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Irun City Hall forced participants to do so in Spanish for political reasons
  • Kepa Ordoki - Memoria Histórico Bidasoan denounces that the organization told them that in the talk they would have to speak in Spanish "for political reasons". The Observatory on Linguistic Rights regards this as "very serious".
Irati Irazusta Jauregi 2023ko martxoaren 06a
Santi Jimenez Memoria Historikoko ordezkaria, Fernando Martinez Memoria Demokratikoko estatu-idazkaria eta Jose Antonio Santano Irungo alkatea, jardunaldien aurkezpenean. (Argazkia: DDonosti.info)

In the days of historical memory organized in Irun, the City Hall invited the rapporteurs to speak in Spanish. Kepa Ordoki - Memoria Histórico Bidasoan denounces that they received a message from the organization saying that "for political reasons" they would have to speak only in Spanish. The Observatory on Linguistic Rights regards this as "very serious".

From 28 February to 2 March, the City of Irun, in collaboration with Ficoba and the UPV, held the "State Congress of Democratic Memory". During these three days, several lectures have been organized by experts. Among them he took the word Kepa Ordoki - Historic Memory Bidasoan. The members of the association explained that in this type of conference they use Basque and Spanish. Therefore, although the organization ordered them differently, they also did so in bilingual Irun and denounced from the stage the attitude of the city council.

Violation of democratic rights

The Observatory on Linguistic Rights has denounced that the prohibition by public institutions of the right of citizens to use the Basque language is "against the fundamental rights of citizens", and that "everything that the Franco repression practiced against the Basque language and the Basque speakers" was not taken into account. He adds that for political reasons the use of Spanish is "oppression of democratic rights" and "disregarding the legal obligations of the public institutions of the CAV with regard to linguistic rights".

That is why the Centre for Linguistic Rights and Kepa Ordoki - Memoria Histórico Bidasoan have asked those responsible for the importance of respecting and recognising linguistic rights in these days.