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US AND UK MEDIA FAIL TO SEE BASQUE ETA AS TERRORIST

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MIAMI, Sep 20 2010 (IPS) - A recent editorial of the Financial Times floated the thesis that the prospects for a permanent peace in the Basque country would be strengthened by the execution of two basic acts by the Spanish government: first, lifting the ban preventing the pro-ETA political group Batasuna from participating in elections; and second, transferring incarcerated ETA agents to prisons closer to their homes. The FT argues that delaying restoration of electoral credentials to Batasuna serves only to “prop up ETA’s dwindling support” while “the perceived injustice” of imprisonment far from home is “a money spinner for ETA’s fundraisers”.

This perspective in news reporting and editorialising is nothing new in British and American newspapers, which routinely portray ETA as “separatist” and never “terrorist”. They overlook the crucial fact that at present all ETA has done is to declare a temporary ceasefire, which in the past it has always violated with more killings, assassinations, extortion, and acts of terrorism -clear violations of criminal codes, constitutional guarantees, and the human rights of the victims.

Pro-ETA groups have never distanced themselves from this murderous behaviour, thus effectively endorsing it. Batasuna’s declarations are not expressions of political plans or strategies for gaining independence.

Capriciously, neither the European Union nor the US government has labelled ETA “terrorist” (a characterisation the FT editorial skilfully avoids as well). In contrast, the European Court of Human Rights has judged Batasuna’s identification with ETA as complicity with threats to democracy. Batasuna’s electoral suspension is therefore legally justified and in keeping with European norms; it constitutes a penalty for violating the basic rights of all citizens.

What the Spanish democracy has done, according to the editorial of the FT, is “to criminalise the expression of political opinion” which Batasuna’s endorsement of ETA supposedly constitutes. This assessment conveniently forgets that Germany has used the same juridical mechanism with political groups espousing Nazi ideas. Israel does not allow expression of the argument that the Holocaust never took place. The US banned communist parties and restricted immigration and visiting rights of former members of such parties.

A widespread and highly misleading practice found in US and UK papers is the equation of what are simply called “mainstream nationalists” with the ETA terrorist band. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) is not a violent organisation and does not use the same strategy of ETA. It seeks the eventual independence of the Basque Country. Founded mostly by Christian Democrats, in 2009 the PNV did not manage, as it had for more than a quarter of century, to obtain the working majority in the Basque congress. Instead a rather odd and novel coalition formed by the Socialists and Popular Party conservatives ousted the PNV from power. Yet these (true) nationalists did not go to the mountains, organise a guerrilla campaign, and start bombing civilian neighbourhoods. They have simply regrouped and are waiting for better times, convinced that at present they don’t have sufficient backing to reach the goal of independence by democratic means.

The terrorist “armed band” (the official and legal denomination of the ETA) is not a romantic “separatist” movement, or a “nationalist” group that wants an “independent homeland” (to use the expressions commonly found in the news).

What all democrats should expect -and what the Spanish government has systematically done- is to announce the disbanding of the terrorist organisation that has claimed more than 800 innocent victims and has terrorised thousands more with threats and extortions.

Democrats also demand the firm commitment of Batasuna and satellite groups to obey all basic constitutional laws. Then current prisoners should have their cases reviewed and be forced to cooperate in the establishment of a lasting peace, which is all Spaniards and Basques want, with the exception of this pitifully tiny terrorist organisation. Perhaps then the ambiguous terminology used by a number of Anglo-American newspapers (with the Financial Times as leader) and press agencies (Reuters especially) would cease to confuse readers. But, sadly, we would probably have to wait for the actual disbanding of ETA. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

(*) Joaquin Roy is “Jean Monnet” Professor and Director of the European Union Centre of the University of Miami. jroy@Miami.edu

 
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