Ógra Shinn Féin Travel to Basque Country to Call For End to Basque Youth Oppression

Two Ógra activists were in the Basque Country last weekend to extend the solidarity of Ógra Shinn Féin to their comrades in SEGI, the Basque nationalist left youth organisation. They were part of an international delegation involving Catalans, Bretons, and Castilians among others.

The young republicans were there to support SEGI, which the Spanish government is trying to ban and whose national leadership was recently sentenced to lengthy prison sentences by a Spanish court. The international delegation read out declaration of support in many languages supporting the right of Basque youth to express their legitimate political opinions.

The attitude of the Spanish state to the expression of political dissent within the Basque country shows that it has not moved on much since the time of Franco. The democratic credentials of Spain collapse time and time again when it comes to their dealings in the Basque country. For any political, cultural or media organisation to express support for Basque independence and socialism, they run the risk of being designated as ‘terrorists’ and being jailed. Ógra, along with over 100 other international youth groups, signed its name to a declaration of support for the plight of SEGI.

The Ógra members also participated in a large rally of 7,000 young people in Donastia to protest against the banning of SEGI. The Spanish government, in its continuing contempt for democracy and free speech, banned the demonstration, but it went ahead anyway, showing the depth of feeling among Basque youth.

Also while in the Basque country, the activists received briefings from Batasuna, the Basque political party that has also been banned and Askatasuna, the anti repressive movement that has also fallen foul of Spain’s so called laws. They briefed them on the attempts by the Basque nationalist left movement to move the peace process there along and the resistance that they are meeting from the Spanish government. Instead of the repressive measures being reduced following the ETA ceasefire, they have been increased.

The activists also participated in activities in support of the Basque hunger striker, Iñaki de Juana who is protesting for his immediate release following the completion of his sentence in 2004, a just demand that the Spanish government needlessly denies.