Ten years after the abandonment of the armed struggle by ETA, the heirs of its political showcase on Monday unambiguously recognized "
the pain endured
" by the victims of the Basque separatist organization, a gesture hailed by the left in power in Spain.
“
Advancing towards a just and lasting peace requires the recognition and reparation of all, absolutely all of the victims.
We do not forget any of them,
”said Arnaldo Otegi, ex-ETA activist and main figure of the Basque separatist left as coordinator of the EH Bildu training.
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“
We would like to make specific mention of the victims caused by ETA violence.
We wish to convey to them our pain and our pain for the suffering they endured (...).
With all our hearts, we wish to tell them that we are deeply sorry for their suffering,
”he added, according to the French version of his statement, posted on Twitter.
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“
It should never have happened, no one can be satisfied with everything that has taken place, nor that it has lasted so long (...).
Unfortunately, there is no turning back, nothing that we can say could erase the damage done, but we are convinced that it is at the very least possible to alleviate it by respect, consideration and care. memory,
”he said again.
This declaration comes two days before the 10th anniversary of ETA's announcement on 20 October 2011 of the abandonment of the armed struggle.
More than 850 deaths are attributed to the separatist group in more than 40 years of violence.
Left "
abertzale
"
ETA then dissolved in May 2018 after asking in April of that same year "
forgiveness
" from its victims.
But his request for forgiveness had aroused intense controversy because it was addressed only to the victims who did not take part in what ETA qualified as “
conflict
”, that is to say the civilian victims of attacks.
The others, like the murdered police officers, had been given only regrets.
Arnaldo Otegi's declaration therefore appears to be the first unambiguous pardon from the “
abertzale
” (Basque separatist) left to all the victims of ETA.
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A gesture hailed by the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who welcomed on Twitter the fact that the separatist left “
recognizes
” the “
suffering
” of the victims and “
undertakes to alleviate it
”.
Sign that the subject remains very sensitive in Spain, the leader of the right-wing opposition Pablo Casado, for his part accused Arnaldo Otegi of being a "
terrorist
" and "
not a man of peace
".