The txosnas of Estella (Navarra) have been installed in the parking of the bus station for the last 28 years, but a month before the beginning of this year's festivities have been banned by the council. It is not the first time that txosnas have been banned or hampered: The City Hall also placed obstacles and bans on the Estella Txiki Festival txosnas in 2022, when EH Bildu was in the municipal government.
This year, the City wants to move the txosnas to San Benito in the park of Los Llanos. The organizers of Txosnas, for their part, have refused to take this decision in a statement. They have denounced that the City wants to move the txosnas in an "authoritarian" way and that the new space that has been enabled is totally inadequate for this.
The mobilization of the txosnas in San Benito implies an attempt to "isolate and move away from the festive social dynamics" the groups participating in them, besides risking the economic viability of the txosnas. They have also stressed that this is a more dangerous place for women than for men.
The City Hall argues that txosnas cannot be close to barracks. For their part, the members of the Estella txosnas have claimed that the txosnas are also "a place for children" and that they organize successful activities for them. The real reason the City Hall has, in its opinion, is that, in addition to bringing the txosnas to "a distant place", they seek that the agents who organize them "do not belong to the people's parties" and "move away from the social life of the people".
The Festagiro collectives have explained that "they do not refuse to change the space", but they have stressed that, if they change their place, they must do so "in the same or better conditions" than today. In this sense, they have questioned the "participative" nature of the institutions and have warned that, in the face of the municipal ban, the txosnas will be defended: "If UPN, with the support of the PSN, continues on the path of imposing its particular and sectarian will, we will leave to defend these [txosnas]."
So, not to the hypocrisy of the City Hall, go ahead with the txosnas! The organizers of the txosnas have called, under the motto 'Teknopolis', a demonstration. It will be July 20, at 20:00 hours, from San Andres Street.
Txosnen eledun Eider Castañedaren hitzetan, Marta Ruiz de Alda alkate erregionalistak "autogestioarekin, jai herrikoiekin, euskararekin, feminismoarekin zerikusia duen espazio oro debekatu nahi du".