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Zapatistas 'on tour' in Europa
'Euskalinfo' - 29.01.2003 19:48
Voor degenen die geinteresseerd zijn in Spanje, Baskenland en de Zapatistas is hier een artikel dat eerder werd gepubliceerd op inymdia van Euskal Herria (Baskenland). Het gaat over de gebeurtenissen tot en met december.
Subcomandant Marcos from the Mexican guerrilla Zapatista Army broke his silence to criticize the latest repression by the Spanish government in the Basque Country and to exposed the pretentious Spanish judge Garzón. The communiqué provoked a reply from this judge who was answered again by Marcos proposing a debate on the Basque conflict and making some proposals to ETA for cease-fire too.
On 3rd December Judge Garzón replied to Marcos' communiqué saying that he "rather to be associated to democracy as a clown than to hide it behind false rebelliousness, violence, infamy, ignorance, immorality, and those that he represents every time a bit clearer ".
Then Garzón launches an attack against Marcos for ignoring the pain that the Spanish people are suffering from the terrorists and he reminds him the 853 deaths of ETA (just the ones by ETA - he doesn't remind other deaths, other prisoners and torture because he has refused every single report about it).
According the judge the only rebelliousness is the one fought everyday in under the state's law.: "between all we try to consolidate a system of guarantees which cohesion as a diverse country and which organises us as a plurinational country".
Garzón then goes to justify the banning imposed on Batasuna by saying that it's not ideas what are persecuted: "it seems like you and others like you -referring to Marcos- whom build your discourse on the outdated and rejected Francoism , are annoyed because this phase is over in Spain, because there is freedom, power control and State by Law and that in Spain terrorism is persecuted according the law, from the law and with all the guarantees and controls that the judicial power rules. Judge Garzón also expresses his pride for the Spanish legal system which he calls 'one of the most rigorous one in the world' with a Constitutional tribunal -he follows- and an European Human Rights tribunal. "here everyone has room even to separate themselves, however that has to be without violence, through the political struggle" he adds to continue his attack on 'terrorists'.
"You (Marcos) has offended severely those ones who have taken active part in the construction of Spain's democracy: the king of Spain and the government presidents Felipe González and José María Aznar".
Constructors of democracy? The king was appointed by general Franco and he didn't continue with the regime because at the time the left opposition including ETA was unstoppable. Felipe González? The organiser of the paramilitary GAL murderers of more than 30 Basques? The man involved in so many political scandals? Constructor of democracy? José María Aznar? The continuator of all these policies? The one who imprisoned and persecuted so many Basques, organisations and parties without evidence? The one who put into practice the banning of the first party in Europe? Yes, those ones, because Judge Garzón continues his praises for those "constructors of democracy". Garzón also criticises the way Marcos treats the Pinochet case that he promoted to say that he thought Marcos was something different, 'some kind of ray of coherence'.
The magistrate even questions the integrity of a such a guerrilla man as Marcos: -when in a beginning, leading your 'Army', you gained the sympathy of many people (including myself), you had the possibility of taking the Indigenous cause to a good port but you mistook the course and now we know why-.
Because according to the judge he doesn't believe in the human rights neither in democracy, because he's friend of the 'terrorists', I presume-And he still considers himself a pacifist because he has just not handled a weapon in his life. Still, all his acts imprisoning random people, politicians, MPs, people who haven't committed a crime but to belong to a party, his constant denials of practices such as torture by the Spanish police and even in the very Spanish High Hearing place him in that category that he denies: fascist. He also criticised Marcos for hiding his acts while he signs them and shows his face all over. Too right!
His advice to Marcos:
-Abandon your costume and your hiding place, demonstrate that you're a leader, show your face, face the Mexican society, defend your ideas in equal conditions; abandon the arms, allow your men to be free, don't kidnap neither repress the Democracy. From gachupín (from Spanish origin) to gachupín (because I don't doubt that you have gachupín blood in your veins) and with the highest respect for Mexico, lovely country that the Spaniards including Basques so much debit, I challenge you when you want and where you want without neither masks nor costumes, face to face, to talk about terrorism, rebelliousness, dignity, struggle, insurgency, politics, justice, about all those values that enable us to build a country and a democracy and to defend the rights of the disposed.
-Today is always 'still'- Machado said.
I have the light hope that you recover the reason that you seem to have lost and that democratic character that you seemed to have-.
Marcos accepts Baltasar Garzón's challenge to debate
Marco's replies to Garzón on 7th December saying tat he didn't like his insults and that he accepts the challenge: he wants to take part in a debate with the magistrate. 'According the rules of the cavalry, as I am the challenged knight I have the right to set the conditions for the challenge'. These ones are that the place will be in Lanzarote (Canary islands) from 3 to 10th April 2003. And that Garzón will provide guarantees and visas for him and what he calls six escuderos using his medieval style. He also invites all the sectors from Basque politics, culture and society to hold similar debate in the same place.
He asks Garzón to come to the debate aiming to ask the government to contribute with distension measures in the Basque Conflict. Contrary, Marcos will attend just to listen as the subject is just relevant to the self-determination of the Basque Country. Following to this point Marcos presents the things he commits himself too and that were achieved on the same day that he replied to Garzón: he addressed ETA asking to declare a 177 day cease-fire starting from 24th December and he addressed to the socio-political Basque organisations to propose them the beginning of a campaign - -A chance to communication-. Marcos proposes that a winner is selected by a jury whose members are elected four by Garzón and three by the EZLN.
The price in case Garzón wins will be to unmask Marcos. He will also apologise to the magistrate and he'll be available to be tortured as he says ' just as they torture Basques when they're arrested'.
If in the contrary the magistrate is the beaten one, he will support the EZLN in their demands they will present in International institutions demanding the acknowledgement of the Native rights and culture refused by the three powers of the Mexican government.
They'll also present demands against former president Zedillo for his responsibility in the Acteal massacre (45 people). he reminds that Zedillo was awarded by Spanish president Aznar. They'll also present demands against the Spanish politicians / governors who were accomplices of Zedillo in different aggressions against Native people.
'You have the opportunity of choosing: you place your knowledge and abilities to help a noble and just cause (and in the same time you demonstrate that the International justice doesn't just help to launch wars and cover criminals) o you continue where you are, getting the strokes from those ones who are on the top because of the blood and pain of the ones on the bottom'.
The text finishes with more of that Zapatista humour and poetry that Marcos is used to referring to his pipe (according Garzón 'ridiculous') and to the Zapatistas' drift.
Marcos says to ETA representing the Zapatistas and native people of Chiapas. He states that the EZLN as a difference with ETA doesn't target civilians providing the reasons. Still, he agrees with the just and noble cause of Basques.
He continues by acknowledging the thousands of Basques killed, executed, tortured and missed by the Spanish state and that are ignored in their accounts. Then he explains his proposal to Garzón asking ETA to agree with the 177 day cease-fire. He also invites representatives of ETA to attend the debate organised by him.
Talking to the different social, political and cultural groups within the Basque Country, Marcos invite them to take par in the 'Let's give communication a chance' mobilisation, previous to the 'Basque Country: Paths' gathering. He also states that he hopes this -initiative to be successful and a ray of hope for all people of the world-.
To the Spanish and Basque civil society:, he says that they refereed to the political struggle and not the armed one but that they accept the controversy as it was on purpose as they wanted to create that polemic. He continues saying that one of the EZLN's main aims is the defence of the Indigenous peoples rights. He apologises for this and because the Spanish government use these facts to distract the public attention from the Prestige oil disaster.
Then he also presents his(their) debate proposal. He states: 'terror can be combated with terror but it can't be defeated by this means' in clear allusion to the forms chosen by the Spanish state to solve the Basque conflict. He continues: 'that the legal arguments are used to justify tortures, murders, executions but it doesn't end with those ones whom by ideological or religious arguments justify other peoples' deaths'.
He adds that nowadays 'they force us to chose between one and other terror and that to criticise one means to support the other one'. This leaves the place to the presentation of the proposal : 'let's give a chance to communication', a proposal that he surrounds of positivity.
The fourth letter (if we can state an order) is addressed to the Basque nationalists in the same terms of asking them to take part in the proposal. Marcos considers the Basque Left different from the Mexican one as it has an alternative political project not just of self-determination for the Basque Country but also for a 'more just, democratic, freer, and therefore more human system'.
-Because of this I refer to you, to your experience, your struggle, your heroism and your moral authority which have been developed without a doubt inside the noble Basque country-. He says that there are paths still to discover and that he wants to work on the process of finding them. Once again, he asks the Basque left to 'to give a chance to the peace'.
Among the different reactions we can mention the one of the Kanary Nation Liberation Movement who feels excluded from the equation and non acknowledged by Marcos project of negotiation between Basques and the Spanish State. This movement replied to Marcos saying they don't want 'fascist Garzón' to step in their islands.
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