In Bilbao, Spain the Basque regional government, run by the moderate Basque Nationalist Party, assembled a rally to protest the activities of the armed Basque separatist group ETA. Tens of thousands of people pressed their demands for Basque independence, but only through peaceful means. The ETA’s 34-year-old campaign of bombings and assassinations has led to more than 800 deaths. The regional government said the silent march was not in response to alleged ETA shooting of a policeman some weeks ago, as the march was planned several weeks before that unfortunate event.
