2007/III/17
FASCISM IS BACK AGAIN

Independentzia eta Sozialismorantz
EUSKAL HERRIA, PASO A PASO,
Servicio informativo de ASKAPENA Nš 170

In Spain the political atmosphere is getting hotter and hotter. And, in the middle of this confrontation the main subject is the Basque problem, "the spanish democracy's" Achilles' heel.

The origin of the problem.

Franco's political regime, the same which finished off the Republic and killed thousands of Republicans, is still alive. Franco's dictatorship became "democratic" thanks to the political parties which said yes to the political "Reform". All the country's political institutions continued full of fascists, and as it does happen with cancer, when cancerous cells are not removed they do continue growing. After 30 years of transition and constitutionalism, the right wing, which at its beginning did not pretend to be democratic, is now called "democratic". At that time Spain united to defend itself from the only enemy that from their point of view they had then: the Basque pro-independence political movement. With no critic conscience they allied themselves with the fascists conceding them social acknowledgement and citizenship.

The loss of the general elections in 2004 by the right wing made that their alarms should go off. That was a serious setback for their plans. Nowadays they pretend to get rid off the actual prime minister, Zapatero, because he is on their way. But their main aim is not just to get rid off only the PSOE's government, but also democracy itself. They did accept, though not very happily, the Reform of the Constitution, an State based on autonomies, the Estatutes... and for 30 years they have behaved in an schizophrenic way: they have reassured a democracy they do not believe in and at the very same time they have been trying very hard to deactivate that very democracy they allegedly defend. There are various examples of this strategy: the unsuccessful coup de'etat of the 23rd of February, a restrictive vision of the competences by the different Autonomies composing Spain, the election of Aznar, a small dictator, and its later re-election by an overwhelming majority, the prostitution of the Rule of Law in order to fight the Basque nationalism... The right wing assumed that Spain did accept that adultery and took for granted that it would continue within the government in order to finish its piece of work. The PP was right to think so, in Spain there was nobody from left or right wing who opposed him-herself to this strategy of cutting out freedom and legal rights in Euskal Herria: a high intensity dictatorship, limited on its extension. The PP though has not rejected that ambition; that is the reason why it has focused its project on expel PSOE, if they achieve this, the rest will happen sooner or later.


The beginning of political negotiations

Zapatero's aim which consists in trying to deactivate Basque dissidence by means of dialogue is completely opposite to the strategy by PP's point of view: Why should any government try to face a conflict that does not exist? Why resort to dialogue if that means rendition? Why not apply anti-terrorism policy at home if it is used everywhere in the world? According to PP's point of view Zapatero's way is not only an obstacle but also a defeat for Spain and the triumph of terrorists.

Since the very moment that the Congress passed the beginning of the conversations with ETA, the PP has used this fact as its main point to attack the government. But that belligerent and monothematic strategy has not worked so well as the PP expected. The actual government, thanks to the backing of the rest of the groups in the Parliament, has been able to follow that way, even if in the meantime the Spanish right wing has scandalously increased its aggressiveness. As it could get nothing in the Parliament, the PP has directly gone to the street organising nine offensive demonstrations. But patience has a limit. The political groups within the Parliament have decided to attack. They have decided not to answer PP's proposal-provocations; in this way the right wing has isolated itself. The institutional boycott has given way to the political attack by the Spanish government, and this along with the proximity of the elections and the reduction of the penalty for the Basque political prisoner Iņaki de Juana has provoked the present political storm.

The never ending misfortunes

The Spanish right wing has made a general call for a crusade considered by them as the final offensive. In order to destabilize the government, the right wing has mobilised itself against what they before considered to be their flagship, this is, the Spanish High Court; the PP has rejected the reduction of the penalty for Iņaki -something which happened due to humanitarian reasons- and they asked that Iņaki, seriously ill, should go back to prison. All the mass media under the control of the PP have created a wave of social alarm: Zapatero has surrendered, ETA has won the battle, Spain is broken to pieces... (Very similar reactions happened when Cuba was close to get independence from Spain). The cardinal from Toledo -in an unfortunate understanding of what morality and history are- has considered Iņaki's hunger strike as a terrible terrorist attack that intimidates society as a whole. The ultra fascist groups took part in the demonstrations organised by the PP insulting, exhibiting anti-constitutional flags and attacking PSOE's headquarters, Rouco Varela, another member of the high religious establishment did mention the army.

In order to face this ofensive, the PSOE has chosen a disastrous strategy. Instead of understanding and assuming that any political conflict requires of political solutions, it has chosen to counter attack PP by mentioning all its irregularities. Which miseries can the PSOE reproach? The fact that PP's government was far more magnanimous with ETA's political prisoners that the current government?



As if it was a schoolboy's fight, PP has answered back by saying: "and you more!". It is ready to make the people know the relationship between PSOE's government and the dirty war against ETA by means of the anti-terrorist so called GAL. It is a mere dialectical confrontation between the main Spanish political parties in which they give a false vision of prisons. Since 1989 dispersion is the prison policy. The only real rivalry between PP and PSOE was to make clear who was more cruel with the Basque political prisoners.

In defence of the rights already violated

In the afternoon of the 10th of March there were not few gatherings. Since the previous day, the PP held provincial demonstrations in order to heat up the environment, having in mind the next demonstration they are organising in Madrid. The PSOE has very clear that the PP has given another step to retake power and they answer attacking back. There is crossfire between the main Spanish parties, they both compete for knowing which of both has been more despotic in their fight against the Basque people.

Euskal Herria has lot to say to both parties, since it is in the end the subject which suffers the attacks from them. The Basque Nation is the one with more reasons to mobilise. On the 24th of February we went to Bilbao and ask for amnesty and self-determination. Spain, once again making use of its cruelty, repressed that numerous demonstration by using the Basque-spanish police. There is another huge demonstration on the 10th of March in Bilbao. In this second case the vindication has to do with the 18/98 judicial case, a real abuse of power by Spain. Tens of thousands of Basque patriotic left wingers have as a result of that process suffered a terrible trial: citizens who are being asked high penalties for having committed a crime: and this is just for being patriotic left wing supporters.

Euskal Herria, 12th March 2007.