Ógra Shinn Féin Demand End to Basque Youth Repression

Ógra Shinn Féin demanded the immediate release of young political activists in the Basque country at their Special Congress convened on Saturday.

Members of the Basque youth movement SEGI's National Executive were imprisoned early last week by the Spanish authorities, which deem the youth movement ‘illegal’

In its motion Ógra Shinn Féin stated,

“The right of Basque young people to organise themselves in support of independence and socialism must be defended. The continued attempts by the Spanish government, police and judicial system to criminalise and jail the legitimate expression of these rights must be resisted”

“The Congress unreservedly rejects the decision by the Spanish national court of this week, convicting the national executives of these youth organisations of membership of a so-called ‘terrorist-organisation’. The decision to jail the young people for periods of up to 6 years is undemocratic and unjust.”

Speaking on the ruling National Organiser of Ógra Shinn Féin, Barry McColgan called for the ‘immediate release of our comrades in Euskal Herria’.

He continued,

“Ógra Shinn Féin is proud of the longstanding solidarity we have had and continue to have with Jarrai, Haika and Segi. We will do all in our power to try and reverse this decision by showing our open opposition to the ruling. I myself will travel to the Basque country next week to show our opposition to this decision and pledge the support of Ógra Shinn Féin to the young people who find themselves being jailed for 6 years. This decision is completely unacceptable and should be reversed immediately."