A total of 79 years for arguing with 'thugs in uniform'

The attempt by Spain to charge a number of Basque youths with terrorist related charges following a brawl with the Civil Guard has been dropped and changed to one of ‘damage and public order’.

However any thoughts that this might diffuse the public anger over the Altsasu defendants has been dashed as the court has handed down sentences totally 79 years to the eight Basque youths involved. The longest sentence for one young person is 13 years.

This is absolutely outrageous given that in the so called ‘disorder’ one Civil Guard suffered just a minor ankle injury.

The Judge said that the younths acted out of ‘hate’ towards the Civil Guard which is ironic given that the paramilitary forces ideology is predicated on hatred and violence towards minority communities in the borders of the current Spanish State. In terms of European policing the Civil Guard has become a byword for violence and brutality (a we saw in Catalonia) they are thugs in uniform the sooner they suffers the same fate as the RUC in N Ireland and are disbanded the better.

Meanwhile protests continue as this report from Argia says:

http://www.argia.eus/albistea/altsasu-79-year-prison-sentence-for-a-braw...

Bernard Moffatt