Basque Victory at Stanford

Bad news to Zapatero and Aznar's undercover operator, they lost the Stanford Battle.

With the support of the big media they were able to gather 5,000 signatures from among 40 million Spaniards while the Basque camp was able to obtain 3,000 signatures from among 3 million Basques, if the percentage was not enough, the winners achieved that amount in one week only while their opponents had a full month to try to expand Spain's posture on freedom of speech.

Here you have the note from The Stanford Daily:

Basque debate continues

Second petition surfaces in support of President Ibarretxe’s arrival

February 13, 2008
By Kamil Dada

In anticipation of Thursday’s visit by the Basque Government president, a maelstrom of international controversy has surfaced. Stanford’s plans to host Juan Jose Ibarretxe has garnered coverage from both U.S. and Spanish media outlets, including the two largest Spanish national newspapers, El Pais and El Mundo.

A petition protesting Ibarretxe’s talk had garnered over 5,000 signatures as of Tuesday. However, within the last two weeks, another petition has emerged in support of the lecture. It has since received over 3,000 signatures.

The second petition calls on Stanford “to disregard the petitions of groups that pretend to obstruct freedom of speech.” It further argues that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

The democratically elected president’s visit has led to deep divisions over whether the leader should be allowed to speak on campus in the current format.

Rafael Dobado Gonzalez, a professor of history and economic institutions at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid who signed the first petition, said he wishes that the audience could be offered a contrasting perspective to Ibarretxe’s. He believes that the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), the political organization that Ibarretxe belongs to, has given long-standing political support to the terrorist organization Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA).

“The PNV opposes to any legal and political measure adopted by the Spanish government in order to weaken ETA,” Gonzalez said. “In short, the PNV exploits the existence of ETA and its methods — killing and kidnapping included — as a way to impose its rule on Basque society and to physically exclude non-Basque nationalists.”

Gonzalez cited an example in which the PNV, including Ibarretxe’s vice president, signed a 1998 secret political agreement with ETA “in order to create a new stage in the confrontation with Spain.” According to El Mundo, the PNV agreed “to break all agreement with [other non-nationalist, political parties] whose goal is the destruction of the Basque Country and the building of Spain.” The leaders of the PNV denied this agreement until the ETA published it in the Spanish newspaper, Gara, on Apr. 30, 2000.

Gonzalez added that he believed the talk would be used as a political platform.

“[Ibarretxe] is not an academic trying to search the truth on a certain scientific issue to relevant colleagues,” he said. “He is a politician attempting [to sell] his political merchandise to a distinguished and influential audience without competitors. At the same time, he will sell [his message] in Spain, especially, in the Basque Country that Stanford is receptive to his message.”

But Jeff Wachtel, special assistant to Stanford President John Hennessy, championed free expression and the exchange of ideas.

“While we recognize that there are those who disagree with Mr. Ibarretxe, the principle of free speech and open discourse on this subject takes priority at a university,” Wachtel said. “President Hennessy’s analysis and personal opinion [on] the political issues that have been raised does not have a bearing on this invitation.”

Elisenda Paluzie, an economics scholar in Spain, was one of the people who signed the second petition, which was in support of the lecture.

“[The protesters’] proposal to either cancel the event altogether, or to invite a political challenger to Ibarretxe’s claims is not only ridiculous but it reveals a deeply inquisitorial, dictatorial and anti-democratic vein,” Paluzie said.

She, too, placed an emphasis on the need for free speech.

“This conference also fulfills one of the roles of the university,” Paluzie said. “A place where one listens to different ideas, discusses and debates political, historical, philosophical issues. It is an opportunity for students and scholars to listen to a political leader from a minority people — the Basques.”

Paluzie further explained that for the majority of Spaniards, the existence of different nations, cultures and languages is a problem.

“They would never recognize [the Basques’] right to self-determination, their right to decide, as stated by President Wilson’s Fourteen Points or the U.N. Charter,” she said. “Ibarretxe’s proposal is about giving the voice and the decision to the Basques.”

A number of the organizers and supporters of the petition are planning to protest during the lecture, which will be held at Arrillaga Alumni Center at 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

“I want the Americans to know that in Europe the nationalists still have some power,” said Jose Jenaro, a Silicon Valley worker who grew up in the Basque city of Vitoria and plans to protest the talk. “They market themselves as peaceful people, but in reality they control the media, the streets and they terrorize their own people.”

Laura Wilson, chief of police at the Department of Public Safety (DPS), said that the protesters should be aware of what constitutes a legal protest.

“What is not permissible is to disrupt an event to the degree that lawful business, such as the ability of a speaker to speak, cannot be continued,” she said. “If an event is closed to the public or tickets are required, it is illegal to obtain entry and a person may be subject to arrest for trespassing. It is also a violation of law to incite others to riot.”

For security reasons, Wilson was not able to discuss the specifics of the security measures for the Ibarretxe event. However, Nick Brunot, a police services officer from the DPS, pointed out that he had been advising the organizers on how to protest legally.

“We have created a demonstration area for the protest group outside the lecture,” he said, “[in order] to allow them to exercise their first amendment right.”

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Eusko Flickr : Basque Mornings

Basque Mornings
Originally uploaded by Ballast32

Eusko Flickr : Bloody Sunday Derry 2008

Bloody Sunday Derry 2008 - 36th Anniversary Commemoration March
Originally uploaded by seanfderry

36th Anniversary Commemoration March

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Interview with Kathy Kelly

The craze about The Kelly Family's concert video featuring Agur Jaunak continues. EITb has published an interview with Kathy Kelly. Even better, thanks to them now we get their version of Txoria Txori.

Here you have it:

Entertainment

Kelly Family sings "Agur Jaunak"

We met and sang in our bar in Pamplona with Mikel Laboa - Kathy

02/06/2008

A week after a video of "The Kelly Family" singing a traditional song hit the headlines of eitb24.com and succeeded in Youtube receiving more than 50,000 visits, the Basque channel got in touch with Kathy Kelly.

As you already know, we recently discovered a video on the Internet of you and your family singing the Basque traditional song "Agur Jaunak" during a concert. Since then, it has recorded thousands of visits more. How did you find out about it?

I discovered the news through Myspace.com/kathyannekelly fans that saw the news, told me about it and I kept looking all time in the past week the profile in youtube.

I have been following the whole process, and much to my delight, I see it growing everyday by 10000 profiles more per day, kept myself informed through Google about all the different articles across the world as in the USA etc.. in your newspapers also

Have you received any kind of feedback on your web site after the recent success of the "Agur Jaunak" version?

Yes I have received feedbacks of fans and I am very happy of all this outburst towards us, and you beautiful song "Agur Jaunak".

What can you tell us about the video? When was it recorded? Where?

The Video was recorded in 1995 in one of the most beautiful outdoors venues of Germany "The Loreley" for a TV live show of ours, and just now talking to my brother Johnny who lives in your country, he told me it is the most sold Video ever in Europe, it could be 400000 copies sold ,its been our most successful Video in our career also as a whole show

Which is your connection with the Basque Country?

My connection with the Basque country was my youth years in the seventies where I studied music in the conservatoire of Pamplona and did ballet and met all kinds of thinkers of your country that introduced me to your culture and songs and popular dances.

It's a huge story and a very important time of our lives getting poised to go out to the world which we did later on, we lived in a small town called Belascoain in Navarra, and from them we gathered the vision to do what we did, and your songs specially "Agur Jaunak" followed us all along the way.

My Brother has a story of the biography of how this song had a huge impact on many occasions in our lives, and for other important personalities that we met along the way in our travels.

Why did you decide to include that song on the set list?

This song has always been in our hearts as the Basque people have been also, so whenever there is a very special moment and we feel like the crowd is ready, we give them the jewels that we gathered along the way and this song of yours is by far the song.

Once a great thinker of you Country told my father(Jorge Oteiza) "we the Basque people have a sense of our divinity", and there is no other song that expresses better this feeling than "Agur Jaunak", so when this feeling is really there with us and the crowd we sing it.

What else do you know of the Basque music? Any more traditional songs? Groups?

We sang very often "Boga Boga" that we produced in our first CD with "Agur Jaunak" back in the year 1978 Polydor Germany and we also sang often "Gernikako Arbola", "Haurtxo Polita" and many other folk songs of yours.

I belonged for a while to a dance group of yours in Pamplona called "Ortxadar" where I got lots of influence of the Basque Music.

We used to play in our home the songs of Benito Lertxundi with whom we also recorded for a Video of ours one of his songs, in the video called "A long time ago with Mum" "Kelly Family" and we met and sang in our Bar in Pamplona with Mikel Laboa etc.

The story is so big I am sure that I am leaving so many things unsaid, please excuse me for this because you have woken in me many memories now, I am so glad that we can be a source of joy and pride for your Country and give back in such way the gratitude we have for you all, and the fantastic treatment you gave us back then when we needed it

There have been many big bands that have recently come back to the stages. We could mention The Police, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Bruce Springsteen is back with the E. Street Band...Has the Kelly family any plans for the future?

Who knows never say nay? Things have their way and I believe it will some day happen when and how? Maybe you will have lots to do with it again? Some of us are still singing together and often, here and there, in our private family meetings we all sing together, and the impact is always there of the sound of our voices, so this has never left us

A big part of our audience has grown up listening to the music of the Kelly Family. However, the youngest ones do not know much about it. Just for them, could you please tell us what is history of the Kelly Family?

I will ask you to go to Kelly family Wikipedia.com or in German.de and check it out its so large the story that I would have to write three books on it, there are different faces that we lived the older ones and the younger ones, check also The home Page"Kelly Family".

Thanks a lot Kathy

And if you still feel like going on listening to some more Basque songs sung by the Kelly Family, check the next video.

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EHAK and Ibarretxe

This note comes to us via EITb:

Politics

Meeting

EHAK members meet Basque Premier

02/02/2008

According to sources linked to the Basque leftist party EHAK, the meeting showed the “tension between the Basque leftist movement and the nationalist party”. EHAK had previously criticized Basque premier’s silence.

The Basque Prime Minister Juan José Ibarretxe met Friday several members of the Basque leftist party EHAK, who showed him their opposition to the banning process of their party.

The meeting was celebrated at the Basque Parliament and was attended by the Basque premier Juan José Ibarretxe, the spokeswoman for EHAK Nekane Erauskin, and the EHAK members of parliament Julián Martínez and Itziar Bazterrika, sources linked to EHAK reported.

According to the same sources, during that meeting the tension between the Basque leftist movement and the Basque nationalist party PNV was intense. A few minutes before the meeting, EHAK spokeswoman Nekane Erauskin had criticized Basque premier’s “serious silence” about the ban of their party. Erauskin said that they do not trust him anymore.

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International Center for the Basque Diaspora

This video came to us thanks to the good friend Benoit:

ICBD Larregoien - english
Cargado por bennyprod

The video presenting the project of the International Center for the Basque Diaspora, we are creating in the town of Ascarat - Baxe Nafarroa.

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1936

This information comes to us via SUBO:

The Spanish Military Uprising of 1936

Under the Spanish Second Republic, the Catalans achieved home rule in 1932, but a Basque autonomy statute for Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa (Nabarra excluded) was delayed until 1936.

The military uprising of 18 July 1936 "underlined the multifarious social base and, at points, contradictory nature of the ideology upon which the (Basque Nationalist) party rested," writes Marianne Heiberg. According to Heiberg, some months previously secret meetings were allegedly held between certain Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) leaders and the right requesting arms "to form Basque militias which would function as soon as a communist revolution, which we assume approaching, explodes." A few days before the uprising two PNV deputies, Irujo and Lasarte, declared that the PNV would support the Republic in case of a military intervention. On the night before the military rebellion, the PNV executive retracted these assurances of automatic PNV loyalty.

On the day of the uprising, Heiberg writes, the first section of the PNV to react was the PNV executive in Nabarra, which declared its opposition to the government of the Republic "responsible for religious persecutions. " Volunteers, 42,000 in number and called the Requetes, financed by the Carlists, were recruited mainly from the peasantry and organized into militias in defence of "God and his Church, King and Fueros!

The worst period in the orgy of Franco's violence in Nabarra, had countless Nabarrase sentenced to exile, prison, or the grave. Nabarra was a fundamental bulwark for the insurrect Spanish army led by General Franco. The number of Nabarrase executed - more than 3,000 - by the fascists and their sympathisers in rearguard was higher than in any Spanish province with a war front. Forced recruitment, massive executions, rape, killings reported as suicides, prison, exile, and
the Catholic church as oppressive agent, are denounced by the cultural organization Altaffaylla Kultur Taldea in an important research published by the group in 1986 about Nabarra during the military uprising in 1936. The results of this research contradict the fascist propaganda which claims Nabarra was in favor of Franco.

Regional Autonomy for Baskongadak (Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa)

With the re-establisment of the Spanish Republic in 1931 and with it, the restoration of political liberties, Basque nationalists saw an opportunity to achieve autonomy. Eusko Ikaskuntza (Society of Basque Studies) drafted a project for an autonomy statute aimed at the unification of the three Basque provinces in Spain (Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa aka Baskongadak) and Nabarra into an almost independent state.

On June 15, 1931, a Baskongadak- Nabarra alliance of mayors from the four Basque territories in Spain met in the town of Lizarra in Nabarra and approved a project for autonomy, the Statute of Estella. The Basque project was rejected by the Republican government whose constitution recognised only one "integral state." For reasons still debated today, the Baskongadak- Nabarra alliance broke off. In 1932, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) accepted an autonomy statute for the Baskongadak drafted by a Madrid commission.

According to Hurst Hannum, the short period during which the autonomous region of Baskongadak actually functioned before being abolished by the victorious Franquist forces in 1938 makes it difficult to judge the viability of the Second Republic's arrangements for autonomy. Hannum observes:

"Nevertheless, the broad scope of many of the region's proposed autonomous statutes indicates that there was a fairly extensive grant of actual as well as theoretical powers of self-government to the autonomous regions. The powers of approval and amendment of autonomy statutes reserved to the Spanish parliament (Cortes) is significant, but it should be noted that a majority in the 1931 parliament represented non-Castillian Spain, thus providing a fairly effective political check on discriminatory legislation at the national level and a sympathetic majority for regional autonomy".

The autonomy statute for Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa was approved in referendum on November 5, 1933, by 84% of the Basque electorate. However, the Republican government failed to act in the plebiscite and Basque aspirations were not met until 1936. On October 1936, at the outbreak of the Spanish civil war, Madrid finally granted Baskongadak its autonomy. Jose Antonio Aguirre, a young lawyer from Bizkaia, was named president of the rump Basque government, which alongside nationalists, included Spanish republicans, socialists and communists.

Since August 1936, the north-west of Spain had been cut-off from the rest of Republican Spain. The Basque government quickly took on many functions of an independent state. It issued its own currency, passports, set up its own judiciary, established diplomatic links with several foreign countries, and organized its own army. The Basque army refused to accept central Republican authority.

Many gudaris (Basque soldiers) and milicianos (Republican soldiers) died fighting in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, but also many people from Araba and Nabarra who had escaped the terror of Camilo Alonso Vega and Emilio Mola. And many volunteer soldiers (international bridgades) from Belgium, Cuba, Germany, Italy, France, as well as young people and women died fighting against fascism.

The Fall of Bilbo

The Spanish nationalists guided by General Franco faced difficulties to penetrate the Basque province of Bizkaia. A great offensive against Bizkaia began with the bombardment of Durango on December 31, 1937 which caused 520 dead and 730 wounded. The German Condor Division supplied air support. Then on April 26, 1937, before attacking Bilbo, the town of Gernika was bombarded by the German Luftwaffe which was testing their burnt earth torches. This was the first bombardment of its kind in the world and caused 1,654 dead and 889 wounded. In June 1937, Bilbo finally fell to the hands of Franco's troops.

Basque resistence collapsed and its government went into exile abandoning the Basque resistance. Over 50,000 Basques died, 10,000 were taken prisoners (1,000 prisoners, including poet Lauaxeta and eleven priests were executed), 150,000 went into exile, and 20,000 children were sent abroad to save them from the cruelty of the civil war. At the time of the Germans invasion of France, most of the Basque nationalist leadership in exile moved to South America. During the Nazi occupation of France, 11,555 people in the Basque territories in France were sent to concentration camps in Argeles and Gurs. This is a high token if one takes into account that the entire population of the Basque territories was about 1.500,000 in 1936.

Betrayal of the Allies

During the Second World War, a group of Basque exiles placed themselves at the service of the Allies against Nazis. In London, Manuel de Irujo, a Nabarrase who was the Spanish minister of Justice under the Second Republic, became president of the Basque National Council in 1940. He signed an Anglo-Basque agreement for the creation of a Basque military unit. Other inter-state agreements were signed in London in 1941, between Charles De Gaulle (in the name of Free France) and the Basque National Council. The Gernika Battalion, led by Major Ordoki (of the left-wing Acción Nacionalista Vasca, ANV, Basque Nationalist Action), took part in the battle of the Atlantic. At the end of 1945, a year of euphoria, Basque resistance fighters regrouped along the Franco-Spanish border, awaiting orders to penetrate southwards with North American logistic support that never came.

After the Second World War ended, Franco was identified with Hitler and Mussolini and Spain was boycotted by the international community. But in November 1947 the United Nations assembly lifted sanctions on Spain, and the North American delegate declared his support to Franco. Meanwhile, the North American press pointed to the strategic importance of Spain in the Cold War. The isolation of the dictator was broken by the United States granting him a loan of 62.5 million dollars in exchange for U.S. military bases in Spain. In 1954 the Pope awarded Franco the Supreme Order of Christ.

The Spanish Civil War was followed by suppression of civil liberties and a fierce repression of the Basque language and culture.

Regrettably the PNV had refused to sabotage the heavy industry and infrastructure as demanded by the left and later ordered by the Republican government. In Bizkaia, observers commented, one received the impression that there was no war. Law and order was total. By protecting Basque heavy industry and infrastructure from left-wing sabotage, the PNV made it possible for the dictator Gen. Franco to succesfully overcome the international boycott imposed on 1946 and to embark on an ambitious policy of economic self-sufficiency. The mass destruction of industrial installations and infrastructure characteristic of the rest of Spain had not occurred in Baskongadak, a blessing for the dictator thanks to the PNV. In turn, this industrial base gave the economy of Bizkaia an overwhelming initial advantage which produced the second "boom" of Basque industrial expansion.

Bibliography: Luis Nuñez Astrain, La Razón Vasca (Txalaparta, 1995); Jose Luis Cereceda, Euskadi en guerre (Ekin, 1987); Iñaki Egaña, Las Victimas reclaman su existencia (Egin, July 18, 1996); Hurst Hannum, The Accomodation of Conflicting Rights, (Universtiy of Pennsylvania Press, 1990); Marianne Heiberg, The Making of the Basque Nation (Cambridge University Press, 1987); Francisco Letamendia, Historia del Nacionalismo Vasco y de ETA (R&B Ediciones); Joseba Zulaika, Basque Violence Metaphor and Sacrament (University of Nevada Press, 1988).

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Celebrating Santa Ageda

Santa-Ageda-2006-085
Originally uploaded by Atauri

This note comes to us thanks to EITb:

Life

Santa Agueda

Santa Agueda songs heard all over the Basque Country

02/04/2008

Santa Agueda festivity is celebrated on February 4th , and it is a tradition for Basques to dress in the traditional clothes and carry a streetlight and a “makila” to mark the time while they sing Santa Agueda’s song.

Thousands of Basques will sing today Santa Agueda’s song, a tradition that comes back from ancient times in honour to one of most highly venerated virgin martyrs of Christian antiquity.

Santa Agueda was put to death for her steadfast profession of faith in Catania, Sicily. Although it is uncertain in which persecution this took place, we may accept, as probably based on ancient tradition, the evidence of her legendary life, composed at a later date, to the effect that her martyrdom occurred during the persecution of Decius (250-253).

Santa Agueda festivity is celebrated on February 4th at night, and it is a tradition for Basques to dress in the Basque traditional clothes –“txapela” beret, navy blue shirt- and carry a streetlight and a “makila” –thick stick- to mark the time while they sing Santa Agueda’s song. The chorus varies depending on the place.

In ancient times only males under 14 were allowed to sing all together Santa Agueda. In the 60’s they would sing along the streets and beg money for “ikastolas” –Basque schools-, politics’ prisoners, charity, and so on. Nowadays different-age people sing all together along the Basque streets collecting money for charity purposes.

According to historian Jose Maria Uranga the tradition has its origin in Bizkaia, although it also achieved certain roots in the bordering towns of Gipuzkoa.

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A Basque Goes to the ASP World Tour

Aritz Aranburu - Mundaka (Foto Artzai Gómez)00018
Originally uploaded by Artzai

This interview comes to us thanks to Surfline:

Aritz Aranburu First Ever Basque and Spanish Surfer To Qualify For The ASP World Tour

February 4, 2008
PRESS RELEASE

Name:Aritz Aranburu
Age: 22 years old
Lives in: Zarautz, Euskadi
Sponsors: Quiksilver, Pukas , DC

After almost a decade of competition and training, two runner-up places on the ASP Europe Junior ratings in 2005 and 2006, several wins on the European Pro Surf Tour events including his latest and mot exciting Zarautz Pro Surf crown at his home town of Zarautz, Basque Country, Aritz Aranburu has become the first ever Basque and Spanish surfer to get his ASP World Tour pass. It all started in Zarautz, world famous surf town of the Basque country which used to host some of the biggest events of the World Qualifying Series in the past. Being a smart and focused kid, Aranburu grew up fast with the right state of mind to become a champion. Always ready and fit, Aritz made his way to the top of surfing's hierarchy step by step, learning all the keys to becoming a professional surfer with great determination.

"My coach always told me that I had to get through every level to believe in my ASP World Tour chances. To become a top 45 member, I always had it clear that I had to be champion of my town first, then my country, then the ASP Juniors, then the ASP European Pro Surf Tour, etc... I missed out the Junior title twice but eventually got the 2007 European Pro Surf Tour championship, before finishng the year with this great qualification for the ASP World Tour. All I could hope for..." says Aranburu when asked about his career.

Since he became a full time WQS campaigner in 2006 where he impressed by his attitude and focus, getting a 3rd place finish in the O'Neill Highland Open 5 Star WQS, Aranburu lost no time and kept working hard to reach his goal. In 2007, he started the year with a win at the Hang Loose Pro 5 Star Prime WQS and then kept pursuing his dream, securing his elite spot in the second last event of the year, the Reef Haleiwa Pro 6 Star Prime WQS in Hawaii. Aritz Aranburu will be one of Europe's Fantastic Four to start at the end of the month his maiden ASP World Tour year, and we wanted to get a few words from the man himself.

1. You are the first Basque, and Spanish to make it to the top 45. How has it been at home? Crazy? Difficult?

Its been an amazing time... After my final in Lacanau, things got bigger and bigger at every event. When I won the Zarautz event at home, local people and were going crazy and I felt a big support. It was really nice to see how people get involved and support you because they feel like you can represent them well. I had a couple of great emotions, and off course some big parties to celebrate! I don't party a lot but when it comes with the results, it's just so good!

2. You secured your spot in Haleiwa with this beautiful semifinal. How was the end of the year?

The contest in Haleiwa was some big time.The waves were huge, powerful and massive but I was having a lot of fun every heat I was paddling out for. I got smashed a couple of times by really big sets but it ended very well for me. It was really amazing for me to end up the year like that. I feel like this semifinal in such a major event, and moreover in Hawaii, gave me a lot of confidence and I prooved to myself I could keep going this way. Perfect before the ASP World Tour kicks off, very soon...

3. You had a very focused and serious training in 2007. Do you feel prepared and fit to sur against some world champions?

I am definitely ready to face some of the big names of the top 45. I mean wouldn't I? I've been training hard, always focused on my targets and I will keep going like this for the whole year. Everything starts now, because once you are on tour, you don't want to miss it because of stupid mistakes. The only thing I've had on my mind so far is to start the tour with the best feeling possible, regarding mental and physical aspects, and boards.

4. What about the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast and its Superbank?

I just love this wave. I've been surfing there for a few winters now and I can't wait to hit the water for my first heat of the year.

About ASP

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing's undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the Foster's ASP World Tour, the ASP Women's World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

I find the insistence on adding "and Spanish" right after the mentions that Aritz is Basque quite amusing. Makes me wonder why the main stream media does not rely on the "ethnic Basque" label like they do with the "ethnic Albanians" from Kosovo.

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Honoring Homosexuals

This note is going to make a lot of people mad, specially within the ranks of the Partido Popular and the Spanish chapter of the Catholic Church.

It was published today by EITb:

Life

At Basque prison

Homage to homosexuals pursued by Franco’s regime

02/03/2008

The Basque Government paid tribute to the homosexuals pursued by Franco’s regime at a Basque prison.

The Basque Government paid tribute to homosexuals and transsexuals who suffered persecution, repression and imprisonment under Franco’s dictatorship because “they were heroes, able to survive the regime that neither recognized them, nor admitted them”, said Javier Madrazo, the responsible of the Basque communist party EB.

Madrazo led Sunday the homage at the Basque prison of Nanclares de la Oca, an act to pay tribute to this group pursued by Franco’s regime in accordance with the laws of “Layabouts and Criminals” and “Dangerousness and Social Rehabilitation”.

Apart from Madrazo, many Basque important figures also attended the act.

Juan Soto, one of the main figures

Juan Soto was imprisoned in Nanclares de la Oca in 1944 for being homosexual and being member of a Republican family. A video of him was screened during Sunday’s act.

There, he reminded everybody that “they were despised by people of the two camps” because even those who did not support Franco’s dictatorship used to tell him: “You should be ashamed of yourself, you are a communist’s son and you are just a fag”.

Several members of groups of lesbians and transsexuals also attended the act.

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