Ernaik made his account in the Berria newspaper of the events of recent days. In fact, the issue goes beyond the “last facts”, which are the result of the devastating attitude of the Abertzale Left to the Socialist Movement in recent years. Ernai and the Left Abertzale in general, once again, have chosen to keep this dimension of the conflict secret, ignoring their responsibility and offering an interested and manipulated account of the facts.

To understand the intentionality of Ernai's article, it is important to take into account this Monday the declaration of the Socialist Councils of the Basque Country. If we respect minimum standards, the Socialist Movement is prepared to negotiate with the Left Abertzale and to contribute as much as possible to reassure the situation on the streets. It is not much to ask, because we are talking about minimums: to abandon the political veto of the txosnas, to respect the right to use public space and to break lies and defamation against the socialist militants. In short, stop the campaign of intoxication against the Socialist Movement and respect the conditions for a policy of communism. Well, through this article (also through other statements) it is clear what the intentions of the Abertzale Left are: they intend to criminalise the action of the Communists in order to be able to continue with the strategy of destruction so far.

Meanwhile, they have created a justifying account of their position, which caricature the facts and the character of socialist militants: on the one hand they define us as irrational violent (although it has been shown that our account of the facts is correct) and, on the other, as enemies of the “popular movement” and the “neighborhood” they use for their partisan interests, absurdly reducing the conflict around unused chairs. Thus, they wished to express themselves as representatives of the false flag of diversity and presented us as communists, on the contrary, dogmatic and sectarian, contrary to what is said in reality.

The creation of this context of simplification and intoxication has a number of objectives, including the construction of a framework of understanding to continue with the previous destructive attitude and justify its attacks. Simplifying the facts and caricaturisation do not represent a political maturity, but they seek confusion, removing the conditions for alleviating the situation and avoiding responsibilities.

But the events of this last week cannot be understood without taking into account the campaign that the Left Abertzale has supported in recent years against the Socialist Movement: lies, defamation, social and media exclusion… In recent months and weeks this trend has been accentuated: political vetoes in the txosnas, covert recordings, illegal layoffs for ideological reasons, physical attacks, death threats, etc. This situation of intoxication is not the responsibility of one person or another, but of the political commitment of EH Bildu and Sortu, which is what the Socialist Councils of the Basque Country have denounced.

We reaffirm ourselves in Monday's statement: we must improve the situation and get out of it, but we must respect ethical and social minima. We are not interested in this situation, because the strengths of the socialist project are other: the reasoned debate and the resistance to the dynamics of capital. Moreover, the rise of tension in the streets has become a general problem that does not benefit anyone, because it worsens the conditions of militancy and causes political detachment in working youth. If there are conditions to calm the situation, because we have expressed our willingness to negotiate, but it is they who have the means to do so. Because the political rights of the working class and the conditions of militancy are at stake.

* Unai Martinez and Ane Ibarzabal on behalf of the Young Socialist Coordinator