Basque Parliament, without EH Bildu, condemns the tributes to ETA members and rejects calling them 'political prisoners'

He believes that the use of 'political prisoner' is "a serious attack on the memory of the victims and political manipulation of terrorism in Euskadi"

VITORIA, 21 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

All groups in the Basque Parliament, except EH Bildu, have rejected and condemned the initiatives to pay homage or recognition to prisoners and members of ETA, "which unfortunately have been reproduced again this summer in some Basque towns", and consider that "granting "The symbolic status of 'political prisoner' for people who have mortally attacked civil society, democratically elected officials or public officials, is a serious attack on the memory of the victims and a political manipulation of the terrorism that Euskadi has suffered."

The PP has brought to the Basque Chamber a motion on banners, toasts and tributes to ETA members at festivals in Basque towns, and has agreed on a text with PNV, PSE, Elkarrekin Podemos-IU and Cs, which has also been approved with the support of Vox, and the only vote against EH Bildu.

In it, the Basque Parliament reiterates its pronouncements of "rejection and condemnation of the initiatives to honor or recognize prisoners and members of ETA, which unfortunately have been repeated this summer in some Basque towns." Furthermore, it reinforces its commitment to "the construction of an inclusive, critical, ethical and democratic memory to preserve the memory of the victims and avoid their offense, grievance, humiliation and re-victimization."

The Basque Parliament considers that "granting the symbolic status of 'political prisoner' to people who have mortally attacked civil society, democratically elected officials or public officials, is a serious attack on the memory of the victims and a political manipulation of terrorism that Euskadi has suffered".

Finally, it considers it necessary to "radically delegitimize any expression of glorification of terrorism, as well as guarantee and reaffirm the principles and values ​​of democratic coexistence in all areas of public space and also in festive, recreational and leisure contexts."

In the debate, PP parliamentarian Carmelo Barrio denounced that "the acts of humiliation of the victims of ETA terrorism cannot be tolerated by democratic society" and he regretted that in these acts "they are cheered and greeted by leaders." "politics", when "they are an expression of the political radicalism of a political part of this country that has not known how to catch the train of coexistence, that still continues to puncture the wheels of the train".

Likewise, he believes that "tributes to criminals are the best fertilizer for the culture of hate" and has insisted that "they are repeated year after year, party after party, and without society being able to react to prevent them" when "the normal "it would be that the public powers, the judges, the prosecutors, the police could have the capacity to prevent them."

"The laws will surely have to be reformed," he pointed out before defending that "those acts against ETA members would have to be just as repugnant as if they were acts of homage or salute to rapists, pedophiles, corrupt people. They are in the same level".

PNV parliamentarian Joseba Díez has rejected the "shameful" acts and tributes recorded this summer, as well as the banners that "humiliate and offend" and that "cause pain to the victims." Likewise, he has stressed the need to "build an inclusive memory" and to promote the "delegitimization of these acts and expressions of glorification of terrorism."

"We must delegitimize the values ​​that made it possible to murder because for the youngest, for the generations to come, it is important that we establish that murderers cannot be considered heroes, we cannot convey that it could have made sense to kill or murder, that it is important to stop killing, but it is even more important to stop hating," he said.

He has also asked EH Bildu "what path they are going to take if they do not think that killing was wrong," and believes that "today they have the opportunity to support the transactional amendment of all groups."

The EH Bildu parliamentarian Julen Arzuaga, for his part, recalled that this is a debate that has been taken "many times" to the Chamber, which "demonstrates the lack of initiative and obsession" of the PP. Likewise, he has defended that "it is nothing new that EH Bildu is in favor of imprisoned people", of "freedom of expression" and has defended that his party "does not have responsibility for all the initiatives that are carried out in Euskal Herria, of every poster, banner or graffiti".

Arzuaga believes that with the elections approaching "anything goes" and that, for example, a documentary that is presented at the San Sebastián Film Festival is being censored, using it for "political advantage." "This does not serve to build coexistence," he warned.

Likewise, he believes that with these initiatives the PP asks for "punishment, jail for those who express themselves in ways they do not like", despite the fact that "there is no crime." "If there is no crime, some propose punishing citizens for an exaltation that does not exist. They do not like how people express themselves," he criticized before pointing out that they do not count on EH Bildu to "play the role of inquisitor Torquemada."

The PSE parliamentarian Miren Gallastegi believes that the EH Bildu parliamentarians "have a serious problem" with memory and has criticized that the coalition "continues not to openly condemn the criminal and totalitarian past of ETA, although they do not refrain from openly condemning the crimes." of the Franco dictatorship", something that "is fine", but he believes that EH Bildu's memory "is extraordinarily selective and, therefore, absolutely incoherent" because "you cannot condemn Francoism without condemning ETA at the same time" .

"You continue to refuse to formulate a deep self-criticism of your past. You demand self-criticism but you do not exercise it. The same thing happens to you as to a good part of the right, especially the Spanish right in relation to the Franco regime," he noted.

Elkarrekin Podemos-IU parliamentarian Miren Gorrotxategi has defended that "in order not to re-victimize the victims, it is necessary to prevent public space from serving to politically legitimize those who wanted to impose their project for Euskadi through violence."

"It is one thing to long with sincere, live emotion for a family member or a friend, a friend who has been in prison for years, but it is quite another for that longing to become the political legitimation of the unjust murder of other people for ideological reasons. This represents added pain to the victims and is also far from what the vast majority of Basque citizens feel," he noted.

The Vox parliamentarian, Amaia Martínez, has denounced that in Euskadi "tributes to ETA terrorists have been normalized" because there is "a government that is complicit by omission, with absolutely rejectable facts, sheltering itself in supposed scrupulous compliance with the law", since "the line is very fine and in many cases it is being crossed between freedom of expression and the apology of terrorism."

Finally, the Cs parliamentarian Jose Manuel Gil has defended that "Ciudadanos, as a party that guarantees a free society in which there is no place for any type of exaltation of violence, considers that public spaces should be for coexistence and not for a minority of fanatics to show their fascination with violence and the imposition of a false narrative.