Banned Basque Organisation Speaker Comes To Dublin

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Saturday February 05, 2011 19:03 by Dublin Basque - Dublin Irish Basque Solidarity Committee

Speaker from Udalbitza, organisation banned by Madrid in 2003, speaking in Dublin

Member of Udalbitza, pan-Basque organisation of town mayors and local authority councillors, charged with another seven members of "supporting terrorism" was cleared last month and comes to Dublin to speak on his experiences and on repression of the Basque self-determination movement.

Udalbitza, pan-Basque organisation of town mayors and local authority councillors, was banned by the Spanish state in 2003 and members arrested on charges of "supporting terrorism" . The reason was that their aims of uniting the Basque Country, achieving independence and promoting the Basque language are also those of the armed organisation ETA (now on permanent ceasefire). Eight Udalbitza members went on trial last year and were cleared last month and the court admitted the organisation had done nothing wrong in law. One of the those arrested and but cleared last month comes to Dublin to speak at public meeting and university meetings.