Thank you Fernando!

I remember a few years ago there was a problem with the History books in the Basque region.
Hmmmm, this sounds too familiar.

IT'S THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AT HOME AAAAND AT SCHOOL!

"Teach your children well"

I think we may have to agree to disagree on this one. PLEASE STOP BAD TALKING THE BASQUE COUNTRY
!!! It is an awesome region of spain and I have come to love it and its people dearly. For the last time, yes there are exceptions...yes there are those in Euskadi who are anti-Spain, and yes ETA originates from this region. However, these are the EXCEPTIONS NOT THE RULE!!! What everybody needs to realize is that this exists in all of Spain and in all countries of the world.
Kelly

Hiya,
For many years now the union jack and St Georges flags, have been wrongly utilised by a certain group of people and media in order to instil fear and denial of the British identity for those like me of immigrant parents. If one decided to display and be proud of these flags it somehow meant you were a racist, an extremist, a danger.

No longer true thank goodness!
Thanks to the 2002 World Cup the Union Jack and St Georges image are back in the 'Good books' and it's cool to be British and proud of it. And this is how it should be. Everyone needs a nationality and identity and to be proud of it, lets not confuse this into meaning terrorism and hatred.
Flags=good, bombs=bad
(p.s. suppose I shouldn't flash my union jack nicks). (Maybe i should go to Tenerife and do that)jeje ooops thats another thread. :p

Tell me one single region or country in the first world in which the parties of the political oposition need to go escorted. Twenty thousand councilmen, senators and public charges need to have a escort every day to work in Spain, from the smallest village (with less than a hundred inhabitants) to the Basque Parlament and the national one.

I agree that the Basque Country has incredible landscapes, superb food, very kind people in general and is a great place to visit and to make tourism, but don't try to confuse things: there is also an amazing lack of freedom for certain people due to their ideas and many things (as the education) which makes the Basque Country a region with a democracy's deficit.

Not everything is black or white, good or bad in any place of the world.

Fernando

Once again, all of this is the result of stereotypes. Of course things are never just black and white, good and bad...however, this is how stereotyped groups are viewed.

"Tell me one single region or country in the first world in which the parties of the political oposition need to go escorted. Twenty thousand councilmen, senators and public charges need to have a escort every day to work in Spain, from the smallest village (with less than a hundred inhabitants) to the Basque Parlament and the national one.

I agree that the Basque Country has incredible landscapes, superb food, very kind people in general and is a great place to visit and to make tourism, but don't try to confuse things: there is also an amazing lack of freedom for certain people due to their ideas and many things (as the education) which makes the Basque Country a region with a democracy's deficit."

Well put Fernando.

Do they still allow those eta youth camps?

Exactly, and that's why insinuating the majority of Basque people support ETA and terrorism is reckless. There are pockets of extremism in Pais Vasco, but in no way do they represent the true view of Basque people.

Indeed it's unfortunate that government officials need police escort, but this only highlights the motives of a minority. The problem with a statement like this, though, is that it gives the impression the whole region condones such violent means to an end.

...and perpetuates stereotypes.

TODDY STOP

Well then, the "good" majority you speak of needs to deal with the problem a lot more seriously,no? How about starting in the educational systems?
And do they still have those eta youth camps?

"Toddy stop" hmmmm....I think this is an interesting debate tactic but,sorry I can't stop a true debate even if it hurts

I think we're heading down that road again, MM...you know the one, the same one we've traveled EVERY time this thread has been unraveled.

Oddly enough, when I post, it's "CaliBasco trying to impose his views on the Basque Country". When someone who agrees with Fernandito posts it's "well said" and "yippee, someone thinks like me". I'm happy if I'm on an island, as long as there's an ikurriña flying over it. From the looks of things, there are others on the island, and none of us EVER have advocated anything other than understanding Basques and their culture.

It is the infectious need of some to dwell on the negative, extreme minority which allows the parasitic terrorists to slowly eat away at the collective Spanish consciousness, doing more damage via paranoia, misinformation and fear than they ever could hope to accomplish via car bombs.

Fernando & toddy, please no more school days tales of deprogrammed Sabino Youth fledging...er...fleeing Euskadi into your warm, liberating embrace. Do you think that the ikastolas have some brownshirt youth movement? I didn't know there was a Fox News España...