About 2,000 people gathered on Saturday in Bayonne at nightfall for a "
luminous human chain
" of two kilometers, in support of Basque prisoners, noted an AFP correspondent.
Read also: French justice refuses to hand over a former ETA leader to Spain
Bright white umbrellas in hand, chanting the slogan "
Euskal presoak etxera
" in Basque ("
Basque prisoners at home
"), the demonstrators, joined by local elected officials and union and association representatives, were deployed along the banks of the river. the Nive, which cuts the city in two, responding to the call of the pacifist collective Bake Bidea.
This human chain, instead of the traditional annual event that runs through the city, was a "
way to keep the subject of Basque prisoners on the table and to show that we will be attentive to future decisions
", the organizers indicated at the meeting. eve of this mobilization, adapted due to the health crisis.
The parade had counted between 7,000 and 10,000 people on January 11, 2020.
The obtaining, at the end of October, of a measure of house arrest before parole for Frédéric "
Xistor
" Haramboure, 66, ex-member of an ETA commando group, after more than 30 years of imprisonment, "
was a hope
”, declared Michel Berhocoirigoin, member of the“
Artisans de la paix
”who are working to
achieve
a peace process in the Basque Country.
"
But today is a cold shower with the decision, which fell on Thursday, to imprison Mikel Barrios again
," added the activist.
Jailed after his conviction in June, the 32-year-old Spaniard was released in October pending retrial.
On Thursday, the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed his sentence at first instance to 5 years imprisonment for belonging to the separatist organization ETA.