After several months of reflection, debate and relationship, various gaztetxe and asanblada gazte of Euskal Herria have decided to organize the Meetings of Gaztetxe and Gazte Asanbladas. They will take place on 19 October in Leitza.

“With these meetings we want to bring together the members of the different peoples and reflect on self-management, power relations, occupation, political communication or forms of struggle, among other things, and we propose a meeting point where to share situations, challenges, obstacles or local projects,” they explain in their appearance in Leitza. The meetings will include training sessions, round tables and practical workshops.

In the process of organizing these meetings, dozens of young people have participated “openly, assemblies and horizontally”, thus understanding the character of the youth assemblies. “The Gaztetxe and the Gazte Asanbladas are spaces of different individuals (or we think they should be), that is, in which various individuals from different strategic perspectives, political lines or organizations participate. In this way, we understand that Gaztetxe and Gazte Asanblada are spaces for the organization of all young people who conform to the ideological and organizational model of each one of them, fight for different local problems and create collective alternatives, collectivize knowledge, work critical opinion and delve into ideological formation, promote a new leisure model or start to build a new world of solidarity, collaboration and self-management.” The process of organizing meetings is open and they would like to count on the participation of as many people as possible, so anyone who has an interest or will to participate in the organizational process “will find the doors open”, they say.

Atomization, situation of the youth centers of the Basque Country

At this point, it is considered that Gaztetxe and Gazte Asanblada have been immersed in a process of atomization and/or polarization. “In order to respond to this situation, we have also organised these national meetings. In the meantime, the constant offensive against cheesemakers and youth assemblies continues, with more force than ever before and updating the different types of repression. Incidentally, we wish to denounce the attacks on the Gaztetxeak and the police, legal and economic persecution of members of the youth assemblies, while calling for a solidarity response to repression.”