2,000 in the Basque march for Amnesty of political prisoners

Pro Amnesty movement yesterday rallied in Bilbo under the slogan “Borrokatzea zilegi delako, amnistia osoa!" claiming for amnesty for them all. The march also called to free Galician, Andalusian and Catalan political prisoners and was followed by 2,000 people. The Amnistiaren Aldeko eta Errepresioaren Aurkako Mugimendua, the Movement pro-amnesty and against the repression of Euskal Herria organized the event.

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New Flemish identity cards launched

The party of Vlaams Belang gave all the deputies a "Flemish identity card" and launched an action allowing the general public to get some. Profits will go to the Boven De Wolken Association, which helps parents of stillborn children.

"The Flemish identity is also solidarity," said Tom Van Grieken, the party's president, in a press release. "Vlaams Belang considers that the Flemish voter wants first and foremost an independent Flemish state. A state where we could protect our own identity, our own values, our standards and our culture. A state where we would put our people first. "

The party sells "symbolically Flemish identity cards in order to emphasize the will of the people for an independent Flanders". The proceeds from the sale will be donated to Boven De Wolken ("Above the Clouds") as part of the De Warmste Week movement. This association offers each parent of a stillborn child the opportunity to be photographed for free with his deceased baby.

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Basque students rally in several cities simultaneously to claim their own education system

Students from Euskal Herria institutes and colleges have supported a strike day called by the dynamic ‘Gora ikasleon borroka!’, presented last October 12 in Gasteiz. The rallies have been both in the North (under Freench rule) and south (Spanish rule) parts of the Basque country. They have denounced that Basque youth is subject to the Spanish and French systems, two systems "elitist, mercantilist, macho, anti-democratic, indoctrinating, reactionary and segregating", which has nothing to do with their "desires and needs."

Given this situation, they have valued the strength of the student movement, which works every day to "general and expand the cracks in these educational systems." "Because through the small struggles we will achieve great victories, and in this we will continue to work, taking steps in the construction of our own education system," they said in a statement read at the end of the different marches.

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Mebyon Kernow to constest in St Austell and Newquay

Mebyon Kernow does not think that a snap election in December is appropriate, and considers the recent antics of the London parties to be shameful.
“But we feel it is important that MK does stand in the General Election, so that it has a platform to publicly make the case for more powers to Cornwall through our own National Assembly, to demand fair funding for Cornwall’s public services, to push for action to properly address the climate emergency, to speak out against the over-centralised nature of the United Kingdom, to speak out against austerity politics, and much more.
“Mebyon Kernow has decided to target its resources into a single constituency and can confirm we will be putting forward a candidate in the St Austell and Newquay seat.
“We would add that our key election priorities will continue to be the Police and Crime Commissioner contest, due in May 2020, and the Cornwall Council elections in 2021.”
The parliamentary candidate will be Cllr Dick Cole, who is MK’s Party Leader and has served his local parish as a councilor for over twenty years.
In 2017, Dick was listed at no. 3 on the “Cornish List” of the top 50 people who “lead the way in campaigning on Cornish issues” and “flying the black and white flag for Cornwall.” The list was prepared by the Cornwall Live website (for the Cornish Guardian, Cornishman and West Briton newspapers).

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Both SNP and Plaid win by-elections

Two of the eight council by-elections on Thursday, November 14th in the UK resulted in gains by both the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru. Scottish independentists clearly won in Dunfermline Central (Fife) By-Election, 1st Preferences;

SNP - 1526 (33.2%, +3.4)
Con - 1142 (24.8%,+0.7)
LD - 1050 (22.8%, +15.9)
Lab - 612 (13.5%, -13.1)
Green - 235 (5.1%, +1.9)
Libertarian - 28 (0.6%, +0.6)

Meanwhile in Rhos (Neath Port Talbot) the result was a Plaid Cymru gain from Labour:

Plaid: 53.9% (+23.1) 
Con: 24.3% (+0.8) 
Lab: 21.8% (-23.9)

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EH Bildu: no investiture without self-determination

The general coordinator of EH Bildu, Arnaldo Otegi, has valued the pre-agreement of Government between Spanish Socialists and Communists in which his group becomes fundamental, in the form of a positive vote or abstention, so that the investiture goes ahead. In this sense, he has made it clear that:

- if the imprisoned politicians are not released

- and there is no pact for the right to self-determination of the Basque Country,

there will be no agreement and he stressed that the ball is “on the roof” of the PSOE and Podemos.

Otegi said on Wednesday that at this time he does not see "the open door" to an agreement to facilitate a government of the PSOE and Podemos, who must "open" with a program of "democratization."

He has clarified that they will coordinate their position with the Catalan independentists and has indicated that ERC, for the moment, is for the “no”, while criticizing that the agreement speaks of “coexistence problem” to describe the situation in Catalonia, which it is a misdiagnosis.

“There is not a problem of coexistence in Catalonia, there is a political problem, as in Euskal Herria, which is solved through the democratic exercise of the right to self-determination,” said Otegi, who added that it does not help much “talk about dialogue ", As the text does," without making a correct diagnosis. "

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Committee for the Liberation of the Venetian Nation Blocks Italian revenue agency

On November 13th in Pordenone, at the revenue agency where the Italian colonizing state is located and occupying the Venetian Republic, the Committee for the Liberation of the Venetian Nation (CLNV) once again claimed fot the right of the Venetians to self-determination of peoples.
The self-determined people were present to point out the absolute defect of Italy in applying its own tax laws against self-determined people in the Veneto People with a Liberation Committee, subject to international Law 881/77

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Republican Network for Unity Edentubber 2019 commemoration

Republican Network for Unity assembled at the Edentubber Monument this lunchtime to remember 5 men that made the ultimate sacrifice preparing a land mine that exploded prematurely 62 years ago during the operation harvest border campaign.
The event was chaired by RNU national chairperson Eadbhárd Ó Cuinn.
Eadbhárd opened proceedings by welcoming everyone to todays commemoration.
Comrades, Today, we gather to pay tribute to the memory of five galant republicans, these brave men made the ultimate sacrifice here at this very spot on this lonely mountainside in the early hours of Monday, 11th November, 1957, they died as a result of a premature explosion, the blast from this explosion is believed to have been heard in areas as much as 5 miles away.

The four IRA Volunteers, Óglach Oliver Craven Newry, Óglach Paul Smith Bessbrook, Óglach George Keegan Enniscorthy, Óglach Paddy Parle Wexford assisted by Republican activist Michael Watters, were preparing for an expedition that would take them across the border. This was to be another chapter in what we republicans remember as the Border Campaign of 1956 – 62, to the members of Oglaigh na hEireann, it’s codename was of course, Operation Harvest.
A number of wreaths where laid on behalf of RNU, Cogus and the Republican Movement, a wreath was also laid on behalf of West Meath Independent Spirit of Freedom Society.
This was followed by the main oration by West Meath Republican Peter A Rodgers
‘Full Text of Peters Oration to follow’
Before proceedings were brought to a conclusion Eadbhárd told those assembled -
“The RNU family in recent months have continued debate, both internally and with our Critical friends. It has been almost 2 years since our movement endorsed a ceasefire and did so unilaterally, this was done so to try and move forward the unification of our Island in a non militant way.
However, both states particularly the Northern state are failing to grasp opportunities presented to them, therefore they should not take peace for granted - AS WE CERTAINLY DONT.
Everyone has a responsibility to step up and we for our part will continue to do so.”
go raibh maith agat

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Basque National Parties grow from 47,7 % to 50,8 % in the Spanish elections

EH Bildu grows from 16,7 % to 18,7 % and the Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) from 31 % to 32 %. With a lower turnout that in April, the Basque forces grow from 10 to 12 MPs. In the Basque Autonomous Comunity EAJ/PNV wins a MP and EH Bildu keeps the same but in Navarra EH Bildu, who had no representation wins its first MP growing from 46,765 to 56,387 votes.

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Galician National Block in the Spanish parliament again

The Galician National Block (BNG) lead by Ana Pontón won 25,000 votes on November 10th. The pro independence party grow from 94,433 (April 2019) to 119,577 and from 5,74 % to 8,13 %. With this result the Galician national movement has again a MP in the Spanish parliament.

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Catalan pro independence parties grow in MPs, % and votes

The Spanish snap elections have been a setback for pro Spanish parties in Catalonia. Between April 2019 and November 2019 they lose 282,000 votes. The parties who demand a referendum grow from 54,28 % to 57,85 %. Catalonia’s Republican Left wins again the elections in Catalonia for the second time. In spite of this they lose 150,000 votes. The turnout as 72 %, a drop of 5 points respect April (77 %). Meanwhile Together for Catalonia wins moret han 26,000 votes and the Candidacy for Popular Unity almost 131,000. This is the biggest win of all the Catalonia’s parties. Spanish right forces lose 83,000 votes in Catalonia (from 829,000 to 745,000) and the Spanish ruling party, the Socialist one, loses 171,000 votes: from 23 % to 20 %. With this the difference between ERC and PSOE is even bigger than in April.

Catalan pro independence parties win in 36 out of 42 Catalan regions and in 863 out of 942 villages meaning a 91,61 %. This is the biggest victory of pro independence parties ever in a Spanish elections where usually pro annexionists parties get better scores. CUP wins 2 MPs, the same that ERC loses but Together for Catalonia wins a MP as well as a Senator and pro independence parties grow from 22 to 23 MPs and get 14 out of the 16 senators of Catalonia. In spite of the final results (the vote abroad is still to be counted) pro independence parties grow from 1,634,986 votes to 1,642,063 in only seven months. In the other side PSOE, PP, Vox and C’anos lose from 1,791,416 to 1,536,283. The forces who are not clear around independence (but whose candidate was a pro independence person) but defend a referendum keep a 15 %.

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Patriotti announces the creation of Aiutu Patriotticu to raise funds for teh Corsican political prisoners

The members of the group Patriotti held a press conference yesterday in Mezzavia to formalize the Aiutu Patriotticu structure. The goal is to raise funds through various events such as concerts or parties. "Today, we knock on the door of civil society and we will organize a lot of events in order to reap the money, that's why singers, and those who want it, are welcome," adds the spokesperson of the collective. "We are also going to sell items in our image on our website.The goal is to help every month the prisoners, who are forced to pay the French state sums that are high." Almost 8,000 euros needed each month

There are families who find it difficult to find work and who are now facing great difficulties. "But for all that, they have to leave one hundred, two hundred euros or more for some per month, and we will need between 7,000 and 8,000 euros a month to help them, so the goal is to pay this that is, in their place, while waiting for a political solution to our problem, which can only be amnesty. "

In addition to financial support, Aiutu Patriotticu also aims to offer former detainees assistance that responds to daily difficulties, by providing support on request and in a strictly confidential context.

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Saoradh party 4th conference

Saoradh held its fourth Ard Fheis in Newry on November 9th. Formed in 2016, Saoradh is the newest and most influential republican group opposed to the Good Friday Agreement. The party is an attempt to give a political face to the growing republican dissent in nationalist areas north of the border.
Following a large commemoration on the Easter Rising centenary in Coalisland, Co Tyrone, that attracted over 3,000 participants, Saoradh as a political vehicle was formed.

Over 150 delegates assembled on Saturday afternoon in Newry for the conference. Among them were Saoradh chairperson Brian McKenna, a former IRA prisoner from Dublin, and vice-chairperson Mandy Duffy from Lurgan – both were re-elected in their positions.
Other attendees were Dee Fennell from Belfast, Paddy Gallagher from Derry, and Davy Jordan and Sharon Jordan, both Tyrone.
Thomas Ashe Mellon, who recently spoke at a press conference about house raids and stop-and-search practices in Derry, was another delegate. The Derry office, Junior McDaid House, was searched by the PSNI two days before the party conference took place.
While Brexit occupies the public debate, it merely played a minor role at the Ard Fheis.
“There was hardly any debate on Brexit, our position is clear and has not changed,” explained national public relations officer Paddy Gallagher.
In his address, Brian McKenna stated: “Saoradh supports an exit from the super-imperialist EU, this has been a long-standing revolutionary position. We see Brexit as a defeat for the business and political elite of Britain, Ireland and Europe.”
This should not be interpreted that Saoradh is a pro-Brexit party. Instead, as McKenna outlined in an interview after the publication of the party’s Brexit policy, Saoradh has a largely defeatist view on Brexit.
While the party welcomes the chaos brought to the UK, the party’s goal remains a united Ireland, with or without Brexit. This unified island should then leave the EU.
This anti-EU stance is, indeed, a long-standing republican position developed since the Sinn Féin opposition to the European Economic Community (EEC) – the former name for the EU – in the 1960s.
Sinn Féin itself was a strong opponent of the Lisbon and Nice treaties and only later became an ardent supporter of the EU.
Since its formation, Saoradh was only partially able to provide a political face to their movement. Their Brexit document remains the sole position paper. “We are still in a self-finding process. We are intensely discussing the future direction of the party,” a delegate explained.
In her address, party vice-chairperson Mandy Duffy said that “a series of all-day conferences to debate and form a consensus on policy regarding the issues of drugs, abortion, housing and elections” were held. Whether this will result in further policy documents remains to be seen.
The speeches stressed a democratic-socialist ideology. Strikingly, the word nationalism was largely omitted, instead replaced by revolutionary republicanism. Another term that often appeared was internationalism.

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6th Arctic Leaders' Summit

Next week over 70 Indigenous leaders from across the circumpolar North will gather in Rovaniemi, Finland for the 6th Arctic Leaders' Summit, hosted by The Saami Council. A finalized program is available online.

The topics of the Summit include:
1) A look back on Arctic Leaders’ Summit history
2) Arctic Indigenous languages and environmental change
3) Living conditions and sustainable development in a changing Arctic
4) Arctic Indigenous Peoples and Arctic Council Observer dialogue
Leaders will represent Indigenous governing bodies like Sámediggi - Sametinget and Nunatsiavut Government; Indigenous organizations and associations like Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association and KNAPK; Permanent Participants to the Arctic Council; as well as youth leadership organizations like The Arctic Youth Network, Sáminuorra, National Inuit Youth Council and others.
To read the full program and download relevant documents, visit https://www.arcticpeoples.com/arcticleaderssummit.

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RNU held a vigil to remember An Gorta Mór

On November 3rd Republican Network for Unity in Derry held a vigil to remember the Irish holocaust perpetrated by the British State. Below is a short history of what occurred.
IRELAND 1845-1850: “FAMINE/Gorta Mór” LIES vs. HOLOCAUST/AN T-ĀR MŌR FACTS
Chris Fogarty (author of Ireland 1845-1850: The Perfect Holocaust, and Who Kept it “Perfect”)
Ireland in 1845-1850 was entirely owned by English landlords, many of them Lords temporal or spiritual, in estates typically of tens of thousands of acres. Their land titles were conquest-based.
On these estates the Irish were tenants-at-will on holdings of typically three to eight acres the rent of which they paid by, typically, 260 days of work annually on the landlord’s estate.
In previous centuries the Irish, under British rule, were non-persons, stripped of legal personhood excepting five septs. As murder requires personhood: the Irish were thus legally killable by any English person at will. Education was prohibited.
No army of English seasonal migrants produced Ireland’s vast and varied food crops. Other than the landlords’ support groups of C. of I. (Anglican) clergy, his doctors, lawyers, newspaper owners, the military and officers of police, the bureaucracy, etc., all of Ireland’s agricultural production was by the Irish.
In and around 1845-1850, Ireland was a police State: 1,590 police stations (averaging 48 stations per county each with 8 policemen, a separate Revenue Police (1,200), Castle Police (spies, 100)), and Dublin Metropolitan Police (1,100). Each county had one landlord-led militia regiment, but Dublin, Mayo, and Limerick had two each, and Cork had three.
Ireland’s abundant meats, livestock, and other foods, though produced by the Irish were claimed by the landlords. Upon international failure of potato crops, Ireland’s starting in 1845, Ireland’s food producers resisted police and militia efforts to remove it to the ports for export. Regular army deployments into Ireland increased to 34 regiments in 1845 and 1846, 33 in 1847, 43 in 1848, 38 in 1849, and 40 in 1850. Full regiment/years for those six years in sequence were: 23.04, 23.73, 29.91, 35.40, 31.83, and 30.0. “Black ‘47” was the food removers’ most active year. Deployment lag time explains the 1848 peak of 35.4 regiment/years. More than half of Britain’s army removed Ireland’s foods; 67 regiments of its 130-regiment total.
On July 5, 1847, the depths of genocide, Lord Clarendon wrote from his Vice-Regal Lodge in Phoenix Park to Prime Minister Lord Russell; “Sir Edward Blakeney says that the Country (sic) is tranquil and if it were not for the harassing (sic) duty of escorting provisions (edibles) the troops would have little to do.” The (London) Times’ contemporaneous reports of increased landings of Irish food in English ports are accessible in detail on-line.
The genocidal mass evictions and robbery of crops continued until the Land League, Boycott, and international outrage forced England to buy out its landlords from Ireland in 1900-1920. The vast estates were “striped” into typically 28-acre survival farms with an acre or two of the nearest bog for fuel and allocated to the Irish cultivators of the soil. So munificent; so far above market price, was that “golden handshake” to the departing landlords that the amortization period was set at 68.5 years. Thus my father and all of our neighbors in Co. Roscommon, and presumably the rest of Ireland, were paying off that old “debt” into the 1970s. Ireland’s farmers paid semi-annual Rates (taxes) and those “Rents.” Ireland’s centuries of imposed destitution ended upon the end of that “Rent” payment. In 1932 Ireland’s Fianna Fail gov’t under Devalera withheld the annual £4 millions in rent to London. Britain retaliated with an embargo on Irish goods, but it faded approaching WW2.
The use of massive armed force to starve Ireland belies the exculpable “famine” and its synonyms “great hunger/gorta mor.” “Genocide” is accurate, but no Irish person had ever used it, it was coined post-WW2 by Raphael Lemkin to educate the US Congress as to Nazis crimes against Jews. An appropriately inculpable label was used to report events in Ireland starting in 1846. Writers Davitt, Fitzgerald, et al. and the Cork Examiner (now Irish Examiner) repeatedly reported it as Holocaust.
“Famine to Freedom” film is a recent concealment of Holocaust and the British army’s perpetration of it. Academics; they pretended to not recognize the grain-reaping hook (sickle) they excavated in Ballykilcline, Strokestown. Their “potato famine” film ignores the following non-potato food processors of 1845-1850 Ireland: 1,979 grain mills, 1,975 grain kilns, 929 livestock pounds, 251 tuck mills, 450 other mills, 420 flour mills, 132 breweries, 72 distilleries, 68 malt kilns, 58 threshers, 44 woolen mills, 50 windmills, butter churning mills, sheep folds, pig markets, corn markets, bacon stores, etc.
Hundreds of Ireland’s Holocaust mass graves remain unmarked due to fear of the “Royal Dáil.”

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New Corsican pro independence movement, Ghjuventù Libera, formed

 

 

 

Ghjuventù Libera is formed by Corsica's militants from 15 to 29 years. The movement was anounced in the Corti's internationalist days, at the beginning of August. On September 8th in a press conference it was explained which are their principles and what are they fighting for. The Corsica Libera Youth Movement is worried by reeal estate speculation, drugs, precariousness, French repression, climate change.

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Spanish king booed in visit by Catalan massive protest

Large numbers of Barcelona's pots and pans gave a metallic banging on Sunday night as well as Monday afternoon, in a protest aimed at Spanish so calles king Philip V, Franco's heir, on the city's Diagonal Avenue, which was blocked in both directions for two hours. A pot-bashing demonstration called by a total of five different pro-independence groups brought around ten thousand people. In the midst of extraordinary secrecy, there was no official confirmation that Felipe had arrived, but this certainly didn't inhibit the protesters.

The area was heavily protest-proofed : the lateral lanes of the Diagonal blocked with barrier fences and surrounded by Mossos d'Esquadra vans, with a police helicopter hovering over the area. Protesters chanted slogans against the Bourbon king, banged pots, and held up anti-monarchic banners and pro-independence stared flags.One of those present at the protest was Roger Español, who lost sight in one eye due to a rubber bullet fired by Spanish police on the 2017 referendum day. He is standing as a JxCat (Together for Catalonia) party candidate for the Senate in next weekend's election. There were similar protests in Granollers, Lleida or Mataró.

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Huge Independence Rally in Glasgow

Thousands of independence supporters heard Nicola Sturgeon call for "Scotland's future to be put into Scotland's hands" on November 2nd. The first minister told a major rally in Glasgow the time would come to break away from the "chaos of Westminster" in a second independence poll next year.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said a new Scottish independence referendum was not "desirable or necessary".
The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats also oppose a further vote. Ms Sturgeon was one of a number of SNP politicians and independence campaigners to speak at the #indyref2020 rally in George Square.It was the first time she had spoken at an independence rally since 2014.
The event prompted a counter demonstration by dozens of unionist supporters who waved flags and blew whistles as supporters of Scottish independence gathered.

The SNP leader focused on the UK-wide election on 12 December at the event, which was organised by The National newspaper.
She has made it clear that she wants to hold a poll on the issue next year and said the general election was a "crossroads moment" for Scotland.

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60,000 euros were allocated for conferences on the protection of minority languages in Friuli

On October 30th the draft law was approved by 26 yes and 13 no. Five Star Movement abstained. The aim was to adapt the existing legislation to changes in the institutional structure of the Region and local authorities, but also to harmonize the regional laws concerning minority languages ​​protected in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The draft law "Provisions for the protection and promotion of the Slovenian, Friulian and German linguistic minorities of Friuli Venezia Giulia" approved by the regional council supposes:

- the simplification of the procedure for the allocation of the provisioning quota of the Fund to support the activities of the bodies and organizations of the Slovenian linguistic minority


- the regional register of associations of the Friulian linguistic minority is then established at the competent Central Directorate. Two tasks are assigned to the ARLeF-Regional Agency of the Friulian language:

1) the first concerns the competence for compiling the list of public and private subjects authorized to issue the linguistic certification of knowledge of the Friulian languageç

2) the realization of didactic material for the teaching of the Friulian language and in the realization of documentation activities, research and didactic experimentation.

Finally, the expenses for the "Third regional conference on the protection of the Friulian linguistic minority" and the "First regional conference on the protection of German-speaking minorities in Friuli Venezia Giulia" were quantified, to verify the state of implementation of the interventions provided for by law , gathering proposals for their adaptation to the emerged needs and defining new guidelines. In the first case 20 thousand euros were allocated, while for the second conference 40 thousand euros.

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