Portuguese police foil ‘massive’ attack on Spain

Source: EuroNews

Spanish authorities say a major disaster has been averted following the discovery of a massive cache of explosives belonging to ETA in Portugal.
At least 1,500 kilos of bomb making material was found at this house in Obidos, a popular tourist destination, after a stolen car was chased from a traffic control point.
<snip>
Police also found several detonators and other equipment ready to be used.
<snip>
Spain’s Interior Minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba delivered a warning to the militant Basque separatist group: “They can hide in France, Portugal, but they are always going to be found by the police, either by the French, or the Portugese, or the Spanish… they will be caught one time after another until this (terrorism) will be over.”

Read more: http://www.euronews.net/2010/02/07/portuguese-police-foil-massive-attack-on-spain/

As it should be. :thumbsup:

have against Spain? I mean, I can understand their gripe with the US & England, but Spain?

A decades old separatist group from the Basque region of Spain that has been behind a multitude of bombings and assassinations in the country.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETA

that wants the Basque region in Spain liberated from Spanish rule.

They have been at this for years.

A simple analogy would be to say they are to Spain what Native Americans are to the US, and have suffered similar treatment: having their language banned, being forced to live on marginal land, existing as second-class citizens, etc. While many people don't like what they're up to now (and how could you?), they were also responsible for the killing of Franco's groomed deputy, and effectively bringing an end to the country's Fascist government.

But I suppose your point is still sound

That Franco was not a Fascist, and this is coming from a guy with a who is unabashedly far left. Franco was a Monarchist and devoutly Catholic two things antithetical to Fascism. Franco is best described as a far-right traditionalist.

The comparison to the Basques and the Native Americans here is a hell of a stretch. The Basque Country is one of the most developed and well off regions in Spain as opposed to Native American reservations here in the States in which most have conditions similar to that of Third World countries. Groups like ETA and the PRIA are the rough equivalent of ethnic gangs for white people. The Monarchy was restored because Franco died it is that simple despite a comedy sketch like Coup attempt by a Colonel in the Guardia Civil.

However, Franco certainly did use air-support provided by Germany and Italy in terror attacks against Basque groups (where Guernica comes from) - he wanted to be a Fascist, but just wasn't very good at it.

I make the comparison to Native Americans not because of the present state of affairs in the two countries, but because of the historical origins of the populations - both were in existence for thousands of years prior to European immigration and eventually politically or militarily conquered on what had been their own lands.

You can't compare Spain's treatment of the Basques to Native Americans here. They were never removed to marginal lands or treated like second class citizens. And they were never the object of genocide.

The Basque native language was indeed banned during the Franco years - as were the other two regional languages in Spain (Gallician and Catalonian). The ban was lifted after Franco's death and these languages are now subsidized and encouraged in the regions they are spoken.

During the Franco years Spain also heavily subsidized industry in the Basque Country and lifted the standard of living relative to what it had been before.

ETA is merely an organized crime syndicate that uses independence as a public relations ploy. They are heavily involved with drug running and the small arms trade. Young ETA members are losers who want the fast lifestyle and do nothing to help their own people. They are vile criminals who need to be brought to justice.

... but the Basques certainly were moved to marginal lands. Before Roman occupation, a much much larger area of what is now Spain and France was occupied by the Basque culture which was pushed into the mountains between the fertile land and the ocean. These people are the only pre-indo-european population living in Europe who still speak a pre-indo-european language (the Welsh are genetically pre-indo-european, but culturally entirely celtic). This isn't just about Franco - this goes back to the pre-Christian era. It doesn't make them the good guys, but it also isn't as simple as anything like a political dispute from the last century, as real as that was. Yes, the Basque region was subsidized during the Franco years, but the profits from the industry went out of the region. It doesn't mean that ETA are the good guys, but it helps me understand how and why such a group could exist.

> ETA is merely an organized crime syndicate that uses independence
> as a public relations ploy. They are heavily involved with drug running
> and the small arms trade. Young ETA members are losers who want the fast
> lifestyle and do nothing to help their own people. They are vile criminals
> who need to be brought to justice.

Let's hope that ETA go the same way as their colleagues in Ireland.

:thumbsup:

with each other?

Note to Canada. WAKE UP! Note to Mexico. Oye, por favor.