• ETA.Bienzobas premieres its exhibition in the face of the outrage of its victims

The Basque Government (PNV-PSE), today has joined the clamor of the victims of the Etarra Jon Bienzobas for the Galdakao city council , governed by EH Bildu to suspend the exhibition of his paintings and sculptures that were inaugurated yesterday in the house of culture Township.

The spokesman for the Basque Government, Josu Erkoreka, has questioned the "public coverage" of this exhibition by transferring the town hall to its premises, when public institutions "advocate a critical reading of the past."

In this regard, he has asked the session " to be sensitive to the victims and attend to their claim ."

Etarra Jon Bienzobas is serving a prison sentence of 266 years in jail in Puerto de Santa María for several crimes, including several murders such as Judge Tomás y Valiente. His children denounced yesterday the "despicable political intentionality" of the sample.

Neither the courts nor the delegation of the Government in the Basque Country have done so far anything to prevent the exhibition from opening despite the protests of the associations of victims and also of the Basque PP, which yesterday organized a counter-exposure at the gates of the Galdakao culture room to show the "true legacy" of Bienzobas, listing its crimes in panels. The National Court has, in fact, dismissed Covite's request for the sample to be removed, something that the victims' association will appeal.

The counselor acknowledged that "what is currently opposed to the exhibition of the artistic work of an ETA prisoner, who has been convicted among other things for murder, in a public space and with the coverage of a public institution, is not a legal imperative, "because it is not an activity that is prohibited by law. However, he appealed to the" ethical and human imperative, linked to the sensitivity that victims of terrorism deserve or demand . "

"It is not about questioning the right to artistic expression of a person convicted and deprived of liberty. It is about limiting or questioning public coverage of an activity of this nature," he said. Even more at a time when from public institutions " we are advocating a critical reading of the past, which is incompatible with trivialization, with the banalization and relativization of unjust damage caused in the past by terrorist activity ," he insisted.

The secretary general of the PSE, Idoia Mendia , has also considered "a shame" the exposure of the prisoner of ETA, and has said that "a terrorist should not be allowed to provide means to make exposures." He also indicated that the matter should have been discussed with all the political groups of the municipality and "think that, if it can damage the sensitivity of a citizen of their municipality, they should not do so."

In an interview with Radio Euskadi, Mendia insisted that "a terrorist should not be allowed the means to make exhibitions anywhere."

"Most of the municipalities of Euskadi have a table to address these issues related to coexistence, and that is where these issues should be addressed and agreed between all political groups," he said.

The Galdakao city council is governed by EH Bildu, who assumed the mayor's office with the support of the independent candidacy Auzoak and Usansolo Herria despite being the second most voted force behind the PNV in the May elections. In addition to EH Bildu (six councilors, including the mayor) and the PNV (six councilors), Auzoak has four councilors, the PSE two councilors, the same as Unsansolo Herria, and Podemos-Equo uno.

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  • Basque Country
  • ETA

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TerrorismBienzobas premieres its exposure to the outrage of its victims