Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the town of Bilbao on June 15, in response to the recent passing of a bill designed to eliminate Batasuna, the political wing of the Basque separatist group ETA. The gathering concluded with a public declaration against the new law, condemning it for curbing freedom of expression and association. The bill allows the Supreme Court to ban any political party judged to provide “active or tacit support of terrorism.” Batasuna won 10 percent of the vote in regional elections in Basque areas last year.
