Large demo at Pamplona against Spanish imperialism in Colombus Day

October 12 is, as you may know, the day of the official discovery of America by Cristopher Colombus some 512 years ago. In Spain it is official holiday as Día de la Hispanidad (Hispanity Day) and is like the national holiday of this state. I understand that in the USA it is called Columbus Day and also a holiday.

Like in many places of Latin America, where the holiday has become a day of commemoration of the native struggle against the invaders (in Venezuela for instance it is now officially the Day of Indigenous Resistance), in the Basque Country most people also think that there is nothing to celebrate. 

The political platform Independentistak therefore called for a national demonstration in Iruñea (Pamplona, historical Basque capital) yesterday, which had the backing of organizations of American immigrants (a large fraction of immigrant workers here).

 

The demo was characterized by the many green banners (the color of this platform) with the slogan Independentzia (Independence). The march was opened by a banner with the same simple and clear message and also a large figure of Latin American liberator Simón Bolívar (of Basque ancestry). The Avenida del Ejército (Army's Avenue, main street of the Navarrese capital) was completely full with people.

Politicians from the Basque Nationalist Left and Eusko Alkartasuna (but not Aralar) were present in the demo, dubbed the Green March. The calls for Basque independence and celebration of the successful struggles of the peoples of Abya Yala (America in Kuna language, a term adopted by many in the continent nowadays).

Txutxi Ariznabarreta made a call to all the people arrived from across the ocean in recent decades to become full part of the Basque People. Here nobody is in excess, he said. He also denounced the authoritarian attitude of Spain and France in their rejection of the Basque right to self-determination:

We are ready to respect the decision of the Basque citizens, but are the Spanish and French Nationalists ready to respect the decision freely taken by the Basque people?

Maite Aristegi remembered Navarrese Xabier Mina, hero of the Mexican liberation, and read a slightly modified version of the oath taken by Bolivar in Rome in 1805:

We proclaim by our dignity and our people that we will not rest until we break the chains that oppress us by the will of the Spanish and French states.

Sources[es]: Gara. Photo gallery at La Haine.