Dublin protests Spanish repression of Basque independists

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Tuesday December 11, 2007 22:09 by Diarmuid Breatnach - Dublin Irish Basque Committee

0ver 100 arrests by Spanish authorities; over 40, including National Executive of Batasuna, convicted of "support for terrorism" and court of appeal adds 5 - 10 years to sentences

Irish, Basque and Catalan protesters picketed outside the GPO on 8th December to protest repression by Spanish authorities of Basque left-separatists. On the 7th, three traditional Basque musicians performing at the Long Note debut in Dublin were applauded when they stated that theirs was the oldest living language in Europe and their culture one of the oldest and that their people would continue to fight for their political and civil rights.

Dublin protest at repression of Basques by Spanish Government
On Saturday 8th December, supporters of civil and political rights for the Basque people attended a picket in Dublin to protest the recent actions of the Spanish Government and to raise the awareness of the Irish people and of tourists of the repression being carried on by the European Union country of Spain. Despite a number of Dublin Basques having left already for their homeland, and the wet weather, the attendance was strong in the main street of the Dublin capital. Irish shoppers and tourists read the banners and placards: “Stop Repression in the Basque Country!”, “The Spanish Government Are the Real Terrorists!” and “Freedom and Democracy for the Basque Nation!” The Ikurriñas (Basque national flag) made a splash of colour as they flew in the grey Dublin winter’s afternoon.

One group of protesters took the middle section of the wide main street with one banner, while another stood across the street from them, in front of the General Post Office. This building was the headquarters of the insurgent forces in the Irish rebellion of 1916. A number of the leaders who were executed by the English after the Rising was defeated had been in that building until it was no longer defendable due to flames and shell damage.

Some passers-by stopped to ask the reason for the protest and to learn about the situation in Euskal Herria (the Basque country). Many did not need to ask: they sounded their car horns or waved clenched fists in salute as they passed.

The protest had been arranged by the Dublin branch of the Irish/ Basque Committees and Ógras (the youth wing) of Sinn Féin (P) and was called at the most recent wave of repression in Euskal Herria by the Spanish authorities which saw more than 100 arrests as well as the sentencing of 40 supporters of Basque independence, including the national executive of the banned left-independist movement, and the increasing of their sentences by between five to ten years by the Spanish Court of Appeal.

The previous evening, a large crowd of people who attended a concert of traditional Irish music, poetry and sean-nós singing, had heard three young men from Euskal Herria play the albokas and pandera and had applauded their music and their statement that their culture was old and unique and that their people would continue to struggle until they won their independence.