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Explanation
During the period of the Franco dictatorship Basque guerrillas
killed policemen and soldiers of the Spanish government. Their
aims were to restore democracy and the autonomous status of the
Basque provinces, which they had had during the period of the
Spanish Republic. After Franco's death an autonomous Basque government
was set up but the most fanatical of the guerrillas refused to
accept that this was the achievement of their aims and continued
to fight the new government. Their struggle is analogous to that
of the IRA in Northern Ireland. They are believed to be supported
by only a small minority of Spanish Basques. They use urban guerrilla
methods and kill policemen and other officials of Spain. French
Basques seem less militant.
Nevertheless a fanatical group within ETA continue to let
off bombs and kill officials. It has become a kind of cult.
In March 2006 the ETA leaders announced a permanent ceasefire,
along the lines of the IRA ceasefire in Northern Ireland. They
are reported to have had assistance from IRA and Sinn Fein people
to help them with the transition to political rather than military
activity. Were they influenced by the huge explosions arranged
on the Madrid railways by Muslim terrorists? The Spanish prime
minister at the time had accused ETA of being responsible - though
the scale of the atrocity was far beyond anything they could
arrange. Perhaps the two European terrorist groups realised that
in the world of Muslim terrorism theirs was very small scale.
In 2006 there are signs of a possible ceasefire with negotiations.
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