I just learned that a Basque based anti-terrorism organization called 'Basta ya'(Enough) along with some other smaller ones are holding a demonstration today. Basically, all Basques that are tired of being told what THEY want, or feel forced by the nationalists to ask for independence from Spain, in other words, want to be FREE, are being called to participate.

I for one, can't wait to know how many people will turn out.

This demonstration is country-wide or only in Madrid??

Website of the organization: http://www.bastaya.org/

pim,
Interesting website - it appears that the organization is very well known and extremely well respected for it's approach nd handling of a tough subject. Please keep us posted on the events today.

good for them!
At least a step ahead is a step in the right direction!

Actually it has happened in San Sebastián (Basque Country), where the basques who had to emigrate to other parts of Spain due to the intimidation ambience were called to make a public protest against the pro-independence statement of the basque president.

The lema for the riot has been: "Por la Constitución y el Estatuto. No al nacionalismo obligatorio." (For the Constitution and the Estatuto. No to the obligatory nationalism.)

Estatuto makes reference to the "Estatuto de Gernica", the established laws which guarantee the Basque Country its full autonomy and its basic laws. It has been critizised by the nationalists because, though they aproved it in 1978, it states that the Basque Country is an autonomy, and not an independent country.

The newspapers are saying that "thousands or persons went to San Sebastian". I hope lots of thousands...

Fernando

us too!

First estimations say that the riots count 150,000 persons.

An impressive turnout, though I hope it was more of a demonstration (manifestación) than a riot (disturbio o levantamiento violento)! A 150,000-person riot would be terrifying.

Hahaha! You are right It was a demonstration and not a riot obviously. Excuse my poor english, it is not the first time I make a big mistake when choosing the correct word :p

Now the estimations says that there were over 100,000 persons, though they don't give a more concrete number.

Fernando

I still hear the 150,000 number. And yes, it was quite the contrary of a riot, people seemed actually to be in a "very good mood", and many carried huge multi-colored balloons that said ¡BASTA YA!
Some were Basques (college professors, ex-local politicians, entrepreneurs, etc....) that as Fernando said, don't live in the Basque land anymore, because as they explained; they did not think that having to share their lives with up to 4 bodyguards! 24hrs. a day (even though they became their best friends after a while!), was any way to live free.
Wolf and Cali, how I wished you had seen what all this people were saying!!!, they warned everyone that an ethnic cleansing process is underway; because for the nationalists, every Basque that isn't nationalistic is not considered a real one; and on the other hand, any other person that goes to them and declares themself to be a nationalist instantly becomes 100% Basque, it doesn't make any sense!
This proud (and brave!) BASQUES were also stating many other things; and questioning why would they have to want and demand to become an independent nation (with the French Basque provinces, and Navarra), if that has never been the case, that territory was never a nation by itself, ever! And besides thanks to their special 'estatuto' and the Spanish Constitution with which they fully agree, they are the region, in the whole of Europe enjoying the most autonomy as it is.

I´ve started to hear the term "ethnic-cleansing" a lot when talking about the situation in the Basque Country and it is bothering me. I know Bosnians that had to leave Bosnia because of what was happening there. What is happening here is not "ethnic-cleansing" like what happened in Bosnia. If you determine someone´s ethnicity by their ideological views, it wouldn´t seem that you could call it ethnic cleansing exactly. It could be considered "ideological-cleansing" if you consider it that way.

Roe,

You're absolutely right, and that's what's so absurd about it, there are no different races or ethnicities in this issue at all!, but tell that to Arzalluz and some other nationalists that do believe the contrary!
(and remember a recent thread....)

Talking about ethnic-cleansing is quite exagerated if it is not explained as Roes has. Ideological-cleansing is a more accurate term, which is almost as strong as the first.

When someone has to have bodyguards just for stating that he feels spanish and that he thinks that the Basque Country is a part of Spain, and when some parties try to take advantage of such situation to pursue their political goals we have a pseudo-democracy. Everybody has to be free (without the menacing of being killed, kidnapped,...) to have a true democracy.

Basques are exhausted. Some College professors can't go to classes or have to get out of their homes and go to a US university. The menace extends to anything ETA considers disturbing for their goals: councilmen of small villages, journalists, policemen, judges, philosophers, writters, sculptors, militars, senators, businessmen,... and their families.

What a pitty

Fernando

According to the various news sources I've looked at, it seems that Basta ya!!! was a huge success -over 100,000 turned out and the march was relatively unmarked by ETA violence. Has there been follow-up as to the 'success' of the demonstration in that it seemed to represent an overwhelming majority of people living in the Basque area.

Did I phrase that "politically correctly??????"