The IK Norte presented on Saturday in Baigorri (Lower Navarre) a painting depicting the faces of six members of the armed organization: Txomin Olhagarai, Ramuntxo Arruiz, Didier Lafitte, Maddi Hegi, Kristof Isteque and Jean Louis Larre Popo. Five of those six are dead. Popo disappeared after a shooting with the French police in the town of León de los Landes in August 1983, and no further news of him has been reported since. The artist Xabi Tapia Xabxab, from Urrugne, has made the painting on the outside wall of a house in the village entrance, and the presentation event is organized by the association Contribute.

Filipe Bidart, a Baigorrian and historical IK activist, took the floor in the tribute. According to him, it is "necessary to preserve and commemorate the memory", because they want to "erase" what has been done by previous generations: "We have to talk about what happened, because it's part of our history. It is essential to remember the past, because the past explains the present." According to Bidart to Kazeta, the painting aims to "commemorate the militants who have fallen in the struggle", not only the militants of IK but also "all the militants who have fallen for the Basque Country".

The members of the Help Association have emphasized the power of the walls to speak: "The walls of the Basque Country have always spoken, although they are not always liked by everyone. In those times of the Internet and telephones, the walls always succeed." For this reason, they have denounced that they want to "silence and clean" some walls to leave them "white and dumb".

A Special Day for Presentation

The organization has chosen a significant date for the event: The eve of Navarre Day since 1979 and the 88th anniversary of the bombing of Guernica. They have made a connection with this latest incident, paying tribute to "those who died in the massacre that took place in Gernika and, in general, to all the Basques who have lost their lives throughout the history of the Basque Country".

Baigorri also hosts the Day of Navarre

Since 1979 they have been celebrating Navarre Day, a feast that connects Lower Navarre with Upper Navarre. The day is organized by Basaizea, and this year’s edition has been held in Baigorri on Sunday. The organization insists that "Basque chains need more force than ever", despite the "constant attempts" in recent months to attack them. In fact, Basaizea recalls that "the extreme right and fascism are gaining more and more strength and space," and in the face of this, he calls for "linking the chains."