The protest was held at 19:00 this Tuesday in Plaza Luis XIV of San Juan de Luz. The concentration, organized by Donibane Ziburu’s Gaztetxe, was supported by the Basque Confederation, the PNV and EH Bai. Hundreds of people have approached to denounce the aggressions suffered by the Basques during the “non-parties” that took place in the town on the weekend of 26 and 27 June.

Donibane Ziburu's Gaztetxe has called for social media to denounce the "attacks and contempt" suffered by Basque culture and language. In the same protest, in the message of the end of the act, they assured that they will face this violence against the Basques: “We’re not going to be silent. The best answer: to speak in Basque, to learn Basque, to use the Basque with total normality. Here we are in the Basque Country, the Basque language is our language and we will continue to speak in Basque”.

Support messages have also been disseminated by political parties. Jean François, Mayor of the Republicans of Las Landas, denounced in a statement that the weekend attacks are “a reflection of a widespread increase in intolerance” and stressed that the rights of the Basques must be fulfilled: “It is essential that in our streets those who want can continue to speak in Basque. That is unnegotiable.” EH Bai has affirmed through social media that "such attacks are not being tolerated".The President of Herri Batzar of the PNV of San Juan de Luz, Koldo Etcheverria, has sent a similar message on the network: “we must respect” the Basque and its speakers, and that the Basque “is the heritage of all”, so we must promote and strengthen its use.

The Basque Football Confederation has denounced in a communiqué what happened in the affected area. The French Constitutional Council declared the model of linguistic immersion in Basque as unconstitutional in May. In the communiqué, the Basque Confederation refers to its effects. The Berria media have taken up the words of the association: “As this happens one month after the Constitutional Council took the decision, it appears that some features felt protected to express their hatred with complete impunity. But aggressions, threats, insults -- they're not going to silence us! In the street, at home, at school, at work, in the administration, in the shops... We continue to live in Basque and live in Basque!”

Weekend attacks

The call for protest has been made public following the beating received on the weekend by Donibane Jean Louis Iratzoki's neighbor. On his way home from the festivities, Iratzoki stopped in front of his brother's home and began to speak in Basque with his granddaughter, who was on the balcony. Three men on the street heard him and asked Iratzoki about the dialect he was using, which he was in France. He responded to them in Euskera, and the men beat him in the leg. Donibane's neighbor spent the night in the hospital.

During the weekend there were also other attacks against Euskera, such as those suffered by two women for speaking in Euskera and those suffered by Jon Garmendia from bar Kaia for putting Basque music.