Towards Independence and Socialism
EUSKAL HERRIA-BASQUE COUNTRY, STEP BY STEP,
ASKAPENA's Informative Service N. 174
The step given by the socialist patriotic party at the end of March made possible to see the intentions of all the social agents. The registration of the new political party called ASB (Patriotic Basque Socialists) is a clear evidence of the attempt by the promoters in order to get a solution for the political conflict within Euskal Herria. The Basque Patriotic leftwing accepted the absurd demands of an unfair law to reach some sort of agreement: it wants a political and active subject in the institutional work that is to be made in the process for the resolution of the conflict.
PSOE's and its partner, the Basque right wing, PNV's intentions are now very clear. This coalition, which could also be considered an "evil alliance", wants no resolution but a total surrender by the Basque patriotic leftwing. From an arrogant point of view they declared that the effort made by the Basque patriotic leftwing is not enough and that this party has to make a bigger effort; in just one word surrendering or death. By following this intransigent strategy, the spanish government activated a judicial resolution in order to close the way to ASB (Union of Basque Socialists), just a few hours after this organization asked for its registration in the lists of the election campaign.
Here you have 2 videos, the first a 5 minutes resume with music. The second one (most of it in spanish) shows Arnaldo Otegi (leader of the basque left) speaking aboat Iosu Ion Imaz (leader of PNV (National Business Party) the 'basque' right)
A second try
This hostile attitude, even if discouraging, has not demoralized Basque patriotic leftwing. It has already suffered and it is still suffering too much so as to lose its way in the middle of the process, coming to a standstill. The Basque left wing has very clear that new ways are to be followed by all means. ASB does not renounce to its name, since from its point of view, this political party fulfils all the requirements of the unfair Law about political parties. Even if so, ASB is not a mere observer, since it does deeply now the Spanish judiciary's political influence; the public prosecutor's office itself is the one who has asked the prohibition of the new political party, the High Court's courtroom number 61, in the hands of the Spanish right wing, will once again attack the very bases of democracy. ASB has asked to be respected, but it is very likely to be illegalised by the spanish High Court.
There exists another "extreme" possibility, which was tried four years ago with little success: the citizens' political platforms. The Spanish legal system accepts that a group of citizens, backed by the 1% of the electoral roll, should have the chance of taking part in the local elections, as an organization with no links to any political party. As in this case it would not be a political party as such, because of this reason it is not required to have any sort of legal statutes which fulfil the Law about political parties. But it has to anyhow get the back of that 1% of the electoral roll by getting signatures at an official office of the government or at an attorney's office.
Four years ago, The Basque Patriotic leftwing tried also this second way. Spain did then also apply its usual repressive and dictatorial laws. It did carefully supervise those lists by using the police. A big amount of the candidates, as it could not be other way, were left wingers with a deep compromise. This was enough reason in order to illegalise most of the citizens' platforms, accused of being a continuation of the formerly illegalised Batasuna. Just a few of all the organizations were considered to be unconnected to the Basque Patriotic leftwing by spain. Thanks to this some of them had the chance of going through that undemocratic filter.
Citizens' leftist prominence
It is very hard to try once again that second possibility, when all the institutions of Spain and its close collaborators, this is, the Basque right wing are non stop warning that they will prosecute this strategy. Left wing leaders have very clear that they have organised a high risk mobilization, since all the effort made may finish illegalised.
But Basque left wing supporters are very used to long term mobilizations and they are not worried about just another one. They are not ready to accept any political surrendering, despite all the intimidations they are getting from everywhere. They have very clear that in politics there are no presents, and so they are to continue non stop. They have in mind Iñaki de Juana's testimony, who did unmask Spain, facing the Spanish state almost to death. They have just listened to Filipe Bidart
Who, after abandoning the prison in which he had been for longer than 20 years, he confessed his faith in the people's struggle, an opinion that he has not changed at all from the very first day when he went to prison. All the Basque patriotic left wingers can not be afraid of the threatening menaces by their usual enemies.
"If we have to sign up, we will sign up!"
Thousands of posters on so many walls invite to sign up in order to back the citizens' democratic participation and the process itself. There are small posts going from hand to hand in which there is information about the places to go to sign up, thousands of mobile messages go from place to place with the same information. As an example of the participative ideal of the Basque Patriotic leftwing, the places where to sign are being visited by thousands of citizens of all ages, who calmly wait for their turn to sign in favour of the process.
From the media, the Spanish government, and its ally the PNV once and again there is the same message: the fact that the people signing up for the democratic resolution of the conflict are doing a vain and useless effort (Do they really know what the citizens consider to be useful?!). The Basque patriotic left wing supporters do silently sign up; even if it is likely that all those signatures may get invalidated by a despotic state and its mean allies. But the rebellion is already a fact. This peaceful strategy is in itself a challenge for the mass-media, which describe them as "terrorists". In the same way the government's strategists are forced to admit that their plans for the demobilization do not work: "Where do the Basque people get their strength and obstinacy from? Despite all the difficulties they do continue with their struggle".
If the Spanish government had any knowledge about the participation and popular feeling of the Basque people, it would understand something about what is going on, but it has not still get to that. All the resources that spain have are being used to suppress any chance that the Basque Patriotic leftwing may have to apply its democratic rights. The PP's strategy goes farther away, since once and again asks the government that it may forbid the citizens to have the right to sign up.
Euskal Herria, April 2007.
