Basque Separatists

Basque separatists are natives of the Basque region who are campaigning for national sovereignty and cultural independence from the surrounding nations of Spain and France. Since the 1970s, the campaign has taken a both a political route and a terrorist route to achieve its goal.

The Basque people have lived in the western region of the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France since the Middle Ages. They speak their own language, Euskara, which is one of the oldest languages in Europe, and maintain a degree of ethnic insularity. They were independent throughout the 1700s, but around 1800 they were divided, to be partly ruled by both France and Spain. Almost immediately, a strong separatist movement was formed that still exists today. Resentful that they were no longer self-governed, the Basque separatists formed a political party called the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), held widespread protests, and committed a variety of violent acts. Although the movement consists of Basques from both neighboring countries, the Spanish separatists were and currently are more active than the French. Spain has resisted granting full independence to the Basque Region because it contributes to the gross domestic product and offers valuable resources.

When the dictator Francisco Franco formed the Spanish Republic in 1931, he stripped those in the Basque region of many of their civil rights, including the right to use their language. After Franco's death, the Basques refused to ratify the Spanish constitution that both restored the monarchy and established democracy until Spain conceded them the right to have their own limited government. The Basque region has since elected its own parliament to govern various affairs. However, they are not completely autonomous, and many Basques still desire absolute freedom from Spain.

The Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), or Basque Fatherland and Freedom, is a terrorist group of radical separatists that have killed more than 800 people in various bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, and robberies. In particular, the ETA targets members of the People's Party and others that advocate the unity of Spain, such as King Juan Carlos. In 2000, a youth wing of the ETA called Haika was formed from a merger of the Spanish pro-Basque independence youth group Jarrai and its French counterpart, Gasteriak. Haika increased the violent activity in France, leading Spain and France to augment joint efforts to apprehend Basque terrorists. In the late 2000s, ETA turned its attention to a high-speed rail line under construction that would link Madrid and Basque territory; the group violently opposes the railroad, which it sees as eroding Basque autonomy.

Although violent groups like the ETA continue to exist, many separatist Basques are willing to pursue their goals through peaceful measures. The PNV, for example, has completely foresworn violence and has historically dominated the regional Parliament. The ETA also has a political wing, but that party was banned as a terrorist organization in 2003, and other Basque nationalist parties have been banned as well.

As a result of these actions, the PNV lost control of the regional parliament in 2009. Although it won more seats than any other party, the Basque nationalist parties it had allied with in the past had been banned or had lost so much support that the PNV could no longer put together a ruling coalition. It remains to be seen if the banning of such political parties will be accepted by Basque separatists, or if they will feel that they have been denied a political outlet for their views and will instead turn to more violence.

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