Throughout the year, various activities in favour of prisoners are also carried out in the Goierri in order to subsidize those who have to travel to prisons. This year, however, most of the activities have been suspended, for example, the Beasain Beer Fair. As a result, family members and friends who are forced to make their visits have difficulty in meeting economic costs. In order to find a solution to the situation, the Christmas campaign of the solidarity initiative Deposito Bet has been carried out: “From Etxerat Elkartea, beyond offering help and support to family and friends, we have committed ourselves to meeting these economic needs,” the partnership said.

“Although 2020 Christmas will be exceptional, the wine mentioned in the meals is invited to taste,” explains ETXERAT. The boxes, made up of six bottles, are for sale at a price of 60 euros. They can be purchased at the ETXERAT headquarters, at the Herri denda de Beasain (Kale Nagusia, 12), or on the website depositoakbete.eus, for 69 euros, until December 15. It is a quality wine produced in small wineries and rooted in the counties of the Basque Country. Biba wines shall be wines of the cooperative of Basque organic winegrowers.

11,752 trips

Etxerat took stock of the annual expenditure during the summer, when the initiative was launched. In total, there are 226 scattered Basque prisoners. As the year is 52 weeks, there are 11,752 trips to prisons by family and friends.

In total, 14,617,304 kilometres a year are the ones to be covered by family members of prisoners. This requires the use of a total of 1,140,150 litres of fuel, which means a fuel cost of EUR 1,482,195. In addition to the money raised through wines, two current accounts have been opened to make donations in exchange for fuel. Available on the web www.laCaixa.es/ObraSocial.

Video solidarity

They have also created a video calling solidarity for this year’s Christmas campaign. Bethlehem Aurrekoetxea of Etxerat and Iker Ulibarri, the representative of the Basque winegrowers, have been the protagonists of the day. Ulibarri has explained in the audiovisual media that the baserritars live "isolated" and that they were associated with several producers in the cooperative, and has defined the work that winegrowers do as a path to sovereignty.

Aurrekoetxea, for its part, stressed that “it has been very important” to find the Etxerat association since they arrested their daughter and their partner: “In the pain you have, you find protection.” They have called on the public to ensure that this solidarity also reaches their homes during Christmas.