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| Europe |
| Batasuna assembly compared with al-Qaeda |
| 2006-01-17 |
| PP Euro-MP Carlos Iturgaiz yesterday asked the European Parliament to denounce the assembly to be held on Thursday by banned ETA-front party Batasuna. Iturgaiz called on the Zapatero administration "to strictly carry out" the Political Parties Act, under which Batasuna was banned, saying that the assembly "would be a true scandal," similar to what would happen if the Nazis held a meeting in Germany or Al Qaeda in New York. Meanwhile, the state prosecutor's office yesterday filed a motion with the Audencia Nacional, Spain's highest court, to prohibit the Batasuna assembly. On the floor of the Europarliament in Strasbourg, Iturgaiz stressed that Batasuna "is the political branch and the cradle of ETA, and it is banned in Spain and on the European Union list of terrorist organizations. If Batasuna holds its assembly on Thursday, it would be a direct attack on the freedoms and laws of a member of the European Union, which would be democratically unworthy for Spain, a submission to the plans of the Batasuna-ETA terrorists, and, above all, the betrayal of the victims of terrorism and an insult to their memory." Iturgaiz continued, "The terrorists are trying to break the law again and, during these days, once again there are statements from the Basque regional nationalist government and from the Socialist government of the nation that amount to putting out the red carpet for these terrorists to parade down with no problems." Iturgaiz declared that the European Parliament "has to raise its voice and denounce this assembly in the strict enforcement of the Political Parties Act." Socialist Euro-MP Ines Ayala defended judicial powers, and responded to Iturgaiz that "the prosecutor and the judge will decide whether to authorize the assembly, and in Spain the justice system is independent." She addressed parliamentary chair Josep Borrell, saying that the European Parliament "has always decidedly supported peace processes that eradicate violence through a democratic process, and we hope it will continue in that line." Meanwhile, the state prosecutor's office said yesterday that it would ask judge Fernando Grande Marlaska to stop the assembly, called by Batasuna for January 21. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |