The Battle for Sami Rights in Sweden

Thirty kilometres from the Swedish world heritage site of Laponia, plans to introduce a controversial new iron ore mine in Gallok (also known as Kallak) are under way. The opinions of the 3,000 people living in the nearby town of Jokkmokk are polarised. Tor, a father of two, reclaims his Sami surname and joins a group of indigenous...

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Sorbs want unity between Domowina and Sejm

The dispute over the representation of the Sorbs and Wends in Lusatia should come to an end. "The public has no sympathy for Gezerre between Sejm and Domowina," said Marcel Braumann, head of the Domowina Regional Association Hoyerswerda, on Wednesday the German Press Agency in Dresden. The task of the Domowina is to bring together all...

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Patto per l'Autonomia party established in Trieste too

The Community Pact for Autonomy (Patto per l'Autonomia) of Trieste was established on Saturday 23 February. It has immediately clarified what the challenge awaiting the regional capital and, consequently, the whole Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The coordinator Federico Monti explained that the Pact for Autonomy collects the "challenge to...

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Solinas, leader of the Sardinian Action Party, elected new President of Sardinia

The coalition headed by the General Secretary of the Sardinian Party of Action (PSd'Az), Christian Solinas, won the autonomous elections of Sardinia on February 24th with 48%. The PSd'Az obtained 9.95% of the votes (4.67 in the last regional elections) and Fortza Paris, Sardinian national party of the right wing, 1.63% (0.73% in 2014)....

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A Basque player punished for waving the Basque flag

Bixintxo Bilbao, a pelota player was punished by the International Pelota Federation for having waved the Basque flag (ikurriña) during a World Cup victory. The punishment is a year of suspension of international competitions for the hand-player. Cultural genocide is, among others, to punish people for waving their flags. A week after...

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Grande Nord 1st Federal Congress

The 1st Federal Congress of the party Grande Nord took place on February 17th in Milano. Around 400 militants joined the "programme congress" to decide the guidelines of Grande Nord.  Roberto Bernardelli, president of Grande Nord, explained that the party keeps the "dream" of a free Padania far from the Lega proposal after the betrayal...

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Plaid Cymru beat Labour in Cardiff council's Ely, previously one of Labour's strongest wards

Plaid Cymru yesterday beat Labour in Cardiff council's Ely by-election. It has previously been one of Labour's strongest wards. Plaid Cymru have beaten Labour to take one of the seats in Cardiff's Ely ward following a by-election. Andrea Gibson received 831 votes in what is normally a strong Labour constituency. Labour candidate Irene...

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Italy will declare unconstitutional the law of German toponyms in South Tyrol

South Tyrolean governor Arno Kompatscher has announced that the law which had led to the cancellation of about 130 Italian names from signage, mostly in small towns and in correspondence of passages, peaks and other landmarks in the mountain environment will be repealed. The Italian toponyms, even if imposed by the Fascist government in 1923 after the annexation of Alto Adige to Italy at the end of the First World War. Kompatscher...

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Secondary School students call for the right to learn in Corsican

Several institutional buildings, including the prefecture, in the city of Aiacciu (Ajaccio), the capital of Corsica, were blockaded on 21st February  by secondary school students calling for the right to learn Corsican. The actions were organised by the Parlemu Corsu. The protest was triggered by proposed education reforms...

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General Strike in Catalonia against the fake trial of the Catalan Government

Significant transportation disruptions amid general strike in Catalonia February 21th. Catalan Labor union Intersindical-Confederació Sindical de Catalunya caledl for general strike in Catalonia region today against the Spanish Inquisition trial on Catalan Government and grassroots peacefull activists. Significant transportation disruptions,...

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Frisian National Party defends the Fryske Akademy in the Government Agreement on Frisian Language and Culture

The Frisian National Party (FNP) wants a solid and robust scientific, qualitative and financial future for the Fryske Akademy (Frisian Academy). In the matter of the College of the Provincial Executive of Friesland, the party demands attention. This led to the recently concluded Government Agreement on Frisian Language and Culture (BFTK),...

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Tribute to Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean Patriot, in Meran

Around 1,500 people gathered in Meran on February 17 for the tribute to the Tyrolean patriot Andreas Hofer (1767-18109). The event, organized by Südtiroler Schützenbund, was attended by the commander-in-chief, Elmar Thaler, who commented that the membership in southern Tyrol in the Italian state was negative for...

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UN criticizes Finland against the Sámi nation

The Human Rights Committee criticized Finland of violating the rights of the Sámi. The UN Human Rights Committee considers that the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland acted inappropriately in accepting persons previously rejected by the Sámi Parliament in the electoral roll of the Sámi Parliament. The Committee's objections relate...

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2,000 rally in defence of the Occitan language education

With the slogan 'No Occitania without Occitan' 2,000 marched yesterday February 17th in Tolosa/ Toulouse for Occitan education. The French government trying to supress Occitan language classes in the secundary education. This is the second rally called by the Fédération des Enseignants de Langue et Culture d'Oc (F.E.L.C.O.)...

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"Self-determination is not a crime" Mass Rally in Catalonia

Between 500,000 and 200,000 Catalan people have marched through Barcelona against the high-profile trial of Catalan separatist leaders that started this week, which they dismiss as a farce. "Self-determination is not a crime," read a banner at the front of the protest led by regional president Quim Torra (Together for Catalonua)....

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Sinn Féin launches scathing attack on British Government over its 'blatant disregard' for Ireland

Sinn Féin has accused the British Government of showing a "blatant disregard" for Brexit's impact on Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. Former Brexit secretary David Davis admitted Downing Street had a "blind spot" when it came to Brexit and Ireland, saying more should have been done to resolve problems such as the Irish border. But speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster show today, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou...

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Kramer, Frisian National Party: "The Frisian agriculture must gradually grow towards biological"

Johannes Kramer leader of the Frisian National Party (FNP) has released the speech that he gave for his party the kick-off for the coming provincial elections. "The Frisian agriculture must gradually grow towards biological", he says. Kramer explains that agriculture, which is biological, is less vulnerable to possible loss of derogation...

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Bart De Wever, N-VA: “Confederalism is coming”

“Confederalism is coming. The ungovernability of Belgium cannot be allowed to continue. And anyone wanting that confederalism has only one option: the N-VA.” N-VA Chairman Bart De Wever gave a detailed explanation about the decision of the party to put him forward as a candidate for Minister-President in the May elections. Bart De Wever...

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Republican party Saoradh hit out at detention of vice chair twice in a week

The Derry branch of republican party Soaradh have hit out at the arrest of their vice chair for the second time in a week. A spokesman for the group say the man was detained on Saturday in what they described as “a heavy handed early morning raid on his family home. “ Saoradh representative Paddy Gallagher said: “Such is the vindictiveness...

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Protest at the Spanish Consulate in Perpignan, Northern Catalonia

More than two hundred people rallied the last evening at the Spanish consulate in Perpignan. In a protest organized by the party Oui au Pays Catalan (Yes to the Catalan Country), Jordi Vera said that "These elected Catalans are being pursued because they have applied their political program. This is an unacceptable political trial in...

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Rally on Sunday 17th to save the teaching of Occitan

« A language is well worth a cathedral (Una lenga val ben una catedrala) » - Joan Bodon (Occitan writer) The French minister of national education, J-M Blanquer, and the rectorat (school district) of Toulouse have decided to destroy the teaching of Occitan: At the national state level, all incentives to choose Occitan...

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FNP to vote against a sand mining facility in the IJsselmeer

The Frisian National Party (FNP) in De Fryske Marren municipality is set to vote against a sand mining facility in the IJsselmeer, which means that the divisive plans will not move forward. Jan Volbeda of the FNP told Omrop Fryslân, “We do not know what the consequences of gas extraction will be, and experts who have assessed the plans...

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Süd-Tiroler Freiheit winter think tank in Obernberg

Süd-Tiroler Freiheit (South Tyrolean Freedom ) party held its winter meeting with the officials on Saturday and Sunday, 9-10 February. The aim wass to make better use of the members' skills, to improve communication both internally and externally, and to further develop the dense network in the villages. The pro independence party has...

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Council of the Frisian Movement seeks new members of the Board

The Council of the Frisian Movement, Ried fan de Fryske Beweging, would like to keep a close eye on what is happening in the field of Frisian language, Frisians and Fryslân, there are limited terms for board members: the basic term of four years can be extended at most two times. As a result, at the end of 2018, two board members are...

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Sami National Day celebrations in Norway

Sami flags were flying all over Norway on Tuesday February 6th as the country’s indigenous people celebrated their own national day. From Oslo’s City Hall to remote areas of Finnmark, more Sami elebrations were planned than ever before. Sami flags were raised Wednesday morning outside the Oslo City Hall, just hours before Queen Sonja,...

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Several protests dennounce the arbitrary arrests of two Basque youth

Galder Barbado and Aitor Zelaia, 25 and 26 years old, were arrested on February 7th in Gasteiz. Both were transferred to Madrid by the Spanish police and jailed in Soto del Real. There is no a clear reason for the detentions. The Spanish courts accuse them of  "Possession of flammable substances" in 2014 without any proof. Yesterday...

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