ETA Jitters
The campaign for Basque independence has long divided opinion. Now that the 'Nelson Mandela' of the violent ETA separatist movement has been released from prison, can there finally be a reconciliation?
When the Basque separatist group ETA announced a permanent ceasefire earlier this year, their decision sparked hopes of a breakthrough in one of Europe's most intractable conflicts. More than 800 people have died in the last 40 years. But the release of Gatza in April - one of ETA's heroes - has shown that passions are running as high as ever. Groups of protesters and supporters clash outside the prison as he walks free. To many Spaniards, he is an unrepentant killer who was convicted of two assassinations and the attempted murder of a police chief. With ETA behind scores of deadly terrorist attacks in recent decades it comes as no surprise that his release provokes anger: "Sons of bitches! Murderers! Rot in prison ETA!". But to his supporters, Gatza is a hero, a figurehead and 'survivor', whose freedom is long overdue. "He is someone who has been a victim of the Spanish state's repressive policy of incarceration", says one woman. For Gatza, the struggle of the Basque separatists shows no signs of abating. "Our rights in the Basque Country have always been violated and trampled on. I don't know if they'll ever be recognised."
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