A number of recent developments in Spain have heightened political tensions between Basque moderates, radicals and the Spanish government. This past Friday the Basque regional assembly approved the issuance of an ultimatum to the Spanish government threatening a unilateralist push for self-determination unless the central government lives up to its end of a 1979 autonomy agreement. The Basque parliament gave the government two months to implement the 37 remaining terms of the Guernica Statute – dealing primarily with economic issues such as agriculture and finance - before it unilaterally undertakes the same of its own authority.
Also, this past week high court Judge Baltasar Garzon ordered the freezing of dozens of bank accounts allegedly connected to the Basque political party Batasuna. Financial assets of social clubs and bars associated with Batasuna were also included in the order. Garzon’s ruling comes two weeks after he ordered the seizure of 18 million euros worth of the party’s assets, as compensation for damage and injuries incurred during what he described as violent demonstrations by the Basque youth group Segi earlier this year.
In late June both houses of the Spanish parliament passed a bill outlawing political parties with links to terrorist groups. The law was widely viewed as aimed specifically at Batasuna: indeed, this week Justice Minister Jose Maria Michavila announced that he would ask the Supreme Court to outlaw the party in accordance with the new bill. Batasuna has been described as the political wing of ETA, a radical Basque separatist group that has been waging a violent struggle for an independent Basque homeland since the 1960’s.
The Basques are thought to be the oldest people in Europe. They have lived in the mountainous and coastal regions of northwestern Spain and southwestern France for at least 3,000 years. Their language, Euskera, is not related to any other European language. It thrives to this day, with at least 90% of Basque children enrolled in Euskera schools. Basques have traditionally been fishermen, shepherds, and farmers, though most now work in modern industries.
Social clubs and gastronomic societies, which meet frequently to hold communal banquets, form an important part of the Basque social fabric. These societies hold elaborate feasts, featuring unique Basque dishes, to which important dignitaries such as the town mayor are frequently invited to attend. These groups form intricate, often clan-based networks: the city of San Sebastian is home to 75 different Basque gastronomic societies alone.
ETA was born in the late 1960’s as an active campaign against the repressive policies of the Franco regime, gaining widespread support among Basques for an independent state. That support has since waned, as Basques now have a large measure of cultural autonomy and the right to limited self-government. In recent years, ETA’s violent activities, including car bombings and kidnappings, have drawn major protests by the Spanish public as a whole. The membership of the group is still a mystery, with some estimates of as few as 30 full-time armed agents, complemented by a larger network of accomplices and sympathizers. Despite rumored links with ETA, Batasuna still draws significant support: the party won 10 percent of the vote in Basque districts last year.
A number of Basques have criticized ETA’s activities as counterproductive and unacceptable: in 1996 thousands of Basques and Batasuna members demonstrated against ETA’s killing of Miguel Angel Blanco, a young town councilor. As recent measures demonstrate, it seems indeed as though the Basque community stands to lose more than anything it might stand to gain by ETA’s campaign of violence.
A Basque member of parliament, Jone Goirizelaia, said that Garzon’s order should not be enforced, arguing that only the Basque parliament had the authority to order the freezing of the accounts. In response to the Basque assembly’s ultimatum, a government minister ominously opined that the “threat of terrorism has now shifted into the Basque institutions themselves.”
Some Basque politicians predict that the government’s actions will only further radicalize ETA sympathizers. As the effects of the Spanish government’s crackdown on Batasuna spread to other, more local institutions of Basque society, it remains to be seen if the new measures will alienate moderate Basque lawmakers, and the Basque community as a whole.
