Mr President, last Thursday while we were presenting a written declaration to the Parliament register through which we sought a direct and active commitment from the European Parliament in the fight against ETA terrorism, this criminal organisation attempted to kill José Ramón Recalde. Recalde, a 70-year-old , has dedicated his life to defending democracy and freedom. This is something he pursued as a teacher in San Sebastian in the turbulent 1960s, when he became, in the eyes of his students, an example of intellectual rigour and human decency. During the Franco years he was also founder of the first ‘ikastolas’ – schools in which the Basque language is taught – and later combined his teaching role with a position in two of the autonomous coalition governments with the nationalists, as Minister of Education and Justice. Ladies and gentlemen, his past life as a freedom fighter, defender of understanding and tolerance is what has made him a prime target for ETA, which serves as one more example of the obscene behaviour of this terrorist group. What is more, ladies and gentlemen, the damage inflicted on us by ETA goes beyond damage to our coexistence, to the attacks on our freedom and on our lives. The terrorists and their accomplices have projected a completely distorted image of my country, its people and history. Therefore – to paraphrase the Basque philosopher Savater – I hope you do not mind if I take this opportunity to speak about the realities of the Basque country, to help you understand the situation. I was born 48 years ago in Euskadi, where I have lived all my life. Euskadi is a beautiful country that is modern, open, full of kind people and tolerant. It is a hybrid and diverse country, and this is our greatest asset. The young people who live there are not so different to the young people of Germany, Belgium or Italy. They speak Spanish, Euskera, English, German and Italian. They surf the net. They participate actively in peaceful organisations and organisations dedicated to development cooperation, sexual equality, ecology and the environment. Only a few young Basque people choose to wear black hoods. The majority paint their hands white to defend their freedom in peaceful street demonstrations. These people, unlike those of my generation, were born into a democracy, but unlike their young counterparts in the rest of the European Union, they still have to defend their freedom and that of others against the terrorists. Yes, ETA has spent more than 20 years killing in a campaign against democracy. Yes, it was over 20 years ago that Spain regained its democracy and with it we Basques reclaimed our right to self-government: we voted in favour of it in a referendum in 1979. But before that, in 1977, there was a general amnesty in Spain and all political prisoners, among them all members of ETA that had been imprisoned during the Franco years, were freed. Since 1977, however, ETA has continued to kill, murdering hundreds of victims – 19 of whom were children between the ages of 2 and 16. Those murdered have ranged from the police to the military, town councillors, businessmen, journalists, teachers, pacifists, taxi drivers, shopkeepers and bicycle sellers. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the kind of people who have fallen victim to ETA. In some parts of the Basque Country ETA and its support network are pushing for the ethnic cleansing of those of us that do not espouse nationalist political opinions, depriving us of our status as Basque citizens and chasing us from our towns, forcing us to remain silent. We are always ready to talk to those who play by the rules of the democratic game. All ideas can be defended through the spoken word. Nothing is set in stone. Everything is subject to change, but we shall never accept terrorism as an instrument for changing our will. Those who kill in the belief that this approach will work must lose all hope. Democracy and human rights are the very raison d’être of the European Union. This is why whenever fascist and totalitarian acts committed by ETA in one part of Europe strip us of our freedom, people elsewhere in Europe must feel that our freedom, everyone’s freedom – whatever a person’s nationality, language, culture or religion – is under threat. (The President asked the speaker to conclude) Ladies and gentlemen, I simply wanted to say that the people of the Basque Country are normal, ordinary people, who are anxious to find a way out of this impasse, and be free to walk around our towns without watching our backs. Our young people do not want to have to demonstrate in the streets and paint their hands white. We simply want to live in peace and defend our freedom. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you will all show your active solidarity and help us be like the other citizens of Europe. (Applause)

Political group: PSE