Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Stop Fascist Aggression in the Basque Country!

El Militante | 17.12.2006 20:46 | Anti-racism | Culture | World

Two new fascist attacks have been reported to the police in Vitoria in the Basque Country. The first attack took place on December 12 at 10:15am in front of the headquarters of the UGT, in the Metalworkers' Federation, when UGT union members, with thirty years experience, attempted to seek refuge from the aggression of an individual of around 30 years of age who had attacked them on the streets as they put up posters. The man was able to gain access to UGT headquarters, with the passivity and then collaboration of the security guard, José Víñas who worked for the security company, Vinsa. He was equally aggressive with the two union members for putting up posters with his photo (Víñas is a known fascist who met regularly with a group of fascists at the UGT headquarters. One fascist was able to gain access to the UGT headquarters and provoke a problem

The aggressor was able to carry out his attack on one of the union members, hitting him repeatedly on the head and the knees with the help of the security guard, who had already been banned from the UGT premises (for previous activities).

The UGT member who had been attacked was taken to the emergency department at Santiago Hospital to be treated for his injuries. He suffered head and knee contusions. He was then taken to the police to give a statement. Towards the end of the afternoon the two UGT members were able to get in touch with Eloy Pedro de Ojos Lorenzo, who is in charge of security for the UGT in the Basque Country. He informed the two trade unionists that he was in a meeting with the head of security for Vinsa, and informed them that José Viñas would be immediately banned from all activity at the UGT headquarters in order to satisfy the demands of all union members. He confirmed that it had taken the state security forces weeks to find out whether Viñas was a member of a fascist gang. Once they had irrefutable proof of this they took the measures against him that everyone had hoped would have been taken earlier.

The two members who were attacked have called attention to the fact that the UGT branches have neglected them and their problems. The representatives of the regional union and the local branch, far from supporting their members who had been attacked, unbelievably supported their attacker. The two members who were attacked have now announced their intention to file a complaint with the union for failing in their responsibilities of protecting the personal safety of UGT members at their local offices.
The second attack took place today (December 13) at 10:00am at the offices of the Frederick Engels Foundation, where for the sixth time in a row since September, a fascist has violently entered the premises, throwing posters around and Later two members of the Foundation and of the Students' Union, present at the time of the attack, were threatened when they called the police on their mobile to explain the situation and identify the aggressor. The extremely violent attitude of this individual forced them to seek refuge in a local bar until the police arrived to take a statement.

It is important to point out that the former UGT security guard, José Viñas, arrived along with others to protect the fascist attacker, which confirms for the nth time the existence of a Nazi cell in the city, which is well-known to left-wing activists who have been threatened and attacked several times and is well-known to the police.

Before a much more serious attacks happens, which is clearly possible, the organisations that form the Anti-Fascist Platform of Vitoria-Gasteiz, have asked the Department of the Interior of the Basque Government to intervene directly. The local government of Álava has also been asked to disband this fascist gang which is attempting to intimidate progressive and left-wing organisations in our city. These governments will be held responsible, if they neglect their duties, for any consequences of this wave of fascist attacks.

Finally, we call upon all workers and youth in Vitoria-Gasteiz to take part in the rally against fascism on December 14 at 7:00pm at C/San Antonio in front of the premises where one of the attacks occurred.


El Militante
- Homepage: http://www.elmilitante.org

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech