|
|
|
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Basque Country |
Spain |
| Basques Population 2,200,000 |
|
Population of Spain 39,500,000 |
| |
|
|
| Since Basque separatists launched
their violent campaign for independence from Spain in 1968 over 800 people
have died in the conflict. Hundreds more have been imprisoned. Few Americans
have heard of the Basques, or ETA terrorists, nor realize that Basques populate
large areas of the western U.S. where they maintain their language and culture
far from their ancient homeland. |
| |
| The Basques are one of oldest
ethnic groups in Europe and live in northern Spain along the Bay of Biscay,
the western Pyrennes Mountains and into adjacent areas of southern France.
The foundation of the Basque identity is the ancient language (Euskara)
and culture, which pre-dates modern European nation-states. The Basque homeland
is known as "Euskadi." In the early 20th Century, a thriving regional
economy, based on steel and shipbuilding attracted substantial in-migration,
diluting the population and influence of native Basques. Basque culture
is traditionally provincial or rural in character and thus in conflict with
the modern, urban and Spanish culture associated with industrialization. |
| |
 |
|
During the regime of Dictator General
Franco (1939-1975), the Spanish government repressed or banned virtually
all expressions of the Basque national identity or political expression.
In 1959, a Basque separatist movement emerged called Euskadi Ta Aaskatasuna—ETA
(meaning Basque Fatherland and Freedom). In 1968, a faction known
as ETA-Militar (ETA-M) resorted to an armed struggle for independence.
One of their first efforts was an attempt to derail a train carrying
Spanish Civil War veterans to a celebration. The Franco regime clamped
down with road closures, house searches, and arrests and torture of
suspected civilians. As is usually the case, these tactics encouraged
support for the militant separatists. |
| |
|
| ETA-M later developed a political
wing known as Herri Batasuna (HB). In 1970 the Burgos trials focused attention
on ETA-M, when 6 of 16 ETA defendants were sentenced to death for killing
a policeman. The verdict provoked pro-Basque demonstrations and strikes,
and after ETA kidnapped a German diplomat, Franco declared a state of emergency,
before being forced to grant a public reprieve. ETA-M launched a campaign
of targeted political assassinations and bombings and killed Prime Minister
Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco in 1973. General Franco died in 1975 and the
new government granted the Basques partial autonomy, however the nationalist
movement had taken root and ETA-M continued its violent struggle for complete
independence. |
| |
| Until 1983, ETA/M had been able
to operate from bases within France, but when France began cooperating with
Spanish authorities the net tightened on ETA activities and a new right-wing
group appeared, the Antiterrorist Liberation Group (GAL). It’s reported
the GAL is a typical reactionary paramilitary group supported by state forces
to facilitate extra-judicial assassinations and were responsible for the
deaths of 28 suspected ETA members. By 1987, the death toll related to the
violent separatist movement exceeded 700 when police arrested senior ETA-M
members and captured major weapons caches. Meanwhile, two bomb attacks that
killed 29 civilians helped erode popular support for the separatists. |
| |
 |
|
Since 1988 there have been attempts
at a negotiated settlement. After the failure of secret talks in Algeria
in 1992, Spain renewed its hard-line strategy and in 1997 arrested
and convicted 23 leaders of Herri Batasuna, the pro-ETA political
party. This targeting of Basque nationalist political undermined prospects
for a peaceful settlement. Herri Batasuna has since distanced itself
somewhat from ETA-M, which has successfully reorganized, recruited
new activists and improved its bomb-making capabilities. Basque separatists
have developed relations with Irish Republicans and occasionally adopt
similar strategies or tactics. Hence the progress of the Northern
Ireland peace process may have an important influence on the prospects
for conflict resolution in Basque Country. |
| |
Just months after adoption of the
Northern Ireland’s Peace Agreement, ETA announced a cease-fire
in September 1998, to facilitate talks between Herri Batasuna and
the Spanish government. After 14 unproductive months, ETA announced
that its activists would resume their armed struggle.
|
Since then sporadic peace talks
continued, while Spanish authorities increased activities to break-up
ETA and arrest its leaders. Prime Minister Jose Maria Azner, formerly
a target of ETA attacks has taken a particularly hard line. On 29
February 2004, authorities seized 1000 pounds of explosives and
arrested two ETA activists.
On 11 March 2004, in the run-up to national elections,
a series of blasts on Madrid's commuter trains during rush hour,
claimed over 190 lives in Spain's worst-ever terrorist attack. Spainish
officials immediately claimed ETA was behind the coordinated attacks.
The 3/11 bombings were, however,uncharacteristic of ETA's previous
tactics and more similar to those of radical Islamists. The proof
of responsibility could have grave consequences for the Basque separatist
movement, or could herald a new variant in Islamist terrorism.
Later the same day the Associated Press reported
that the Arabic newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi said it had received
a claim of responsibility issued in the name of al-Qaida. The e-mail
claim, signed by the shadowy Brigade of Abu Hafs al-Masri, was received
at the newspaper's London offices and said the brigade's "death
squad" had penetrated "one of the pillars of the crusade
alliance, Spain. This is part of settling old accounts with Spain,
the crusader, and America's ally in its war against Islam,"
the claim said. Three days of national mourning were declared and
thousands of people took part in spontaneous anti-terror rallies
across the country Thursday. Despite the claim of responsibility
by Islamists, the Spanish government called for nationwide anti-ETA
demonstrations. Such political exploitation of the tragedy sends
an ironic message to ETA activists.
.. |
| |
| |
|
| A Perspective: |
| |
| The Basques have not suffered
the degree of economic deprivation, exploitation or collective political
oppression usually associated with separatist movements. As a result, their
cause and aspirations have not gained broad international attention or support.
Opponents argue that Spain’s grant of even partial autonomy was a significant
compromise that has marginalized ETA and rendered their movement selfish
and bankrupt. This viewpoint does not, however, capture the depth of the
emotion surrounding Basque identity. |
| |
| In 1843, Victor Hugo observed,
that, "the Basque language is the land itself, almost a religion."
He also wrote that, "A Basque is neither a Spaniard nor a Frenchman.
He is a Basque." It is difficult for modern, urban Westerners to fully
grasp the importance of a language and a culture to a group’s identity. |
| |
| Yet, in the vast empty spaces
of Idaho and Nevada, one can find the Basques, tending their sheep, speaking
their language and maintaining their unique culture. To deny or deprive
a people of those things that give meaning and value to their life is to
deny them life itself. We may find it as implausible in the year 2000 that
Lakota Indians would want to return to a buffalo hunting tradition and society,
as that Basques would wage a war for a language and culture. But if Euskara
dies, as it nearly did, the Basques feel they too will perish…it is
for them a life and death issue. |
| |
| Opponents will argue that the
Basque language is no longer banned that it can be taught in schools. The
same can be said for Latin, but Latin has all but vanished from use, extinct
in a modern world and Basques can envision the same outcome, as Spanish
and French make a second language and hence the Basque people archaic and
redundant. Their solution is to create an independent state where the state
language is Euskari the cultures and traditions Basque. Perhaps not everyone
is compelled to accept the vision of a homogenous world of hyphenated peoples
and perhaps this is what is meant by their rights of self-determination.
|
| |
|
| |
| Related Resources: |
| |
| Euskal Herria Journal |
| http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/2878.htm |
| |
| Euskadi Ta Askatasuna
(ETA) |
| http://www.ehj-navarre.org/html/frnavarre.html |
| |
| Euskal Herria eta askatasuna |
| http://free.freespeech.org/askatasuna/ |
| |
| Association for Peace |
| http://www.kender.es/~gesto/i_index.htm |
| |
| Basque Autonomous Government |
| http://www.euskadi.net/ |
| |
| Euskal Historia |
| http://buber.net/Basque/History |
| |
| Spain Ministry of Interior |
| http://www.mir.es/ |
| |
| CNN Report on ETA |
| http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/basque/stories/background.html |
| |
|
| |
| Additional Information: |
| |
| U.S. State Dept. Country
Report |
| http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/2878.htm |
| |
| US State Department –
Human Rights Report 2000 |
| http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/eur/875.htm |
| |
| Human Rights Watch Report |
| http://www.hrw.org/reports/world/spain-pubs.php |
| |
| Amnesty International
Report 2001 |
| http://web.amnesty.org/web/ar2001.nsf/webeurcountries/SPAIN?OpenDocument |
| |
|
|
| |
