Withdrawal of symbols from Euskal Herria on the fronton of Villava, except that of Navarra
- A car, broadcast on March 5, promised to “remove or erase” the shield, as “it is a positioning in favour of a political position” and “violates political neutrality”. The complaint was filed by UPN and the mayor of Villava, Mikel Oteiza (EH Bildu), said it is “a cultural expression of Basque culture”.
On 5 March, the Administrative Dispute Tribunal of the Superior Court of Justice of Navarra (TSJN) rejected the action brought by the City of Villava against a judgment of September 2023. The ruling ordered the elimination of the coat of arms of Euskal Herria painted on the municipal fronton of the town. That is why the shields of Bizkaia, Araba, Gipuzkoa, Zuberoa and Lapurdi have been removed from the fronton of Villava, Navarre and the rest of the spaces have become empty. Under the shield, “Euskal Herria” has been erased and “the Basque ball” has been placed. The mayor of Villava, Mikel Oteiza, pointed out that, after several alternatives, it was decided to maintain part of the original shield in order to detect the absence of suppressed territories, according to Euskalerria Irratia.
In a press release issued by the Tribunal, it was stated that the presence of the shield in the municipal fronton is “a manifestation of a position in favor of a certain political position” and that it is “against the political neutrality that the public authorities must have”. Oteiza said that this is not a political declaration, but a “cultural expression of Basque identity”. The complaint was filed by UPN 10 years after the shield was placed, according to Naiz in a statement.
Shield “visual message” for TSJN
Prior to the TSJN, the Administrative Tribunal of Navarra had also ordered the withdrawal of the arms shield. According to the TSJN, the shield “means sending a visual message to the receiver as a symbol.” “The visual message is loaded with meanings, and part of them, in the current legal, political, administrative and social context, is far from being limited to an ornamental objective or to the denomination of empty historical, cultural or sporting realities,” said the TSJN.
The Court does not deny that the term "Euskal Herria" may be "neutral and non-partisan", but refers to political actions: “Nor can we forget the obvious political activity that Navarre wants to integrate into the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, nor its legitimate claim to create a political legal reality that does not exist today and that covers the seven territories”.
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