Word: batasuna
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Both victims, who were moderate members of the Basque separatist group Herri Batasuna, had hoped that ending their party's ten-year boycott of the parliament would spur negotiations with Madrid to redress Basque grievances. As news of the murders spread, thousands of Basques went into the streets of Bilbao, San Sebastian and other cities, smashing windows and burning buses and cars...
...turning point came at Guernica, the Basques' spiritual center. Thirty members of the militant Herri Batasuna Party loudly cut off the King's address with an old Basque fighting song. It took security guards ten minutes to subdue the demonstrators in an unseemly scene that was carried over national television. Clearly prepared for the outbreak, a composed Juan Carlos turned it to advantage. At one point he smiled mischievously, goading the protesters to sing louder. Then, with order restored, he took command with an eloquent gesture of national reconciliation. "Faced with those who practice intolerance of free expression...