FACING FASCISM

Towards independence and socialism
EUSKAL HERRIA, STEP BY STEP,
ASKAPENA Information Service N. 169



In Spain there is no right wing party, or at least there is no evidence of it. The only organised expression is the PP political party, a feature of which is its closeness to the radical ultra right. As the elections are getting closer, and taking advantage of the lack of perspective by PSOE, the PP is intensifying its campaign against the PSOE. A campaign which is closer and closer to fascism.

Cheers for repression!

Physical or political elimination of the enemy is one of the most widespread strategies by fascism. In spain this strategy has turned into law: thanks to the cooperation between PSOE and PP the Law About Political Parties was passed. This law makes possible to eradicate politically thousands of citizens close to the Basque Patriotic Left Wing. Thanks to a more liberal interpretation of this very same law, a citizens' group had the chance of taking part in the Basque Parliament under the name of Communist Party of the Basque Territories.

The PP has never accepted this lighter interpretation of a law nowadays being in force. As the municipal elections are getting closer the PP is trying once again one of its old strategies: repression. One of its efforts consists in illegalising the Communist Party of the Basque Territories, nowadays the only political expression of the Basque Patriotic Left Wing. On the 20th of February this proposal was presented in the Parliament. For the first time the members of the Parliament did face fascism. The rest of the Parliament voted against the proposal giving no chance for its discussion. As a result, the ones introducing the proposal were left in a delicate situation, but even if so, they did not renounced their proposal.

On the 23rd of February, the anniversary of the unsuccessful 1981 coup d'etat, the PP presented that law proposal in the Basque Parliament. It was just the very same as in previous occasions: the rest of the political parties save for the PP rejected the proposal not even making use of their chance for argumentation. It was about time for both parliaments to reject ultra right.




Cheers for death!


Nobody can feel safe when fascism is furious. For a long time the Spanish law system has been a field used by the right wing as stronghold. As it was to be supposed, the resolutions taken by the judicature have been very well considered by the extreme right, which considered itself to be defender of the distinction and separation of the three power branches: legislative, executive and judicial. It is a mere mirage. Justice itself has to suffer fascism's wrath when it does not fulfil fascists' bigger and wider demands. Iñaki de Juana, Basque political prisoner by making a 115 day hunger strike has unmasked cruelty of the Spanish right wing.

As a preventive prisoner, he was condemned to 96 year imprisonment because he published two opinion articles. After revising his penalty, the previous 96 years were reduced to 12, later the Spanish High Court's penalty was equally revised and in the end, the 12 year penalty became a 3 year penalty. That was far too much for a vindictive Spanish right wing which wanted that the prisoner should die in Spanish prisons. One of the branches of the Spanish Popular Party, the Terrorism caused Victims' Association (AVT) took the streets to claim that the Spanish High Court was an accessory to the penalty reduction, something considered scandalous. On the 24th of February they organised a crowded demonstration in Madrid against the Spanish High Court's resolution and the Spanish High Court itself.

On the 1st of March, the Spanish Government obtained for Iñaki a second degree sentence and decides to move to Donosti granting to him a lighter degree of imprisonment. The evaluation of the decision was considered from different points of view. For the government it has been somehow a humanitarian decision. For Basque Patriotic Left Wing the PSOE has solved a problem that it originated, being forced by the people's pressure. For the PP, the Estate has been blackmailed by the terrorists. There have been not few people feeling more comfortable with the final decision, since the death of Iñaki, a political prisoner unjustly sentenced two times, was imminent. For the Spanish right wing it has been a catastrophe. A secure political victim they had, has escaped to them. They have not been able to materialise the death sentence they wanted for Iñaki. The right wing's reaction has been furious: violent demonstrations along the Spanish state, the announcement of a national demonstration, disqualifications for anybody who does not agree with them... The fascists' nature is more and more obvious.


"Ready to show their teeth"
The Basque bourgeoisie in government in the Basque Autonomic Region is also behaving in a fascist way. They do denounce the abuses by Spain, but they do take advantage of the situation and they do fulfil any order made by the Spanish government.
The Basque bourgeoisie rejects in theory the political apartheid, but they use it in order to get more political power than its share; in the same way they do in theory reject the Law About Political Parties, but they use it in order to repress the Basque Patriotic Left Wing. Last midst January "El País" newspaper informed of the strategy designed by the right wing Basque PNV to be carried out along with the PSOE in the Basque Country: to show the teeth to the Basque Patriotic Left Wing in order to deprive it of its freedom.

The political movement in favour of political amnesty, backing the struggle by the political prisoners collective, called a demonstration for the 24th of February under the slogan: "Amnesty and self-determination". As it has happened in the previous occasions the Spanish High Court forbid the event. There were various attempts in order to change the messages and identity of the organisers of the call. It was futile the Inner Department of the Basque Autonomic Government prohibited every attempt. Not only that. The 24th of February two hours before the demonstration, Bilbao was a city occupied by the police forces. Even if so, thousands of people of different ages met at the city centre, despite the police display. As the crowd congregates, the police units begin to surround ready for attacking. Nobody runs away, on the contrary, the crowd begins walking.

The police answer is sudden and devastating. The demonstrators sit on the road and the "Basque" police charges against them originating a big amount of casualties. The crowd undergoes police brutality. The crowd changes its route and as irrepressible as water itself, they continue along any streets in order to keep going. The Basque Autonomic Government has not assumed any responsibilities of what happened. As it does usually happen, it does transfer the responsibility to the repressed citizens. Paradigmatic.


Euskal Herria, 7th of March 2007