Some 1,500 people, according to data from the City Council, gathered this Saturday afternoon in Bilbao in a demonstration called by the organization Aske, linked to the coordinating committee Jardun, to demand the release of Aratz and Malen. Both were arrested on October 17 in Irun, they are accused of an alleged crime of terrorism and remain in provisional prison by decision of a judge of the Audiencia Nacional.
The march, which took place without incident, set off shortly before 6:30 p.m. in the Elíptica Square of the Biscayan capital under the slogan "Muntai polizialik ez!" (No to the police setup) and advanced to the Arriaga Square, where it concluded around 7:15 p.m.
During the route along Gran Vía, most of the establishments had lowered their shutters and protected their shop windows, in a context of social concern generated by the calls on social media from the movement "Blocus" to demonstrate and carry out looting. The Ertzaintza and the Municipal Police deployed vehicles and riot units to prevent possible disturbances and guarantee security.
Before the Aske march began, in which slogans such as "Malen eta Aratz askatu" (freedom for Malen and Aratz) were heard, Izpiñe Bidaurrazaga, a member of this organization, explained to the media that with the mobilization they intended to denounce "the police setup" and the attempt to "criminalize" the imprisoned, to whom they wanted to convey their "support". "Our objective today is not to generate disturbances of any kind, but to show our closeness (to the detainees) and confront the media campaign," she stressed.
Throughout the protest, other slogans were also chanted such as "Borroka da bide bakarra" (The struggle is the only path) and "Presoak kalera amnistia osoa" (Prisoners out onto the street, general amnesty).
Reading of the final statement
At the end of the march, a spokesperson for Aske read a statement in which they emphasized that the judicial proceedings against Aratz and Malen pursue "the criminalization of political militancy" and seek to instill "fear" in the working class. Likewise, they warned that, if the activities attributed to the detainees are considered terrorism, all the people gathered in Arriaga Square could be classified as "terrorists".
The representative of Aske has also remembered that this is not the first occasion on which they have suffered "criminalization", since they were also arrested when on October 12, 2025 they "stood up to" a Falange gathering in Vitoria-Gasteiz. That day, the Ertzaintza arrested almost twenty young people accused of alleged public disorder offenses after disturbances were recorded.
Previously intercepted at a checkpoint
Before their arrest on October 17, Aratz and Malen had been identified on September 26 by the Ertzaintza at a checkpoint in Eskoriatza (Gipuzkoa), where a third person, of Irish nationality, was also present.
According to what the Basque Police reported then, the three were being investigated in other European countries and were carrying various material, among it information on Security Forces and Corps and data on the possible location of a place with weapons and explosives. On the 17th, Aratz and Malen went to the Irun police station accompanied by their lawyer, at which point their arrest was carried out for an alleged offense of terrorism.
After taking their statement, the judge of the Audiencia Nacional Antonio Piña ordered their admission to provisional prison. The magistrate considers that they are part of Jardun Koordinadora, a structure made up of dissidents from the abertzale left, and charges them with alleged offenses of terrorism.