So with the regional Basque elections coming soon the big question in Spain is what more will ETA do from now until the elections on March 1? After the car bomb in Madrid following the banning of Askatasuna and Democracia 3Millones all Spaniards will be on high alert of any terrorist attack. These two political parties serve as the voice of ETA and by banning them the Spanish government is taking away ETA’s political voice. Since the initial banning, Spanish high court judge Baltasar Garzón on Tuesday banned all activities by Askatasuna and Democracia 3 Millones for the next three years which could possibly be extended to five years. This new ban passed by Garzón officially stops all activities for the two parties making them powerless in Spanish and Basque politics. Garzón stated that Askatasuna and Democracia 3 Millones were formed after Herri Batasuna was banned in 2001 do to its relations with ETA.
“It is an adequate legal response to the specific dynamics of an organization like Batasuna-ETA, that gets integrated using methods that are clearly mafioso, disguised by complex and shadowy financing mechanisms, systematically evading the law, at promoting acts of violence, then at the same time either silencing or orchestrating them for their own illegal ends and against the basic principles the rule of law',” Garzón added.
So with ETA on the losing end of this situation it is almost inevitable that an attack will come between now and March 1. But just how far is ETA willing to go to show their unhappiness of the parties ban and more importantly a huge step back from seceding from Spain? I guess that is the chance the Spanish government is going to have to take to show that they will not be pushed around by ETA and its mafioso politicians. We can only hope that innocent people will not be killed or injured by ETA’s violent acts in the weeks to come. I took this photo last year in Madrid on the Gran Via. The people are out supporting the PSOE the week before presidential elections.
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