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Basque Separatists Demonstrate for Independence Referendum

by Christina 123 | October 25, 2008 at 12:43 pm

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UP to 20,000 demonstrators have today turned out in the streets in Spain's Basque region demanding a referendum for independence. Counter demonstrators from Spain's far right nationalist party had to be kept apart from the Basques by police.

The regional government had originally planned to hold a vote on Saturday, but the proposal was declared illegal by Spain's Supreme Court.
Organisers say 20,000 people joined rallies in six Basque towns.
In another sign of protest against the court's ruling, there were explosions at two Basque railway stations.
The governing Basque Nationalist Party had hoped to consult the electorate on Saturday on negotiations towards a full referendum on independence within two years.
But last month, Spain's Supreme Court declared the plan unconstitutional.
During Saturday's march, police had to separate Basque nationalist demonstrators from a rival rally by a far-right party - which proclaimed that Spain would never be divided.
Overnight, there was a very different protest in the form of explosions at two Basque railway stations.

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Sputnic

at 13:33 on October 25th, 2008

Good stuff, division = bad. But the people should be able to vote on it. One question though, do the Basques still want to stay in the EU, and if so what happens when Europe integrates a lot more?

Christina 123

at 14:19 on October 25th, 2008

Thanks, Sputnic! This dispute goes back many hundreds of years. Basque is a completely different language from any in Europe. Whilst I agree division and tribalism is not necessaruily a good thing, on the other hand we should still sympathise with minoroty groups, such as the Welsh, the Cornish and the Basques, as they have been pushed out to th peripheries of their countries. I do not condone terrorism of any sort, having said that. As you say, it has to be by the ballot box.

_Smyle

at 11:31 on November 20th, 2008

Yes, even though this subject is a difficult one in Spain as we have the ones who don't feel themselves Spanish and the ones who do want to be in Spain. And so they use the terrorism as a way to fear people and obtain the independency. Wrong way, as they won't get anything doing that.