CNN reports Basque separatist terrorist movement ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) has declared a permanent "ceasefire" as of Friday (ceasefire being the word used by cowardly murderers of innocent civilians who think terrorism is akin to fighting a real war), which is about time.
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It declared a "ceasefire" a few years back that only lasted two years - although this time it appears to be genuinely permanent, a commitment to using democratic means to advance self-government for the Basque people. Frankly, given its appalling conduct in recent years, it has turned off most Basques from it. ETA was founded as a response to the oppression of the Franco regime against the Basque people, it has continued terrorist action, with five bombings last year, none of which claimed any lives.
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I'm not commending ETA at all, it has been responsible for much damage and many injuries and deaths over several decades. One of the worst was a bomb in a supermarket carpark in Barcelona in 1987 killing 21. Amnesty International has for many years called for ETA to cease terrorism. It simply is a relief that it is ending - Basque separatism was never going to happen, and with the European Union, having your own nationstate was increasingly irrelevant. Nationalism is a game played by the ignorant - it doesn't define you, it limits you.
5 comments:
Your last sentence "Nationalism is a game played by the ignorant - it doesn't define you, it limits you" only proves that your knowledge of what is going on in the Basque Country, in the Spanish state and in Europe is limited and biased. Catalan and Basque "nationalism" started to exist much before the franco dictatorship. The word "nationalism" should not be translated as a such, but rather as "patriotism", but, of course, you prefer to repeat the same sentences that have been repeated over and over by right-winged governments, by fascist dictatorships and anachronic kingdoms. Trying to find out the real causes of the existence of such movements is a too hard task you you, right? You prefer to repeat senseless sentences as "it doesn't define you, it limits you", and then, pretend to make other believe that you are a "libertarian". You are siding those that have been forbitting languages, cultures, that have performed genocides. You are siding those who try to erase any sign of discrepancy, cultural difference on earth. Being in the other side of the planet means that you see the world upside-down? Shame on you.
Nonsense, how can an individualist believe in assimilation? I believe in diversity, and judging people on their actions not their ancestry - you have judged me and my philosophy without reading much about either. More importantly you've put on your nationalist spectacles and decided "I don't understand why we thought we were better than anyone else" - well I do, it's called being attacked by nationalists - it is a virulent ideology that your common ancestry binds you to people regardless of their own actions. It is exactly that which I encountered a week or so ago with a Serb fascist who is proud of Serb murderers because he thinks Muslims are subhuman - a Serb can rape young girls and it is ok because they are Muslim, but a Muslim who lives peacefully in his house is "probably a rapist and probably going to attack me".
Absolutely banal - Basque people have ample opportunity to practice their language and culture, and have done so for some years - nothing justifies what ETA has done since Spain was freed from the tyranny of Franco.
What? You mean that ETA actions are justified before the freed of Spain from the fascist Franco?
I agree with you but, but you miss a very important question. Well, in fact maybe you don't miss the question you omit or change the true. You say that basque people have ample opportunity to practice their language and culture. Are you totally convinced of the trueness of your affirmation?
Because this is absolutely false! Catalans and Basque people don't have the same rights in terms of culture. Their language has not the same rights that castilian language.
Ask to basque or Catalans children if they can see Disney films, the incredibles in Catalan or basque. The answer is not.
Ask to basque or Catalans children if they can read comics in their mother language. The answer is not.
Ask to basque or Catalans if they can go to the court and speak their mother language. The answer is not.
Ask to basque or catalans if they are happy because companies that offer gas, water speak in castilian when they phone you at 9 pm offering a very exiting product.
Definitely basque and catalan people can not practice their language and culture freely.
Anyway you are invited to visit this countries to check the current situation, but please try to open you eyes.
Ask to basque or catalans children if they can see disney films, the incredibles in catalan or basque. The answer is not.
Ask to basque or catalns children if they can read comics in their matern language. The answer is not.
Ask to basque or catalans if they can go to the court and speak their matern language. The answer is not.
Ask to basque or catalans if they are happy because companies that offer gas, water speak in castilian when they phone you at 9 pm offering a very exiting product.
Defenetly basque and catalan people can not practice their language and culture freely.
Anyway you are invited to visit this countries to check the current situation.
ETA actions are justified in attacking Franco's forces, that is all.
On your points, the freedom to practice the language is an individual one. Taking your examples:
"Ask to basque or Catalans children if they can see Disney films, the incredibles in Catalan or basque. The answer is not. "
Frankly, tough! You can't force film producers to translate into those languages. It is THEIR production, it is akin to saying I should force Korean film producers to make films in English. Nothing is stopping Basque or Catalan film producers making their own films, or people paying for translations. It isn't a "right".
"Ask to basque or Catalans children if they can read comics in their mother language. The answer is not."
Again, tough! Nothing stops anyone making comics in Basque or Catalan, but you can't force people to do so.
"Ask to basque or Catalans if they can go to the court and speak their mother language. The answer is not."
That is a different matter - this comes down to whether those going to court can understand another language (which presumably they usually can) or whether the state should support the language in its dealings. I think that is a fair matter for public debate.
"Ask to basque or catalans if they are happy because companies that offer gas, water speak in castilian when they phone you at 9 pm offering a very exiting product."
Are you concerned that the companies phone late at night? If the companies are private then well, choose to use their products or not. You can't force them to speak in the language of their customers, but it probably is a good idea if they do.
I would happily visit - my view is that as long as the state does not compel or prohibit the use of any language then what private individuals do is a matter of choice. The state should operate first and foremost in the dominant language, and it is good practice to also operate in significant minority languages up to a point.
"Ask to basque or Catalans if they can go to the court and speak their mother language. The answer is not."
That is a different matter - this comes down to whether those going to court can understand another language (which presumably they usually can) or whether the state should support the language in its dealings. I think that is a fair matter for public debate.
Just a matter of interest LS, did you know that Court Staff in Ireland have to be able to speak to a certain level of their mother tongue? This is a because a tiny minority rural persons (or just plain old difficult bastards) choose only to engage the court proceedings in Celtic. So now courses have to be taken by pre/post-grad Law students if they are to join the bar.
Not too dissimilar to our friend, Mr. Anonymous Basque's problem... Its just that the authorities aren't as enlightened as their Irish counterparts.
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