- Some may recall that four years ago, after the municipal elections, the new City Hall of Uztaritz voted on a motion that wanted to be co-official with the French Basque language. Without surprise to me, the Constitutional Court annulled the decision because it contradicted the Constitution 2.artikuluarekin.
On June 23, at the CAPB meeting, the Basques wanted to have them vote on another motion that officially recognized Basque and Gascon as the CAPB language as French.
What the motion wanted to make official was not Basque or Gascon, no, but the confession itself. That is to say, the recognition that in the CAPB these two languages also coexist with French. Awareness is important.
But more specifically, the Basques wanted that knowledge because it is for the Basque in the whole area of the CAPB, but for the Gascon in the BAB we go up and down and only in some localities, that is, in its historic extension area.
The fact is that, at the time of voting on the motion, Anglet Councillor Guy Mondorge, president of the Gascon Academy, did not agree with this, he wanted Gascon to be equal to Basque in the whole area of the CAPB, that is, in the Basque Country, not only in the BAB, as the Basques wanted to limit it.
It is perceptible that Guy Mondo has gone to blackmail in his argumentation. In his blog he explains what he said, half ironically, half threatening, to Jean-René Etchegaray, president of the CAPB to defend his point of view:
«Alors pourquoi atténuer cette belle déclaration de reconnaissance par la création d’une frontière linguistique. Avec le risque d’ouvrir un conflit de légitimité de l’autre langue au-delà de cette frontière, comme par exemple pour le basque dans votre bonne ville de Bayonne.’
To be clear, if you do not officially recognize Gascon as the Basque language throughout the CAPB, I announce that there is a risk to the legitimacy of the Basque language in Bayonne, because Bayonne is actually beyond the linguistic limit of the Basque language.
So, Jean-René Etchegaraye, as Guy Mondo wanted, proposed the initial motion for change and he got approval with 60% votes in favor. Then the modified motion was voted on and passed with 88% votes in favor.
Guy Mondorge, despite being president of the Gascon Academy, is rightfully French in the first place. It is necessary to know that the Gascons with the sensibility of their nation will be very sparse and that the Gascons feel Gascons in the face of the pretensions of the Basques who do not like to promote themselves.
The Basque organizations seem to be satisfied because it would be an important step on the road to co-officiality.
The constitutional courts are also free of charge, because article 2 of the Constitution is respected.
What would our ancestors think of the Congress of Lapurdi, destroyed in the 18th century?
This news has been published by Zuzeu and we have brought it to LUZ thanks to the CC-by-sa license.