-37,000 people rally in support of the Basque political prisoners.
Bilbao saw last Saturday one of the largets demonstrations of the last years. More than 37,000 people responded to the Basque political prisoners’ relatives call and demonstrated in the streets of the Basque city in favour of their repatriation. The majority of Basque trade unions, left pro-independence parties and social organization representatives joined forces at this time.
The pictures of the 764 Basque prisoners opened the demonstration and behind them banners with the main demands followed. “No to death penalty!”, “No to life imprisonment!”, “Basque prisoners to the Basque Country with all their rights!”.
The suffering of the Palestinian people was remembered in many ocasions along the march and a Palestinian exile waved a flag from the stage.
Some prisoners’ relatives spoke from the stage and made clear that despite the Spanish and French governments efforts to annihilate their love ones in prison they will never let them alone.
-ETA bombs pro-Spanish media headquarters.
A strong explosion destroyed the new main offices of the Basque Radio Television broadcaster in the morning of New Year’s Eve. Previously ETA had warned of the planting of the bomb so nobody was injured. Offices of some of the main Spanish media were badly damaged in near buildings.
Pro-Spanish politicians spoke out against what they considered an attack against freedom of speech. Representatives of the pro-independence movement pointed that freedom of speech is under siege every day of the year with the bannings of political parties and demonstrations and the arrest of hundreds of people for expressing their political beliefs publicly. They called upon all sections of Basque society to work together for a real solution to the conflict.
Ten actions were claimed by a group called Irrintzi in the north of the Basque Country. The attacks were carried out between August and October last year. The targets were High Speed Train works, holidays resorts, a police station and the French Home minister’s home.
-Basque Country Solidarity with Palestine
The Pro-Independence Left organised demonstrations in Basque towns nearly every day of the Israeli Zionist bombardment of Gaza.
The Basque Pro-Independence Left Movement called for the Spanish Government in Madrid to stop selling arms to Israel and also called for a total boycott of everything Israeli in the Basque Country - diplomatic, food or other products, cultural, sport, music, intellectual and began work to get elected municipal authorities to support the boycott and to implement it.
Demonstrations were also held in the main cities and towns of the Basque Country gathering thousands.
The Dublin Basque Solidarity Committee supported rallies and vigils in their city and their banner was carried in the demonstration of 2,500 in Dublin on 3rd January. At a rally on New Year's Day outside the GPO, attended by such public figures as Christy Moore, Stephen Rea and Duncan Stewart, the Chair of the Dublin branch of the IBC addressed the crowd. He told them that the Palestinian people do not stand alone but that there have been demonstrations in solidarity across the world, including in the Basque Country where the people have taken time out from struggling around their own circumstances to offer solidarity with the people of Gaza. The Irish and Palestinians in the crowd cheered the speaker when he reported that the Basque Pro-Independence Left Movement has called for a total boycott of Israel and their products in every arena.
-International Solidarity with the Basque Country Week 5th - 16th February
That is the period chosen to focus international solidarity actions with the Basque Country and actions will take place in many different places in the world. The Irish Basque Solidarity Committees will be organising actions during this period to raise the Irish public's awareness of the repressive situation in the Basque Country and of the wish of the Basque people for self-determination. A speaker from Kamaradak, the Basque internationalist youth network, will address a number of public meetings during the period.
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