20,000 left and pro-independence people rally held in Bilbao

Batasuna leader says will not accept anything else than self determination

About 20,000 people attended a rally in the Bilbao Exhibition Center in the Basque town of Barakaldo convened by Basque nationalist leftist militants. The rally ended without incident and none of the speakers made any mention to Abertzale Sozialisten Batasuna (ASB)", a new party which, according to Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, contains "several elements that indicate the political group is an apparent continuation of Batasuna,'' which was made illegal in 2003.

The court on Saturday allowed the rally to go ahead, provided no mention was made of the new party. Police said the rally had obeyed the court by not mentioning or displaying the new party's name.

Several people sang songs in favor of the Basque prisoners and their amnesty during the rally, held under the slogan "Badator Udaberri, badator Euskal Herri berria," (Spring is coming, a new Basque Country is coming).

Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi, speaking at the rally, said that the posibilitie of a democratic process to start is targeted by spanish goverment. Insisted that there is a way to resolve the conflict and that BATASUNA has put on the table the mthodology the main contents and its complete determination, giving all steps are in its hands. Pernando Barrena, another prominent leader of Batasuna, said they will not accept anything else that self-determination for the Basque Country.

More pictures and videos: www.euskalherriberria.org