnaldo Otegi down in front of him. A dream that failed to come true, it is widely thought. Instead, he summonsed the Batasuna executive committee members Joseba Permach and Joseba Alvarez to his office on the second floor of the Spanish National Criminal Court yesterday morning on his last day at work.

So now, the prosecutor that also judges, goes away without ever presenting solid evidence for non of the cases carried against members of the Basque society that have nothing to do with violence.

How does he do it?

He works within a repressive system that allows for it to happen.

Will anyone in the US media question him for it?

I doubt it.

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The note appeared today at Berria.

You can also read the whole note here.

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Morrison Rules

Van Morrison

Belfast-born rhythm and blues legend Van Morrison plays his saxophone in the Palacio Euskaldun in Bilbao, Northern Spain February 28, 2005. Van Morrison continues with his European and North American tour with two sold-out concerts in the Basque city. REUTERS/ Vincent West

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Truth Comission?

What truth?

The only truth here is that self serving judge Baltasar Garzón is back on the saddle, trying to go for that Nobel Prize that he saw scurrying away after the Egunkaria blunder.

After decades of life in the lime light thanks to his clownish indictment against Augusto Pinochet and Osama bin Laden that had more than one weekend human rights "activist" fooled, Garzón decides to tackle the pesky issue of Francisco Franco's dictatorship crimes.

He called for a "Truth Comission".

Too little, too late.

The crimes have prescribed, as usual, Garzón's timing is conveniently off.

But the whole thing begs the question.

Are Fraga Iribarne, José María Aznar and all the other former Francoist and neo-Francoist ministers gonna be questioned for their refusal to condemn the Franco era's crimes?

Fat chance!

I was not going to write about this, the whole thing is a travesty to prop Garzón. But then I read this:

Garzon burst onto the scene in Spain shortly after becoming a High Court judge 17 years ago by investigating a secret, paramilitary unit known as GAL that killed 26 people and kidnapped several others in the 1980s to fight the outlawed Basque separatist group ETA.

ETA is reviled in Spain for killing more than 800 people since 1968 in pursuit of Basque independence, but Garzon was applauded for taking on the anti-ETA death squads, resulting in the conviction of a former interior minister and 11 other officials.

Unbeliavable!

The author of the article skips saying anything about all the crimes commited by Franco and his junta against the Basques, not even bothers mentioning the fact that Franco was a Hitler puppet and that his regime was shunned and considered illegal all the way till 1955 when the USA decided they needed a few crummy military bases in Spain.

But he manages to include the infamous "800 killed by ETA" line that is reserved for anything that has to do with a bit of news coming from the Basque Country, be it a political rally in Bilbo or a wine tasting in Baiona.

Well, is plain and simple, if the Allied Forces had delivered their promise of freeing the whole of Europe from Fascism, if the USA had not gone to bed with Franco over a few bases, if pressure had been applied against Franco for his murderous campaign in Euskal Herria, there would be no ETA today.

Add the crimes of ETA to Franco's legacy.

Garzón is making all this noise because he knows the crimes have prescribed, but it doesn't matter, idiots around the world will think he really stands for human rights and justice, and after all, that is all he wants.

The complete article is at Yahoo News.

You can also read it here.

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In The Mean Time, In Iruñea

Bilbo was not the only city in which the Basques expressed their opinions.

In Iruñea, the capital city of Nafarroa, thousands demonstrated to push for the recognition of Euskera throught the whole of the province.

Seems like the organizers were greatly satisfied with the response to their call:

Thousands and thousands of people braved the cold in Iruñea (Pamplona) yesterday and supported the rally organised by the Oinarriak platform (an association of 15 organisations working for the standardisation of Basque in Navarre). People went out into the streets (between 12,000 and 15,000 of them, according to the organisers) to demand that the Basque language be officially recognised all over Navarre. Irantzu Onko, a member of the platform, said afterwards she was “delighted” with the response by the public to the call made by Oinarriak, but added that there “is still much work to be done”.

Unlike the one in Bilbo, seems like this one had a lighter tone:

It was a festive atmosphere all along the route of the march thanks to the musicians who had joined it. The demonstration was led by Basque dancers. Members of the Amaiur dance company carried flags of Navarre and red, white and green Basque flags or ikurriñas. They were followed by the main banner of the march carried by Oinarriak members. It said: Euskara, ofizialtasuna Nafarroa osoan (Official Recognition for Basque throughout Navarre).

One thing though, no matter the tone, both were as important.

You can read about it at Berria.

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