Naturally the Spanish PM has spoke of ETA’s declaration as a victory over terror and a rebuke to radical Basque nationalists. In reality, the use of shootings and bombings by a group the size of ETA is unable to bring independence to the Basque country, and skews the coverage of the conflict as one between the Spanish state and a small armed organisation. This totally ignores the strength of the Basque radical pro-independence movement, and acts in the interests of the Spanish state by making the dispute about a conflict against terrorism that the Basques cannot win by military means.
The position of the Basque independence left is one the untold success stories of the Socialist movement in Europe. In almost every town and city, the left pro-independence movement -- known as the Abertzale or patriotic left -- controls youth centres, pubs and social clubs. These community facilities are considered such a threat to the Spanish state that one of them was recently demolished, despite public opposition. The Basque Left can also wield a significant section of the popular vote in the Basque country -- almost certainly larger than anywhere else for the Socialist Left in Europe.
In the recent municipal elections in the Spanish State, the Basque Left party Bildu stood and took a whopping 25% of the vote -- the largest ever vote recieved by the pro-independence left, who historically took between 10% and 20%. This makes Bildu the opposition party in the Basque country, to the pro-independence moderate party the PNV which took 30% of the vote. This combined vote shows there is a solid majority in favour of independence for the Basque country.
The vote for the pro-independence left was even more impressive giving the Spanish State had tried to ban Bildu from standing -- claiming that it was a front for ETA and Batasuna, a radical Basque party the Spanish state previously banned that took between 15 -- 20%. This ban was ridiculous considering that Bildu declared it did not support ETA attacks to bring about independence, and that ETA itself had declared it’s intention to end it’s campaign.
Despite ETA’s repeated attempts to engage with the Spanish State in a peace process, both the right-wing Popular Party and the New Labouresque Spanish Socialist Workers Party refused to enter into any meaningful negotiation to end the conflict. Unreported from the majority of the world’s media is the ongoing political repression in the Basque country -- in which political parties like Batasuna were banned, Basque newspapers were shut down, prisoners are tortured, youth organisations are prohibited and radical Basque politicians jailed for insulting the monarchy. This repression hasn’t all come from the right wing of Spanish politics either -- it was the “Socialist” Workers Party who set up death squads to assassinate and torture ETA members and Basque radical politicans, with the authorization and support of Government ministers.
Banned Basque pro-Independence Left group SEGI
The Spanish State refuses to enter a peace process because it knows what the result inevitably will be -- almost every single election since the overthrow of Franco in Spain has produced a majority nationalist administration in the Basque autonomous region. Spain has refused any discussion on Independence for the Basque country -- with the Spanish Parliament vetoing even unofficial referendums on the Basque country’s future, fearing the inevitable yes vote for Independence.
The modern Spanish state never really decisively broke with it’s fascist past -- there were no trials or truth and reconciliation commissions for those who tortured and murdered leftists, trade unionists and Basque and Catalan nationalists under Franco. Instead an agreement was struck between the conservative and centre-left parties not to pursue justice for these people, and to enshrine in the Spanish constitution the illegality of any form of independence for nations that are currently part of the Spanish State. The so-called democratic post-Franco constitution made it illegal for the Basque country to become independent without the sanction of the central Spanish Government. It was for this reason that the majority of Basque voters abstained and voted against accepting this new constitution -- and why despite the overthrow of Franco, ETA continued an armed campaign.
Basque political prisoners are dispersed - this poster demands their return.
Now it’s become clear the Basque independence movement has stronger weapons in it’s arsenal than bombs or bullets, weapons the Spanish State cannot easily quash. With the support of a third of the population, and dozens of community facilities across the Basque country the pro-Independence left is ready to wage a war of the people against the Spanish State.
SSY was proud to host a group of Basque Abertzale youth at our camp last year. One of the motivations they had in coming to Scotland was to observe the possible referendum on Independence here. Unfortunately, we never got a chance to vote for Independence in 2010 because the Unionist parties blocked it. However as you’ve probably noticed, the recent SNP landslide means there will be a definite referendum in the next 4 years. This isn’t just important for Scotland -- it’s a message to the Spanish State and the Basque people as well. If Scots are allowed to vote in a free vote on our future, without being blocked by the Spanish Government, tortured, shot by death squads, having our political parties banned, our newspapers closed down, community centres demolished -- why shouldn’t the Basque Country have that choice as well?
FREEDOM FOR THE BASQUE COUNTRY -- GORA EUSKAL HERRIA!
5000 Basques march in Bilbao against "Hispanity day" in Solidarity with massacred American indians.
Representatives of ETA, the armed wing of the Basque independence movement, yesterday issued a permanent ceasefire annoucement. This represents a clear message, calling an end to the movement’s decades-long armed struggle. Today’s pledge follows on from September’s commitment to pursuing independence through non-violent means, as blogged about by Jack.
Incredibly, the response of the Spanish state has been to dismiss the ceasefire announcement… AGAIN. You would think they’d be encouraging the Basque national liberation movement to put down the guns, but no, they’ve simply said it doesn’t count as “an irreversible end to violence”, while talking trash about ETA being “arrogant”.
The national liberation movement has made a big effort in recent years to take account of the current political situation and new events in other oppressed nations. In particular, they have closely studied what has been going on in Ireland, with the IRA decommissioning weapons and Sinn Fein now forming part of the coalition government at Stormont. The ETA leadership has said the process will be open to mediation by other countries — they are happy to be scrutinised, as they are sincere in wanting a democratic solution. However, this suggestion was rebuffed by Spain’s deputy prime minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba. He took a bold/ludicrous stand: “There is no way we are going to allow someone to place conditions on peace or impose the intervention of international mediators.” This is daft, as any meaningful peace process will naturally involve neutral arbitrators.
DEMO IN BILBAO
Here is the point where Spain’s ‘democratic’ mask starts to slip. Despite their ‘anti-terrorist’ rhetoric, the Spanish state is still committed to a campaign of state terror against the pro-independence Left, with over 400 Basque political prisoners having been arrested in recent months. The Spanish government is pursuing a policy Franco would have been proud of — they don’t want a peaceful solution; they want total victory, with the Basque claim to self-determination airbrushed from history.
Despite Spain’s intransigence, the streets of Euskal Herria have recently witnessed some of the biggest solidarity demonstrations in living memory, e.g. 64,000 marching in Bilbao last Saturday, in support of the jailed comrades. Such events must have the authorities in Madrid shaken, as it shows the potential for a peaceful revolution in favour of independence. The ETA leadership deserve credit for recognising the need for mass struggle rather than vanguardism.
As with the Provo struggle in the North of Ireland, there has recently been a sense that small paramilitary groups had become ineffective, if indeed they were ever a viable means of achieving national liberation. I hope that the comrades can maintain a meaningful commitment to socialist revolution — the experience in the North of Ireland has left a bitter taste in the mouth, with the old radical McGuinness heading up a neoliberal regime based on a sectarian division of power, with Irish reunification no closer to becoming reality.
This situation is different as it is not about coming to some kind of power-sharing arrangement. There is still a clear demarcation between the stateless nation and the oppressor. ETA ending the armed struggle helps to boost the general struggle for freedom, with key demands which should be supported internationally. Firstly, the ban on Batasuna and associated political parties must be lifted — the Basque people must be allowed to vote for who they want to. Secondly, the Basque nation should be allowed the freedom to control its own destiny; there is now a new opportunity for a debate on what type of country the people want. Ultimately, the right of the Basques to declare an independent state if (they choose to do so) must be made explicit and protected.
The constitution of the Spanish state currently forbids any ‘region’ from declaring independence. This makes Spain a prisonhouse of nationalities. And historically they’ve never hesitated to use violence to back up what they say: stories of extraordinary rendition, torture and assassination are sadly not uncommon amond Basque activists. Information of such state crimes does not often reach us -- Spain is an ally of the UK and in the past few were able to break through the imposed media blackout.
What the ‘Socialist’ government in Madrid (effectively the Spanish version of New Labour) do not understand is the erosion of the basis for their methods of ruling. The internet means that we are now able to see and hear about what is really going on. A resurgence in awareness of the Basque situation will take place, in fact it has already started. With the excuse of ‘combatting terrorism’ gone, Spain will have to recognise the Basques’ right to self-determination or be damned.
It is now the duty of all socialists, progressives and democrats, in Europe and around the world, to support the movement in Euskal Herria and help make sure that justice triumphs.
Basque brigadists speak at a public meeting in Glasgow
This a long awaited report from one of the Basque comrades who visited SSY and back in August. A comrade from Askapena (the Basque internationalist and solidarity group), tells us a bit about how they found Scotland:
“Last august, 4 of Askapena’s brigadists were in Scotland.
After many years of organising similar trips to Ireland, Chiapas or Venezuela, it was the first time that Askapena organised a brigade to Scotland. Maybe because of the history that unites us with Eire, maybe cause of the peace process and the similarity we have with it, we have forgotten this is another stateless nation that is a few miles away.
After hearing the claim that there would be a referendum next St. Andrew’s day, it was decided to send a brigade over there; to see the fight they are having for an independent and socialist Scotland and learn from it, and to start or strengthen the links between Scotland and Euskal Herria.
Naismith stoops to head home and complete a great move
3-2. Another game, another glorious failure for Scotland’s national football team. Losing bravely seems to be what we do best. Well, some of the time at least. The less said about the recent dismal defeat in Prague, the better.
Of course there is no shame in losing by such a narrow margin to the reigning European and World champions. Before the match, Scotland manager Craig Levein had described this Spanish side as “the toughest opponents we’ve ever faced” in Scotland’s history. It would be silly of me to mention the much tougher historical battles and wars fought against English invaders, because he was obviously just talking about football.
No-one apart from the most deluded of optimists could really have expected much more from the game. At kick-off, I had decided I was going to remain emotionally detached and just try to enjoy watching masters such as David Villa and Andrés Iniesta at work. You can compare and contrast my mood then compared with the moment when Gerard Piqué put through his own net to level the scores at 2-2. I was absolutely elated. It’s a real shame that we were unable to hold out for a draw, but the performance will be more important than the result, by restoring some belief and hopefully encouraging Levein to confine his 4-6-0 formation to the dustbin of history.
Prior to the match, I joined with several other members of the Basque Solidarity Campaign to help raise awareness of the dark side of the Spanish state. We also had the objective of building support for the Basque independence movement in general and the plight of political prisoners in particular. We were able to hand out hundreds of leaflets and engage with many members of the public. Hopefully this activity will be the launchpad for a continuous program of solidarity actions throughout the year.
This is really important because, at a time when sporting triumphs have brought Spain international attention, many people in Europe are seemingly unaware of the situation in Euskal Herria (the Basque-language name for their 7-province homeland). While there has been a concerted effort to promote the concept of a New Spain – where all the constituent regions and nations are able to celebrate their identity and enjoy equality under the rojigualda – the Francoist policies of internment, torture and extraordinary rendition remain in place.
Scottish-Basque solidarity
Despite ETA’s ceasefire announcement, which declared an end to armed struggle and commitment to peaceful methods (confirming in words what has been happening in practice for a good while now), the Spanish PSOE government continues to use a false terrorist threat as an excuse for arresting pro-independence activists, often detaining them in the south of Spain or even North Africa. Their ‘crime’ is to campaign for an independent socialist republic. The punishment is often long periods in jail, under conditions which have changed little since Spain’s transition from fascism to democracy.
Sporting events can sometimes be difficult places to raise awareness of international problems. A lot of fans don’t want to be distracted from simply supporting their team and enjoying the occasion with friends and family. Despite this, we received some really positive responses. Many people seemed supportive or interested. When I said “stop Spanish oppression against the Basques”, there was a lot of “quite right” and “aye mate, definitely”. One guy, sticking his thumb up, shouted back at me “…and the Catalans!” There was a crowd of young Celtic fans hanging around the ground (I suspect they were looking for a way to sneak in!) who all happily took leaflets from us and seemed to have some prior knowledge of the Basque liberation struggle.
However, to leave it there would not tell the full story. Apart from the standard number of people who aren’t interested in any politics, there seemed to be a significant amount of people who just did not know what we were referring to. I think some people deemed us misguided for printing pictures of Spanish police wielding huge coshes, masked up in balaclavas. After all, surely democratic EU-member states don’t do that kind of thing. But this one does. “The Basques?” some asked, apparently genuinely not knowing that these people even existed.
Freedom for the Basque people!
For this, I do not blame the fans. The Spanish state propaganda machine has been at pains to suppress information getting out about their repressive practices, and to stop people from knowing about the mass struggle for an independent Basque homeland. They have cynically taken advantage of the post-9/11 ‘War On Terror’ to ratchet up repression against the pro-independence Left. For such practices, they have even been critcised by Amnesty International, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the media in Spain or allied states such as France (which currently controls 3 of the Basque provinces) and Britain. With our media collaborating in covering-up the crimes of the Spanish state, it becomes all the more important for those of us in Scotland who are for human rights, peace, independence and socialism to break the media embargo and let people know what’s going on.
Watch this space for further updates on what’s happening over there and what we’re doing over here. Meanwhile, I hope we can build on our recent success in establishing deeper links between the movements for self-determination and socialism in Euskal Herria and Scotland. Let’s not be divided just because it was a Basque striker who killed our hopes last night!
Last Saturday the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country played host to a major demonstration in favour of civil and political rights for the Basque people.
Thousands of trade unionists, activists and Basque nationalist politicians took part in the march, which was called after Spanish courts banned pro-independence marches last month, claiming they would have demonstrated “support” and “justified” the Basque armed group ETA (which in any case has declared a ceasefire). The second march which was banned was aimed at protesting this blatant violation of the right to assemble and organise for Basque people.
The march took on new significance this week though with another wave of arrests of Basque activists for purely political reasons. The marchers carried banners proclaiming “Yes to human, civil and political rights,” and “No to the ban on demonstrations.” You can see footage of the march here.
Here in Scotland we’re planning some action to demonstrate how angry we are about the state repression of the Spanish “democracy” against peaceful activists of the Basque pro-independence left. We’ll be taking part in a Basque Solidarity Campaign action at the Spain vs. Scotland Euro qualifier game next Tuesday (12th). We’ll be meeting at 6pm at Mount Florida train station to leaflet fans going into the game, and let them know some of the facts about what’s been going on in the Spanish state. Will be bringing banners and flags as well, so come down to give us a hand.
Those of you who were at Camp Secret Squirrel this year, or were around in the week or so afterwards, will remember the comrades we had visiting from Askapena, the internationalist organisation of the Basque pro-independence left.
Yesterday the repressive police apparatus of the Spanish state was brought to bear on Askapena, with seven members arrested from across the Basque Country.
According to media reports, among those arrested is Walter Wendelin (who I met briefly when I was over there), who does a lot of solidarity work with Latin America. Many of the reports in the Spanish media make clear that the police operation is trying to target the relationships of the Basque pro-independence left with Latin America, and they’ve spoken of “finding information relating to the link between ETA and the FARC.”
Also arrested was Ruben Sanchez, like Walter in Gasteiz; Gabi Basanez in Getxo; in Barakaldo Unai Vazquez; Itxaso Lekuona in Renteria; David Soto in Iruña; and in Arruazu Ganboa Aritz.
Santa is not a terrorist: Walter Wendelin, who was arrested yesterday
Reports have also spoken about how the police are seizing documents that will help them understand what parts of the world Askapena are working with. Although it seems their operation is primarily focused against Latin America, we wonder if they’re finding anything interesting about Scotland and SSY – we’d just like any cops reading this (Spanish or Brit) to know that we’re proud to consider ourselves comrades of the Basque pro-independence left!
This new bout of repression is of course ridiculous and unjustified. Askapena is a peaceful group that organises international brigades to meet other peoples in struggle, and maintains good relations with friends of the Basque Country around the world. Trying to paint it as a terrorist group is pathetic. Even if we accept the argument of the Spanish state that Askapena is just part of the apparatus of ETA, the Basque armed group recently announced a ceasefire, and its willingness to permanently end armed operations as part of a genuine peace process for the Basque Country.
The response of the Spanish state has shown that they don’t want peace, fearing that it could endanger their ability to keep the Basque Country under military occupation and hold back the fight for independence and socialism. Already this month they arrested another nine activists, and the latest operation takes the number of those arrested this year to 74.
This is a key time for the struggle of the Basque Country, with the pro-independence left initiating a new, peaceful strategy of building unity for mass action by all those who want peace and independence. The new strategy clearly scares a Spanish state which knows the majority of Basque citizens want independence, and they are determined to try and crush their desire for self-determination. The question for us in Scotland is what we can we do to show solidarity? I am going to see what we can organise today, keep checking back on this article for any details and news updates, we’ll be updating the piece as more info comes in.
Update: The Basque trade union federation LAB have launched an international petition for trade unionists and solidarity activists around the world to sign. Presumably we’d all be fine with SSY adding our name to the list of organisations, it’d be good if we could get loads of named people as well, so if you’re up for it add your name in the comments and I’ll email them back at the end of the day.
Here’s their message:
Dearcomrades:
Last night again7militantsoftheBasqueleftwing independentist movementhave been arrested.They are membersofthe organizationinternationalistAskapenathattakes chargeofthesolidarityamongthe Countries.
From LAB Basque trade union we denouncethisrepressivenewattack from Spanish governmentandwe makeacallto gotothedemonstrationthatnextOctober2nd has been called inBilbao (Basque Country).
We also requestthesupport from different trade unions, organizationsandfriends with the topics ofthemanifestationofOctober2.You can sendyoursolidaritytooure-mail: nazioartea@labsindikatua.org.
More than42organizationsofBasque countrywe summonthismanifestationwiththefollowingpetitions:
“NO MORE BANNINGS HUMAN, CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE
We demand
1.- The halting of all the states of exception or violence. The cancellation of all the actions that cause violation, limitation or denial of rights, in order to reach a new scenario in which everyone’s rights will be respected in the whole Basque Country
2.-The guarantee to exercise civil and political rights, human rights, both individual and collective, and specially:
-Right to life and to liberty
-Basque prisoners to the Basque Country. Release of those who have already served their full prison terms or are ill
-Immediate cancellation of the incommunication regime and torture
-Freedom of speech: all the people, all the projects, all the options
-Immediate legalisation of outlawed political parties and organisations, and the resulting de-activation of legal proceedings, trials and sentences derived from those illegalisations”
Thank you in advance for your solidarity,
International Relationships Secretary of LAB Basque trade union
Cool masks: ETA members on video. They don't wear balaclavas like the Zapatistas because that's what the cops wear in the Basque Country
Last weekend, the Basque armed group Euskadi Ta Azkatasuna, which has fought an armed struggle for Basque freedom for decades, released a video declaring that several months ago they decided to stop armed actions, and announced a ceasefire.
In their statement, ETA said:
“In recent times, the Basque country has been at an important crossroads. The political struggle has opened up new conditions . . . The time has come to build a democratic framework for the Basque country respecting the wishes of the majority of the Basque people . . . The Spanish state is aware that the Basque country is at a crossroads. That the Basque country can now take the road of independence. They want to create conditions in which everything is blocked, to avoid political dialogue and to drown out the aspirations of the people . . . Basque activists and Basque citizens need to respond to this responsibly and urgently.
It is time to take responsibility and take firm measures . . . in the articulation of the independence project, in the process of creating democratic conditions, to respond to repression and the firm defence of civil and political liberties. Political change is possible. But there is no shortcut along the way.”
The road to freedom must be walked a step at a time, perhaps flexibly, but the effort and struggle towards this goal is necessary.
ETA’s decision is part of a wider re-alignment amongst the Basque pro-independence left, a process which I was able to witness during my visit there earlier this year. The mass movement of the left is trying to build maximum unity among the different forces demanding Basque independence, in order to force the Spanish government back the negotiating table from a position of strength. At a major rally I attended while I was there to mark this process, a declaration was signed that committed the participants to “exclusively peaceful and political means” to achieving change.
As one Basque activist put it to me: “We always understood we could not achieve independence and socialism through armed struggle, it was always defensive to protect our people and community from the attacks of the Spanish state. We always knew that mass struggle was the way to achieve our aims, and now we are entering a new phase of that struggle.”
The process of agreeing the new peaceful mass strategy has involved thousands of activists from the youth, trade unions, women’s movement, ecological movements and more.
The pro-independence left responded warmly to the announcement, saying in a statement:
“The Abertzale [pro-independence] Left considers that the public statement done by ETA is a contribution of unquestionable value to the establishment of peace and the consolidation of a democratic process. Therefore, we appeal to all political, trade union and social agents, to the Governments of Madrid and Paris and to the international community, to respond constructively to the desire of the majority of the Basque society.”
Predictably enough, the Spanish government has attempted to dismiss the historic announcement. The pro-independence left has for years been seeking a negotiated way to end the political in the Basque Country, but the Spanish government is only interested in crushing them. Basque political parties are banned, as is the youth organisation, newspapers are shut down, and over 800 political prisoners are held far from their families and subjected to torture by a supposedly “democratic” government. When released they are often subjected to incredibly harsh bail conditions that ban people from taking part in any kind of political activity on pain of return to prison.
Spot the difference: Mr Bean could do a better job than lookalike PM Zapatero
The Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, bizarrely said he was “disappointed” by the ceasefire announcement, adding that “statements are worth nothing, only decisions matter.” Presumably he has missed the fact that ETA has carried out no armed actions while the pro-independence left has been discussing and implementing its new strategy. Meanwhile his own government continues the brutal repression of anyone from the Basque Country who dares to stand up to them. His “disappointment” perhaps stems from the fact that ETA’s ceasefire will make it harder for them to brand innocent activists who have never used a weapon in their lives as “terrorists” and lock them up in brutal conditions.
An example of the kind of mass struggles that are taking place in the Basque Country is the demonstration that took place yesterday in the historic Basque capital of Iruñea as part of an international day of action around the capitalist crisis. The Basque trade union federation LAB, which is the biggest representative of organised workers in the Basque Country and fights for workers’ rights, independence and socialism, organised a mass demonstration outside the parliament. Then several activists went on to occupy a branch of the Santander bank. They wanted to highlight how the attacks facing Basque workers (much the same as the ones we face in Scotland at the hands of the ConDem government) were a result of the crisis caused by the banks. Check out the video below of the action:
The occupation went on for two hours, and led to seven activists being arrested, who were later released.
Demonstrating against the capitalist crisis in Iruñea
It’s taken a few days for those of us who were lucky enough to be at Camp Secret Squirrel 2010 to get ourselves together enough to write about it. SSY’s annual summer camp this year was a huge success, and hopefully those of you who couldn’t make it this year will see from our photos that you need to clear your schedule for next August NOW so you don’t miss out again.
Politics-wise, we had workshops on issues such as football and the impact of capitalism on the game; what is fascism; as well as the struggle for Scottish independence.
The opening workshop was really interesting, as we tried out a role playing exercise where those taking part were divided into two groups, representing two different companies, and then divided into workers and bosses. The bosses then had to make their workers work as hard as possible for as little as possible (their companies owned paper plane making factories). The bosses received an initial amount of capital in the form of the imaginary currency of squirrels, and then had to maximise the production of their workers in order to make enough to pay them and make a profit.
The workers meanwhile went on strike to demand better wages, in both factories. However, without needing to be told by the workshop organisers, they realised that only by uniting the two groups of workers could they win, and so I’m sure you’ll be delighted to learn that the paper plane workers led a victorious revolution, overthrew their oppressive bosses (notorious capitalists such as James N) and established socialism!
We were particularly honoured to have with us four comrades from the Basque pro-independence left. They are part of the Basque internationalist group Askapena, and are on a brigade to Scotland to learn more about our struggle for an independent socialist Scotland, and to forge stronger links between us and the Basque country.
The Basque comrades spoke to the whole camp about the tremendous repression they face at the hands of the Spanish and French states, and the politics they use to try and defeat it. We were really pleased to have about 40 folk at CSS, but were put to shame to learn that an equivalent event organised by the Basque youth movement can attract 20,000! As we’ve reported before, the youth movement in the Basque country is illegal, and the organisers of these camps are in prison.
Another important aspect of the weekend was that SSY reaffirmed its commitment to the self-organisation for liberation of young women. The SSY women’s group held a meeting to discuss feminist ideas in a women’s only space (maybe someone who was at it can comment more on how it went), whilst the men held a workshop where we discussed points from the male privilege checklist as a way of stimulating discussion about the ways patriarchal society gives men systematic advantages over women that often we don’t even realise are there. As one participant put it: “This has been really great for me, because I’ve never really had the chance to talk with guys about how these things affect us, it can be difficult to bring it up, so the workshop is really important.”
SWIMMING!
The site where we were was fantastic, and we’d like to thank the folk that run the place for all their help and letting us use their lovely space. We cooked tasty, healthy meals over an open fire, swam in a pond, enjoyed beautiful sunshine, and were privileged to be able to see the Perseids meteor shower in some of the clearest skies anywhere in Scotland. The place where were is a piece of pristine ground where life is much as it would have been throughout Scotland just after the last ice age, before humans transformed the landscape through agriculture and towns, and we met all kinds of wildlife, from rare butterflies to frogs, toads and fish, to the most immense and terrifying (but cool) wasp like thing you will ever see in your life.
Each night we also collectively provided music that managed to keep people on their feet to the small hours, and a diverse mix that was suitable for all tastes.
We’d also like to send a shout out to the cops for bowling up randomly on Sunday to “check we’re all ok”, i.e. let us know that they know about us. I suppose it means we must be doing something right if the police feel the need to regularly check our site and keep tabs on us. To the cop whose job it is to read this article: how’s it going?
We hope this has made the people who couldn’t make it this year even more green with envy, if you feel like you missed out now you know there’s only one solution: BE THERE NEXT YEAR!
Don't look now: Shortly before we discovered the SSY organiser is a murderous dwarf
Sarah and Jack prove that being SSY organiser is a surefire way TO BECOME COOL
Yesterday there were general strikes in Greece and the Basque Country. Last week workers in France and Italy walked out as well. Across Europe the working class is waking up to the threat posed by the attacks of European governments, but in the UK the response has still been quite muted.
SSY has been involved in building opposition to the ConDem cuts over recent weeks, with our members taking part in last Saturday’s street rally against the “emergency” budget for instance. But it’s clear that if we really want to stop the neoliberal assault on our rights, we need to learn a thing or two from our friends in Europe.
Graffiti in Bilbao for the banned Basque youth organisation SEGI
Yesterday I was priviliged to meet an activist in the Basque pro-independence socialist youth movement.
I have to be careful how much I write about this, because Basque youth face repression on a scale that is unimaginable to us in Scotland.
The modern Basque youth movement began in 1979 with the founding of Jarrai, which was based in the southern part of the Basque country, which is currently ruled by Spain. In 2000 it merged with a French-based organisation to form the first national organisation of left wing pro-independence Basque youth.
All these organisations have been outlawed by the Spanish courts, declared to be terrorists. The only real reason for this is that they refuse to condemn the armed struggle for Basque independence: they are in fact simply political organisations working for the rights of youth, and it is a political decision to ban them. The Spanish state directs its repression particularly against youth organisations, as they want to cut off the next generation of the whole movement.
When Haika was banned its members attempted to relaunch the organisation under the new name of SEGI, but this group to has now been banned. Of the 800-odd Basque political prisoners many are members of the youth movement. Today in Donostia there was a demonstration to mark the trial of the latest 26 members of the group to be put on trial. In detention activists are tortured horribly by the Spanish authorities.
Attempts have been made through the European courts to challenge the hugely undemocratic bannings, but so far the will of the Spanish government has been upheld. It´s worth noting that the British government has been at the forefront of supporting the Spanish on this issue.
This means that the important work the youth movement does has to carry on in a semi-underground way, and it is very dangerous for its members to be publicly identified as part of SEGI.
In Rome a couple of weeks ago SEGI supporters who were living in Italy came out to protest the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who was in town for talks with Berlusconi the idiotic right oligarch leader of Italy. Three protesters were arrested by Italian police on warrants originating in Spain.
Bewildered by protesters: Spanish PM Zapatero
The activist I met with explained to me how the youth movement came to be formed.
“We understood that Basque youth are oppressed in two ways. Firstly, we don´t have the right to our language, to self determination for our country, or for our democratic rights as Basques.”
“But we are all also oppressed as youth. Work for young people is all very precarious, and it is very difficult to make a living. There is also a serious problem with housing for youth. On top of this we face police repression. Even wearing certain clothes that mark you out as `alternative´ is enough to make the police stop you, question you, ask your address, who you know and so on.”
“So we came to realise that youth is a social condition. It is not defined by the individual age, but is a socially created identity through your relations to others and society. Out of this understanding we built a movement to tackle the problems of youth.”
“Our aim is independence and socialism, and we believe it is necessary to start building the world we want to live in as part of our day to day reality.”
The Basque youth movement works closely with LAB, the Basque pro-independence left wing trade union federation, in campaigning against poorly paid, insecure jobs for youth.
There is a huge squatters movement in the Basque country, with young people taking over derelict buildings and converting them into homes and places to meet, organise and party. This is a direct response to the crisis in housing: activists argue, why are there people who can´t get a home when there are buildings lying empty.
Some squats are intended purely as homes for a group, but others are converted into what are called “youth houses”, which provide a space for young people to come together, talk and organise, and also hold concerts and have a party. There are youth houses all over the Basque country, even in small countryside towns like the one I´m staying in.
These organising spaces often play host to “youth assemblies”, where self-organised youth in an area come together to discuss local probblems affecting them, and organise to to do something about it.
When police have attempted to kick out the squatters, it has at times led to running battles that have lasted for days.
Youth have also organised to establish free radio networks in the Basque country, just one of the means they use to create alternative media. This is an attempt to what they identified as the problem of communication: it is very difficult for Basque youth to communicate with each other and discuss their problems when all the mainstream media are against them. So they produce radio, alongside online and writted sources of information as well.
The youth movement recognises that the situation is especially difficult for young Basque women. They have a women´s group which self organises, and meets monthly to discuss the issues specifically facing young women and to organise their own campaigns.
The movement organises their own version of Camp Secret Squirrel, a summer camp in the Basque mountains that attracts thousands of participants.
They also have an international perspective, with a special group dedicated to building links with friends in struggle around the world. Now that I´ve made contact I´ll be discussing back home with SSY what we can do to strengthen links with the Basque youth movement, as well as apply some of their valuable experience to what we do.
From my short time here it´s clear that I´ve only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of the level of self-organisation for independence and socialism. The youth movement organises thousands of people, in the face of incredible repression, imprisonment and torture.
But it´s also clear to me that there is so much we ought to try out back home that they´re way ahead of us on here. The idea of taking over a building and providing a space for youth to self-organise may seem unachievable to us now, but that didn`t stop the comrades here: they just went ahead and did it! When I return home I hope a few of those reading will have had a serious think about how much we could emulate the successes that have been achieved here. Anyone know any good abandoned buildings?!
Last Saturday the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country played host to a major demonstration in favour of civil and political rights for the Basque people.
Yesterday there were general strikes in Greece and the Basque Country. Last week workers in France and Italy walked out as well. Across Europe the working class is waking up to the threat posed by the attacks of European governments, but in the UK the response has still been quite muted.
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