Top Issue 1-2024

1 November 2013

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Politics, prisoners and protests – the Basque Country and Ireland

Emma McArdle on Irish republican delegation just back from the Basque Country

Showing support for the retention of the Basque education system at a 100,000-strong rally in Bilbao

'Our tour has whetted the appetites of 17 Irish people to maintain contact with the Basque Country and to try to highlight the situations faced by the Basque people, their prisoners, their political exiles in the North and beyond'

AS THE cabin pressure dropped Carole Murphy leaned across the aisle to tell me that she had heard that the descent into Bilbao was one of the most beautiful in the world. She was right. As the plane neared the runway the beauty of the green mountains and valleys which encircled us could not be denied.

This wasn’t the last comparison between the Basque Country, its people and struggle and that of our own Emerald Isle; but there are so many differences in the levels of oppression faced by the Basques, the consequential totality of their ‘independentzia’ demands and their gritty street politics where political activism permeates the atmosphere.

I have to confess, when I started planning this tour I didn’t know a whole lot about the situation in the Basque Country. I knew that there had been a violent conflict, a ceasefire or two and issues with prisoners. It all sounded pretty familiar!

But when we got out there – and started meeting with people and asking questions – it  became abundantly clear that they actually have a united and popular movement, and guess what? It's way more vibrant than anything I’ve seen here lately!

I know that a five-day political tour is a flimsy basis for any credible analysis of struggle; but it’s all I’ve got! So I’m going to make my assumptions and maybe the next time I’m in the Basque Country I’ll learn a bit more. One thing is certain I will be going back over there and I’ll be keeping a ‘tight eye’, as we say in South Armagh, on all of the goings on in that part of the world.

Our troupe was made up of a mixed bag of personalities and experiences, something that troubled me greatly before we left. We had elected reps, former political prisoners, a full-time Shinner, a solicitor, activists and non-activists and our ages ranged from late 20’s to early 70’s – I must have been mad! But in truth we had the most essential things in common – we all have a similar world view and we all believe that the Basques, like the Irish, have the right to their own united and free nation.

My fears about the whole undertaking dissipated somewhat when we met up with our tour guide, Pablo Vicente, in Ti Chulainn Cultural Centre, the week before we left. Pablo talked us though the clár and the more he explained the more I started to believe that the trip would be amazing, I suppose the bottle of Patxaran, he brought didn’t do any harm either!

During our five day trip we were mostly based in Bilbao, the largest city in the Basque Country. We had a series of prearranged meetings with various pillars of the Abertzale movement – LAB Trade Union, Sortu political party, Gara newspaper, Ernai youth movement, Herrira prisoners group – each of them insightful and thought provoking. I was proud that our group asked loads of questions and the fact that we could have spent more time with almost every group tells its own story.

Personally, three meetings are worth a special mention; the first Gara newspaper editorwas with Ion Tellaria, (pictured with Sinn Féin councillor Mick Murphy (left) and (centre) Gara editor Inaki Soto) a journalist at Gara whom we met on the Friday. On Monday morning he would go to court facing a potential six years in jail for membership of Segi youth movement and here he was in work and meeting us just a few days before his fate would be decided by a Spanish judge. 

The second was with a representative of Ernai Youth Movement. Although I didn’t agree with everything this young woman said, her radical left politics challenged me and, if I’m honest, kind of embarrassed me. I’m not sure I would be brave enough to advocate against the construction of a high-speed rail link between two Irish cities no matter what the environmental impact.

The third and most memorable meeting was a chance encounter in a Bilbao bar during lunch on the day we were leaving.  An elderly lady came in wearing a large badge depicting a man’s face. We asked our guide Pablo, by now our friend, to ask the lady what the badge was about. She went on to tell us that her son is in jail in one part of Spain, while his wife and 6 month-old baby daughter are imprisoned in another part –  hundreds of miles apart.

Basque and Irish tears flowed as she explained that although she has never seen the child, she will become her primary carer once she turns three years-old. In line with Spanish rules the baby girl will be removed from her mother. Leaving this lady in the bar I never wanted to see my son as much.

During our trip we participated in a 10,000 strong rally through downtown Bilbao in support of the retention of the autonomous Basque education system. Our Irish flag prompted a few bemused smiles but I was surprised at how many people were aware of the Irish struggle.

This was also apparent in Gernika when our guide around the Peace Museum parted our company with a "Tiocfaidh ar lá!". (Pictured: Delegate Brendan Fearon with Gernika Museum guide Idurre Torrealdai)Brendan Fearon with Gernika tour guide

In Gasteiz we learned that the Basques too have a ‘Bloody Sunday’ which occurred on 3 March 1976. During a workers strike 4,000 people were meeting in one of the city’s churches when Franco inspired authorities attacked it with gas and five people were shot dead by waiting death squads as they fled the poison. Two more people were murdered by the police in solidarity uprisings held in neighbouring towns in following days.

We also visited the ‘travel brochure’ beautiful North of the county, which is under French administration to meet with Arturo, also known as Benat, a political exile who had been pivotal to organising the trip.

Overall, I can say that our tour has whetted the appetites of 17 Irish people to maintain contact with the Basque Country and to try to highlight the situations faced by the Basque people, their prisoners, their political exiles in the North and beyond, and the fact that any political activity practically guarantees them at least six years in jail.

This tour has forced me to think about 'what is oppression?' The Basques are oppressed by the Spanish government, that’s plain to see – but what about us?

The days are thankfully gone when the British Empire presided over an apartheid system in this country, but, in my opinion, we face a deadlier oppressor. We face a pervasive, capitalist, 'greed is good' culture which tricks ordinary people into believing that they are not merely wage fodder; that if they work hard all riches will be theirs, that they are not a slave to their mortgage. A culture that makes young people aspire to a vacuous Kardashian-esque lifestyle.

All of these are the enemies of true freedom and this is our challenge; to help instil what’s real and valuable in life, only then can we truly pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation.

South Armagh Sinn Féin will be holding a Basque night in Ti Chulainn Cultural Centre, Mullaghban, on 30 November at 9pm. Everybody welcome to attend.

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