Roads fill with Basque symbols on the Tour of Spain this weekend
- The associations Ensure Esku and Nafarroa Berriz Altxa have organized initiatives for the advancement of the Basque Country. They want to assert the "right to decide of the Basque Country" and question, among other things, the "artificial borders".
Around Spain in the Saturday, San Sebastián Esku and Nafarroa Berriz Altxa announced the withdrawal of Navarre and Ikurriñas flags. The tour from Euskal Herria will take place on September 9 and 10: Stage 9 will end in Larra-Belagua and stage 10 will start in Pamplona and end in Lekunberri. Initiatives have been organised for these days.
The spokesman for Cées Esku, Josu Etxaburu, said that the Vuelta will be, after the Tour de France, the second test that this year will pass through Euskal Herria. As in the Tour, also in the Vuelta a España has called to "presume" the identity and symbols of the Basques, encouraging cyclists to "respect" them. He stressed that Navarre and Xiberua are "part of this people" and that "Euskal Herria will continue to work hand in hand to achieve free and democratic political status".
"We are a country of seven territories, we do not want boundaries between us and we want to decide freely our political future," both associations say. Amagoia Susperregi Nafarroa Berriz, spokesman for Altxa, has denounced that "often the symbols of the Basques are not respected, and it is impossible to live freely the customs and culture of the people and extract their symbols".
Artificial limits
Susperregi adds that Euskera is "the language of all Navarros", but suffers from "artificial borders" and receives "secondary treatment". In the 9 September stage, the Larrain limit opens for the race, although it remains closed all year round. In this way, he has called for his openness in everyday life to "move freely from our people".
On the weekend flags will be distributed: 9 September in Isaba and Larra-Belagua and 10 on the Sarasate promenade of Pamplona and the Ibarberri ikastola of Lekunberri. Other activities have also been organized such as street animation in Isaba and pasacalles in Lekunberri and popular food. Whoever wants to go to Lekunberri will have the opportunity to go on the bus departing from Bilbao and leaving at 8:30 from San Nicolás.
"Flags are nothing more than rags," the world's citizens, who are nowhere, and who are from all places, proclaim. It's curious, but it's always about people with flags that have a state.
This attitude has also spread in some independence sectors. We have ruled out ikurrina because... [+]
