Why do the basques want to separate from spain

There was a period in the s when the Galician National Block, a left-wing secessionist party, was gaining traction. Elections in saw the party win 25 percent of the vote and 18 delegates in the regional parliament, Peres explained.

That slowed as Spanish nationalism gained strength in the early s. But Spanish media, which has been accused of bias in its reporting on Catalan independence, worries Galicians, Peres commented. The best outcome, in Peres view, would be a negotiated settlement between Madrid and Catalonia.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has repeatedly offered dialogue. By Creede Newton. Published On 27 Oct More from News. Russia demands closure of leading human rights group Memorial.

Nationalist sentiment swelled during the long dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco, who banned regional languages, including Euskera in Basque Country. Basques were also forced to take Spanish names instead. But after Franco died in , the Basques received a series of benefits from the transition government.

The most important was a statute of autonomy, which laid out the governmental structure of the region and explicitly recognized the existence of a separate Basque identity. The statute also provided Basque Country a taxation system that gives it enormous economic independence.

The region collects its own taxes and determines how much to send back to the central Spanish government, depending on how much Spain has spent in the region. Nearly all other regions send all of their taxes to Spain, which redistributes the money according to the economic needs of the country. Those changes help quell most of the support for separatism, though campaigns have periodically bubbled up.

Proponents of an independent Basque Country formed a human chain in to draw attention to their cause but failed to gain any political momentum. Then he contradicted himself and said they want more. Support for outright Basque independence has fallen over the years. Many, though, believe the population should be given the right to vote over their future ties to Madrid.

Last month, the separatist group Eta, which had been fighting for Basque independence, formally announced it was disbanding, almost exactly 50 years after claiming its first victim. Deemed a terrorist organisation by the European Union, it killed more than people between and , the year before it announced a permanent ceasefire. Sunday's participants to the human chain - organised by Basque group Gure Esku Dago In Our Own Hands - were asked to write their aspirations on neckerchiefs, which they used as links in the chain.

Several also wore symbols of support for Calatan separatists. Last year, a banned referendum on Catalonia's separation from Spain and consequent unilateral declaration of independence by the regional government prompted Madrid to impose direct rule over the region. Even though both cities have their own languages, Spanish is commonly used and they are excellent places to practice Spanish.

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