The Gazte Asanblada de Alsasua (AGA) has made a massive appearance in Alsasua to report the threat of closure. And they've taken advantage of the hearing to claim "the end of the criminalization of youth." They have also reaffirmed that the members of the AAD will work in the defence of political freedoms and the defence of young people. And finally, they have demanded the Altsasu City Hall “not to participate in the process initiated by the Civil Guard”.

Since AGA they have pointed out that “we are clear that they want to use the situation generated by COVID-19 as an excuse for the closure of the Gaztetxe. It is incomprehensible that at the same time as cultural houses, sports clubs, bars or the City Hall or Parliament itself say that they may be open, the Gaztetxe are closed. Of course, we will not be the ones who say whether these have to be closed or open, but we are able to ensure a safe use of the Gaztetxe.”

According to AGA members, “the attempt to close the Gaztetxe answers political and not health reasons. On the pretext of the pandemic, it responds to the possibility of pursuing any organized and confrontational expression, to an offensive against political freedoms.” They added, “in these times of crisis, when the need for political organization becomes more important than ever, pursuing this political organization for the State becomes more important than ever.”

“Crackdown”

Young people have warned that “we are clear that measures to manage the pandemic, far from being exclusively sanitary, are repressive measures to control the working class politically and socially.” And they have set as an example “the political fines of EUR 16,000, the suffocating police presence, weekly identifications, the ban on mobilizations, the risk of imprisonment of Ruben Arbizu and the aggression that we have been denouncing”.

What happened in Alsasua has been framed within the "aggression that is taking place in the Basque Country against the Gaztetxe". They have also referred to cases such as Donostia-San Sebastián, Bilbao, Tolosa or Vitoria-Gasteiz, among others. “In Sakana himself the forals entered the Etxarri Gaztetxe saying they had to close. They also joined the youth association of Arbizu, took pictures and identified those inside.”