Miguel Angel Blanco's murder
The murder of that young Basque, 29 years of age, killed with two shots in the head has shocked many people in Spain and beyond. Many of you have written to tell me their disgust.
I too am angry and I condemn that barbarous murder which can only work against the nationalists and the Basque refugees. One does nothing good for the future by using such proceedings.
When the ETA captured Miguel Angel Blanco, they wanted to protest against the policy of scattering Basque prisoners around in jails and that was part of their campaign to have their rights acknowledged. There are 600 of them, hundreds of miles away from their relatives. Their request to have them transferred to jails in the Basque region has not been heard. Could not something have been done ?
With the same impetus the Spanish people have shouted their indignation . A real coming together. But Miguel Angel Blanco's murder cannot make one forget the responsibility of the Spanish State and successive Governments, neither State terrorism nor murders committed by the GAL ( Antiterrorist Groups of Liberation) nor the tragedy of Basque prisoners.
This murder should not be used to victimise the Basque nationalist movement and the Basque people. The future lies neither in harder repression, nor in a better international co-operation of police forces. A threshold has been set which calls for an end to armed conflict and to the opening of political negotiations, at last.
One has to move on and not stop at the actual conflict. Has not the time
come to search and find pacific ways which would make room for the Basque
people's hopes ?
Jacques Gaillot
Write to Partenia: jgaillot@partenia.org