Basque separatists Eta announces ceasefire

[Sasha]

Basque separatists Eta announces ceasefire

Group releases video saying it will not carry out armed actions three years after resuming violent campaign for independence

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2010/9/5/1283684020027/eta-006.jpg Three unidentified people sit in front of an Eta flag. The group's 40-year campaign for independence in the Basque region has seen 800 people killed. Photograph: Sipa Press / Rex Features The Basque separatist group Eta announced a ceasefire in a video released today, more than three years after it resumed violent actions.
In the video, excerpts from which were published by the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11191498), Eta said it would not "carry out armed actions" in its continued campaign for complete independence of the Basque region, which borders France and Spain (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/spain).
Eta said it had taken the decision several months ago "to put in motion a democratic process".
More than 800 people have died during the group's 40-year campaign, which began when Basque nationalism was severely repressed under the Franco regime. In subsequent decades, the region has acquired a significant degree of autonomy.
Eta has previously announced, and then abandoned two ceasefires, the first lasting 14 months and ending in late 1999.
In March 2006, the group – the full name of which is Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (Basque Homeland and Freedom) – announced a permanent ceasefire, despite a huge bomb explosion nine months later which destroyed a car park at Barajas airport, in Madrid, killing two people. That ceasefire was formally ended the following June.
Spain's government has said it would not talk to the group while it continued violence.
In March, the first French policeman to be killed by Eta died after stopping a group suspected of stealing cars.
Eta, which is considered to be a terrorist organisation by the EU and the US, has been weakened recently by the arrests of several key leaders.




source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/05/eta-announces-ceasefire

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Hmmm...sounds interesting.Does anyone have any more information on this group and why exactly they are fighting for independence?

Also as a random question why do marxists support these people? I thought marxists were against nationalism.

[freepalestine]

Does anyone have any more information on this group and why exactly they are fighting for independence? Also as a random question why do marxists support these people? I thought marxists were against nationalism. eta consider themselves marxist.the basque situation/national liberation goes back years pre-franco.its well documented elsewhere

[Omnia Sunt Communia]

Also as a random question why do marxists support these people? I thought marxists were against nationalism.

That is a total simplification of the issue. The Basques are a colonized national group, that means their national identity is a cause of exploitation.

[ContrarianLemming]

The communist lead government during the Spanish Civil war promised the Basque region independance if that republican side won. They, as we know, lost, but it was the general idea that once they got the republicans got there power back they would fufill their promises.
Unfortunately, a lot of time past and everyone forgot that the Basque people were promised independance, since at the time they were - according to an article I read - quite influenced by the anarchists.

This is one reason that they would want independance, they also consider themselves a seperate ethnicity to aswell right?

[Comrade Gwydion]

I allways heard that the Basue Nationalists were divided on the Civil War? (Though the Catalunya Nationalist by and large chose the republican Side)

[Tavarisch_Mike]

No, during the civil war the basques tooke the republican side. Spain is highly centralized, meaning what many regions produce goes to the capital Madrid, the two regions of Catalunya and Basque are those who claims mostly for independence, very much because they got many reasources (catalunya got many industries and basque has a lot of raw material, minerals, wood.) that becommes ripped frome theire hands, therefor theire struggle for independence is not so much of a nationalistic sort but more of an anti-imp.

[RedScare]

I think it's just as well that they've stopped the armed struggle, it's pretty unproductive at this point, the situation in Spain isn't anywhere what it needs to be for any form of armed struggle to succeed.

[Omnia Sunt Communia]

I think it's just as well that they've stopped the armed struggle, it's pretty unproductive at this point, the situation in Spain isn't anywhere what it needs to be for any form of armed struggle to succeed.

I disagree. This ceasefire just shows that ETA are cowardly bureaucrats.

[disobey]

The 'Basques' did not side with the republic in so much as what you said ignores economic factors and motives tied to this as well as the levels of consciousness of the seperate classes present in the Spanish Basque provinces.

The two northern and traditionally more industrialized provinces (in which are contained the urban and working class centres of San Sebastian and Bilbo) did come out in support of the republic in as much as one can generalize in that way. The strength of several forms of Basque Nationalism in these provinces allowed sections of the lower bourgeois/petit bourgeois to support seperatist and/or republican liberalism as a way of increasing their position in Spain and of reversing the erosion of privilages (economic or otherwise) enjoyed historically in the Basque region.

The strength of the socialists, communists and anarchists (as well as their affiliated unions) in the working classes coupled with the popular support for populist or soft-left (I haven't decided myself what to call it yet probs neither of these) Basque Nationalist groups meant that largely the lower classes also supported the Republic. Something like 90% of the workforce had been part of a selection of political strikes and demonstrations in and around this time showing their level of consciousness.

However, the southern provinces of Alves and Navarre were traditionally rural in their modes of production, this left both a conservative crust on the emerging working class and a high level of support for the church, the monarchy (and thus not the republic) and for reactionary ideas in these areas. These two provinces can be generalized as not supporting the republic to anywhere near the same level as their northern counter parts.


When talking about the Basque region it is important to recognize the internal differences and distinctions in these provinces.

--------------------------------------

To talk about ETA, they had to ceasefire, for decades their strategy has failed (it was often justified in the past in the face of massive repression suffered by the basque people) them in achieving their goals.

In more recent times ETA has been, in my eyes, counter productive in its actions.

ETA needs to return to more class based actions, organizing the work force and reaching out to Spanish workers groups. Lets remember the amount of Basques who are actually 'Basque' (ethnically or linguistically speaking) is minimal even in its strongholds.

I will reply to any points as best as I can, but I think the discussion on ETA and the Basque region was in need of a reality check.

[Montag451]

Good riddance.
While terrorism might be considered a legitimate tool in a fight against a dictatorship it is very very idiotic to proceed with terrorism in a democracy.
In modern parliamentary democratic capitalist countries the only thing you can accomplish with a terrorist act is admiration of youth subcultures while everyone else would rightly look at you like plain murderers,even like-minded people
Basque left nationalist should rather build a broad political/social and working class movement which could gain ground with demos,strikes,occupations and even elections. And that's what i think they are doing now. I think they will condition theior cease-fire by the government allowing their political wing the Batasuna party to function legally again.
ETA has lost support in Spain years ago, even in their own Basque countries.

[Ned Kelly]

Good riddance.
While terrorism might be considered a legitimate tool in a fight against a dictatorship it is very very idiotic to proceed with terrorism in a democracy.
In modern parliamentary democratic capitalist countries the only thing you can accomplish with a terrorist act is admiration of youth subcultures while everyone else would rightly look at you like plain murderers,even like-minded people
Basque left nationalist should rather build a broad political/social and working class movement which could gain ground with demos,strikes,occupations and even elections. And that's what i think they are doing now. I think they will condition theior cease-fire by the government allowing their political wing the Batasuna party to function legally again.
ETA has lost support in Spain years ago, even in their own Basque countries.

Democracy?
Parliament is all a part of the facade perpetuated by the ones pulling the strings. We simply get to choose which section of the ruling class misrepresents us in parliament every three years.
Very democratic...

[thecoffeecake1]

im not sure how productive the ETA was but the Basque should be independent, every ethnic group should have sovereignty and should be able to have control on what they produce. i know many leftists oppose nationalism, especially Marxists, but thats just how I feel

[Montag451]

Democracy?
Parliament is all a part of the facade perpetuated by the ones pulling the strings. We simply get to choose which section of the ruling class misrepresents us in parliament every three years.
Very democratic...

I am very well aware of this, thank you. Still if you live in a dictatorhsip and then in a liberal "democracy" you would very much see a difference.

[Reznov]

A little off topic but, has anyone else read that the Basque group is becoming weaker and may soon stop being a serouis threat?

If you have, what were the reasons for this?

[Buitraker]

I can answer any question.


I from Basque Country