The prefect of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the president of the departmental assembly of mayors condemned on Tuesday "an act of intimidation" after the discovery during the night from Saturday to Sunday of a coffin in front of the town hall of Briscous, a Basque village.
It bore the inscription “Euskara - ?
- 2040", specify the prefect Julien Charles and the representative of elected officials Alain Sanz in a joint press release, where they recall that "for several weeks, a debate has been underway between the municipal council of Briscous and association representatives about the 'ikastola of the commune'.
The “ikastolas” at the heart of the debates
The ikastolas are schools under association contract with the Ministry of National Education, where teaching is mainly provided in Basque (“Euskara”).
The debate mentioned in the press release concerns the capacity to accommodate the permanent buildings that the ikastola wishes to build on the land it has rented from the Briscous town hall for ten years.
Last month, the National Assembly adopted at first reading a senatorial text aimed at better protecting local elected officials, who are increasingly confronted with violence, in particular by toughening criminal sanctions against their perpetrators.
After the Assembly's alterations to the text adopted in the Senate, the two chambers must now agree on a common version.