NIEUWSOVERZICHT

WEEKLY UPDATE BASQUE INFORMATION CENTRE, WEEK 21, 9 until 20 June

At Baiona, in the Northern part of the Basque Country (in France), hundreds of people demonstrate at the 7th of June for the right of self-determination for the Basque Country. The demonstration was organised by the in Spain outlawed Basque political party Batasuna. French and Spanish police forces stopped numerous demonstrators at the border to avoid the demonstration to become a mass meeting.
At the 8th of June more than 60.000 people participate at the 23rd manifestation ‘Araba Euskaraz’, yearly organised by the Basque language school (Ikastola) San Bizente from Oio (in the province of Araba) to support the Basque language education.
At the 11th of June the incurable ill Basque political prisoner Jose Inazio Goikoetxea is released from prison in Madrid. Goikoetxea suffered for months a lot of pain en indigestion problems, before he was examined by a doctor, who found cancer at him. He was for 22 years in prison and only had one year more to go.
In Paris is again an arrest of Basque lawyer, Itziar Larraz, at the 12th of June, in the prison of Fleury-Merogis, while she wanted to visit a prisoner. She is accused of the same things as Unai Errea, who was arrested on the 20th of May in the Paris Palace of Justice (and released now): she should exchange information among Basque political prisoners in France.
In Iruñea a lot of youngsters gather from different organisations and villages and call the province of Naffaroa ‘a laboratory of repression’, for which they hold the political parties UPN (local branch of the governing Partido Popular) and the PSN (local branch of the PSOE) responsible. The Guardia Civil arrested them when they demanded Basque language lessons at the University of Naffaroa, at Lizarra the police demolished a youth- centre and youngsters are subdued to policial manipulation.
At the 18th of June the Basque political prisoner Jesús Mari Etxeberria ends his hunger strike at the Madrid-bases Valdemoro prison. After 50 days, with one week on thirst strike also, and some weeks the hygienical protest, Etxeberria stops for now his actions against his isolation detention after being promised by the authorities of the prison to be transferred to another prison. The last couple of days Etxeberria had to throw up every day, could only be moved to his visitors by wheel chair and was not able to hold a conversation. A transfer to the prison hospital was however refused. Etxeberria doesn’t exclude further actions if the authorities are not keeping their promise.
At the 14th of June the installation of de various city councils in the Basque Country leads to arrests and riots. In different places protestors occupied town halls or gathered in front to protest against the undemocratic elections of the 25th of May, were the party AuB of the left independent movement was excluded from elections. Thousands of people demanded that the 579 councillors who were voted (illegally) for AuB, would be granted access to the city councils. In Donosti the authorities tried to outrun the protests by setting the installation at 09.00 am. While the mayor was sworn in, the Basque police Ertzaintza attacked the 100 protesters outside, who were having a peaceful sit down. Three councillors of AuB were arrested. In Hernani, where the also outlawed local branch of the AuB won the elections and where the left independentists are the biggest for years and years and also have the mayor, the installation was cancelled because of the occupation of the city hall. Two members of the IU (United Left) came to read a statement denouncing the exclusion of the left independentists, but the former mayor of Hernani, Mertxe Etxeberria, answered that the exclusion was made possible by the cooperation of other parties, including IU.
The same evening thousands of people gathered in the Velodrome in Donosti to celebrate the launching of the new Basque Daily Newspaper Berria (New). The objective of the new board is to, just as their by temporary measure closed predecessor Egunkaria, to spread news about the Basque Country and the world in a plural and independent way, sell 25.000 copies each day and be present on the Internet in English also. With the same director, partly the same employees and the same objectives, Berria could risk closure as well.
The anarchist group Cruz Negra Anarquista (CAN), part of the world wide network Anarchist Black Cross (ABC), is accused by the notorious judge Garzón of being the ‘recruiting machine of the terrorist organisation GRAPO (Grupo Resistencia Antifascista Primero de Octobre)’. With this verdict the Spanish police can block bank accounts and close buildings of CAN.
At the 15th of June 300 people demonstrate in Amsterdam for the release of Juanra with the motto ‘Spain tortures, free Juanra!’. For pictures, check www.freejuanra.org/nl/03- 06-15-2.html
At the 16th of June the Guardia Civil starts the eviction of the Basque village Itoiz, Naffaroa, near the weir of Itoiz. Nine villages have to be destroyed, six others will be evicted partly and the lake will damage four natural parks. The Spanish authorities need water for the luxurious tourism across Spain for pools and golf courses. For 15 years now there have been protests against the building of the weir, a plan derived from Franco’s brain. In 1996 activists of the group Solidarios con Itoiz sabotaged the construction site, holding the work for over a year. For that action there’s still one activist in jail.
Two days later, at Wednesday the 18th of June, the Guardia Civil still didn’t manage to evict the village entirely. In one of the houses activists build a bunker, where they could last for a long time. During actions and demonstrations 40 people got arrested and people have been wounded by baton-wielding police officers and by rubber bullets. In the end the activists asked the fire brigade to come and liberate them, because the Guardia Civil was tearing down supporting walls from houses, endangering the people severely. That night in a lot of places in the Basque Country are protests against the eviction of Itoiz.
During the hearings in the murder case of the late Herri Batasuna parliamentarian Santi Brouard, killed 19 years ago by the GAL (Anti-terror group by the Spanish State), continued this week, it appeared that an important witness has been disappeared, despite being under police protection. Another witness, a former chief of the Guardia Civil, became suddenly ill. En the release of Enrique Rodriguez Galindo, a former general of the Guardia Civil convicted to 75 years for the kidnapping and murder on the Basque youngsters is being prepared. After three years in prison Galindo already asked for amnesty, Christmas and New Year he can already celebrate at home and he is still in Military custody, despite being kicked out of his military ranks.
At the 19th of June ETA reveals the location of a car bomb, which didn’t explode at Bilbao. The Basque police Ertzaintza removes the bomb.

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WEEKLY UPDATE BASQUE INFORMATION CENTRE, WEEK 21, 9 until 20 June
At Baiona, in the Northern part of the Basque Country (in France), hundreds of people demonstrate at the 7th of June for the right of self-determination for the Basque Country. The demonstration was organised by the in Spain outlawed Basque political party Batasuna. French and Spanish police forces stopped numerous demonstrators at the border to avoid the demonstration to become a mass meeting. At the 8th of June more than 60.000 people participate at the 23rd manifestation ‘Araba Euskaraz’, yearly organised by the Basque language school (Ikastola) San Bizente from Oio (in the province of Araba) to support the Basque language education. At the 11th of June the incurable ill Basque political prisoner Jose Inazio Goikoetxea is released from prison in Madrid. Goikoetxea suffered for months a lot of pain en indigestion problems, before he was examined by a doctor, who found cancer at him. He was for 22 years in prison and only had one year more to go. In Paris is again an arrest of Basque lawyer, Itziar Larraz, at the 12th of June, in the prison of Fleury-Merogis, while she wanted to visit a prisoner. She is accused of the same things as Unai Errea, who was arrested on the 20th of May in the Paris Palace of Justice (and released now): she should exchange information among Basque political prisoners in France. In Iruñea a lot of youngsters gather from different organisations and villages and call the province of Naffaroa ‘a laboratory of repression’, for which they hold the political parties UPN (local branch of the governing Partido Popular) and the PSN (local branch of the PSOE) responsible. The Guardia Civil arrested them when they demanded Basque language lessons at the University of Naffaroa, at Lizarra the police demolished a youth- centre and youngsters are subdued to policial manipulation. At the 18th of June the Basque political prisoner Jesús Mari Etxeberria ends his hunger strike at the Madrid-bases Valdemoro prison. After 50 days, with one week on thirst strike also, and some weeks the hygienical protest, Etxeberria stops for now his actions against his isolation detention after being promised by the authorities of the prison to be transferred to another prison. The last couple of days Etxeberria had to throw up every day, could only be moved to his visitors by wheel chair and was not able to hold a conversation. A transfer to the prison hospital was however refused. Etxeberria doesn’t exclude further actions if the authorities are not keeping their promise. At the 14th of June the installation of de various city councils in the Basque Country leads to arrests and riots. In different places protestors occupied town halls or gathered in front to protest against the undemocratic elections of the 25th of May, were the party AuB of the left independent movement was excluded from elections. Thousands of people demanded that the 579 councillors who were voted (illegally) for AuB, would be granted access to the city councils. In Donosti the authorities tried to outrun the protests by setting the installation at 09.00 am. While the mayor was sworn in, the Basque police Ertzaintza attacked the 100 protesters outside, who were having a peaceful sit down. Three councillors of AuB were arrested. In Hernani, where the also outlawed local branch of the AuB won the elections and where the left independentists are the biggest for years and years and also have the mayor, the installation was cancelled because of the occupation of the city hall. Two members of the IU (United Left) came to read a statement denouncing the exclusion of the left independentists, but the former mayor of Hernani, Mertxe Etxeberria, answered that the exclusion was made possible by the cooperation of other parties, including IU. The same evening thousands of people gathered in the Velodrome in Donosti to celebrate the launching of the new Basque Daily Newspaper Berria (New). The objective of the new board is to, just as their by temporary measure closed predecessor Egunkaria, to spread news about the Basque Country and the world in a plural and independent way, sell 25.000 copies each day and be present on the Internet in English also. With the same director, partly the same employees and the same objectives, Berria could risk closure as well. The anarchist group Cruz Negra Anarquista (CAN), part of the world wide network Anarchist Black Cross (ABC), is accused by the notorious judge Garzón of being the ‘recruiting machine of the terrorist organisation GRAPO (Grupo Resistencia Antifascista Primero de Octobre)’. With this verdict the Spanish police can block bank accounts and close buildings of CAN. At the 15th of June 300 people demonstrate in Amsterdam for the release of Juanra with the motto ‘Spain tortures, free Juanra!’. For pictures, check www.freejuanra.org/nl/03- 06-15-2.html At the 16th of June the Guardia Civil starts the eviction of the Basque village Itoiz, Naffaroa, near the weir of Itoiz. Nine villages have to be destroyed, six others will be evicted partly and the lake will damage four natural parks. The Spanish authorities need water for the luxurious tourism across Spain for pools and golf courses. For 15 years now there have been protests against the building of the weir, a plan derived from Franco’s brain. In 1996 activists of the group Solidarios con Itoiz sabotaged the construction site, holding the work for over a year. For that action there’s still one activist in jail. Two days later, at Wednesday the 18th of June, the Guardia Civil still didn’t manage to evict the village entirely. In one of the houses activists build a bunker, where they could last for a long time. During actions and demonstrations 40 people got arrested and people have been wounded by baton-wielding police officers and by rubber bullets. In the end the activists asked the fire brigade to come and liberate them, because the Guardia Civil was tearing down supporting walls from houses, endangering the people severely. That night in a lot of places in the Basque Country are protests against the eviction of Itoiz. During the hearings in the murder case of the late Herri Batasuna parliamentarian Santi Brouard, killed 19 years ago by the GAL (Anti-terror group by the Spanish State), continued this week, it appeared that an important witness has been disappeared, despite being under police protection. Another witness, a former chief of the Guardia Civil, became suddenly ill. En the release of Enrique Rodriguez Galindo, a former general of the Guardia Civil convicted to 75 years for the kidnapping and murder on the Basque youngsters is being prepared. After three years in prison Galindo already asked for amnesty, Christmas and New Year he can already celebrate at home and he is still in Military custody, despite being kicked out of his military ranks. At the 19th of June ETA reveals the location of a car bomb, which didn’t explode at Bilbao. The Basque police Ertzaintza removes the bomb.
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