Sinn Féin 'heavily involved' in push for ETA ceasefire

dlofnep wrote: »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/06/sinn-fein-eta-ceasefire-gerry-adams

Considering boards is always quick to bash old Gerry - It's always worth noting his merits. ETA's move can only be seen as a positive move towards bringing peace to the Basque Country & Spain. I think the world is growing tired of war - and the time for politics is upon us. It's good to see Gerry use his influence to try and bring peace to the Basque & Spanish people, like he did here in Ireland. I sincerely hope the Spanish Government use this opportunity to begin to work with the Basque community, and allow them to address their concerns.

Maith thú Gerry.

Laughing out loud. Thanks OP that gave me a good laugh.

What are the "concerns" of the Basque People of which you speak. They want their own country, Spain wants them in Spain. Spain has granted them autonomous status. Am I missing something.

If ETA stopped killing people then people wouldn't die. Is Gerry planning a visit to Colombia any time soon to announce that he's been setting the FARC on the road to political ends?

Incidentally I see that the Spanish government has said that they're still 'at war' with ETA as they can't be trusted. Is Gerry's work finished?

dlofnep wrote: »

You might want to ask the Basque people that - I'm not one of them. This thread isn't here to argue the case for, or against Basque independence.



That has nothing to do with the discussion at hand.



We can only go on the current facts. They are that ETA has called a cease-fire, and that Adam's has stated that Sinn Féin influenced the move. I'd imagine Gerry's work with regards to influencing peace in the Basque Country and Spain is an ongoing process.

Most people see this as a positive move. But there's always one who will put a negative spin on a genuinely positive move for peace.

you were the one who brought up the "concerns" of the Basque 'people'.

I raised Colombia ( which I recognise has nothing to do with the topic in hand) to see if Gerry would spreading the love/peace worldwide. It's not so long that other republicians went over there to spread some other knowledge, although they said they were birdwatching.:D

Yes, the fact is that ETA has called a ceasefire, not the first time either, every other time they've broken it and went back to murdering policemen, judges and elected politicians, usually councillors.


Of course it's a good thing that ETA will no longer be murdering people to further their political ends. It's good that they've finally come to that position. Well done to all those involved in the furtherance of peace, whether they announce it or not.

dlofnep wrote: »

As a matter of context for the post. If you wish to discuss the concerns of the Basque people, create a thread for it and I'll be more than happy to do so. But in short - it transcends beyond independence (although, seeking full self-determination is a perfectly legitimate aim). It's not uncommon to see 100,000 people to march in support for Basque independence.

Political figures who aspire to bring about independence are harassed by authorities, or jailed without any merit. Such actions usually bring out large numbers in response to the actions of the Spanish authorities. It is a criminalization campaign, and is a stab in the heart of democracy. These are the issues that Basque people wish to address.

It would serve you well to actually sit down with someone from the Basque country, and ask them about their concerns - instead of making an ill-formed judgement about them on the internet.



You raised Colombia, because you're unable to actually engage with the topic at hand - And that's Sinn Féin's influence on ETA, with intent to bring about peace. If you spent less time on red herrings, and more time on discussing the actual topic - I might take your posts a little more seriously.



That wasn't hard, now was it?

-"transcends beyond independence", do they want immortality as well?

-"jailed without any merit", Spain is a democratic country, a member of the EU. Are you saying they're just arresting people without just cause, a trial?

-Ok, I should meet some Basque people to see why they thought it was ok, up to now, to murder innocent people for POLITICAL REASONS. I don't come across too many Basque but the last time I remember Basques being in Dublin they started a fight and had a go at the Gardai:
from www.tribune.ie

"Basque separatists attack Spanish restaurant in Dublin

CATHERINE CLEARY
THREE young men involved in a protest by Basque separatists in Dublin city centre are expected to be charged with public order, criminal damage and assault charges after an Irish-owned Spanish restaurant in Dublin's Temple Bar was attacked yesterday.

Gardaí said a group of 40 Basque separatists invited by an Irish solidarity group arrived in Ireland via Belfast on Friday.

They gathered in Parnell Square yesterday morning and walked to Grafton Street where they began handing out leaflets. Gardaí said the Irish solidarity group then headed to the GPO on O'Connell St for a further protest.

The visiting group were walking to the Ha'penny Bridge, to have a photograph taken, a garda spokesman said, when a number of protesters saw La Paloma, an Irish-owned restaurant serving Spanish food in Temple Bar. A Spanish soccer flag and neon lighting outside the restaurant were damaged and gardai said the son of the owner came out to try and stop the protesters.

Gardaí said the man was attacked and a fight ensued in Temple Bar Square where an English stag party intervened to help at one stage. A lone garda arrived after a call to the gardaí and backup was called after the garda was assaulted.

In the ensuing melee, garda hats and Basque flags were thrown in the Liffey as the disturbance moved onto the quays.

The spokesman said gardaí were assaulted but none were treated for injuries in hospital. Two men in their twenties who were identified by the restrauteur as the people who caused the damage were arrested by gardaí on the south quays. A third protester was arrested on the northside and is photographed above being put into a Garda car after several cars were called as back-up.

The men were taken to Pearse Street Garda station.
August 4, 2002".

Please don't be making judgements dlofnep. I've been to the Basque country, the Spanish and the French part, thanks.

-I raised Colombia to show that things can change, i.e. not long ago people attached to the same organisation as G Adams went to meet the FARC, according to the Colombian authorities to impart their bomb-making capabilities. They were there for the birdwatching according to themselves.

-Yes, I respect people who go about politics in a peaceful manner. Should I be congratulating ETA for stepping away from murdering people? for however long their ceasefire lasts. I don't think so.

I'd say the hardliners in ETA would see Sinn Fein and the IRA as a good example of why they shouldn't disband.

I would be inclined to believe the Spanish government's version of events to be honest.

dlofnep wrote: »

What has being a member of the EU got to do without anything? Britain was a member of the EU (EC) when it interned 100's of innocent people without a trial.



Yes. State torture and suppression of free-speech not withstanding.



Who said anything about saying it was ok to murder innocent people? I don't believe anyone justified the actions of ETA in this thread. This thread is here to discuss the influence that Sinn Féin had in bringing about a much-needed cease-fire to the region. You have since, attempted to take the thread completely off-topic.



So you judge the entire Basque people based on the actions of a few people? How fair and balanced of you. :rolleyes:

-Any state that engages in torture is acting against fundamental human rights. The case which you highlight was overturned by the courts, surely this highlights the democratic nature of Spain. Don't you agree?

I'm glad to see that Spain is ensuring life and liberty for all, unlike ETA heretofore.

-Yeah I'd hope that most people on here would be against ETA taking it on themselves to murder people to further political aims, just like the majority of people in the Spanish Basque country are. Political parties affiliated to ETA in turn were never in the majority, even in the autonomous region.
Yes, you're quite right OP this thread is about the influence of SF on ETA in declaring a ceasefire. In this regard I did a search to see how newspapers and news sites were reporting it. There isn't much about. The search threw up the Ogra SF website, where there's a thread congratulating ETA for announcing a ceasefire. There's an interesting poster on the site linking the struggles of the Basques with Northern Irish Republicans, the motto is "Unity in Struggle".

Again, apologies readers if this is going off topic, I just thought it was intersting.;)

-I posted the newspaper report in the context of Basques in Dublin. I did say that I've been to the French and Spanish Basque countries. Is the mark of someone who has judged an entire people or historical region.