The Basque Government has expressed its "strong condemnation" of the "serious acts of violence" that occurred this Monday in Bilbao and has emphasized that the Ertzaintza "will continue to act firmly to protect the citizens and their right to live peacefully."
In its statement, the autonomous Executive has denounced that in the Biscayan capital there were "damages and looting in businesses, burning of vehicles and urban furniture, as well as assaults on anonymous individuals and attacks on agents of the Ertzaintza and the Municipal Police," and has called "on all political forces, social agents, and the entire Basque society" to join in condemning these events.
Through an institutional declaration read by its spokesperson, María Ubarretxena, after the meeting of the Government Council, the Executive has conveyed its support and closeness to the neighbors, merchants, and professionals who have been affected by the incidents.
Condemnation of violence and call for unity
The text emphasizes that "violence is a direct aggression against the citizens, against public services, and against our coexistence, which has cost us so much to build" and stresses that "it is absolutely intolerable that there are organized groups deliberately disrupting coexistence," insisting that there is no "justification whatsoever" for what happened.
The Government emphasizes that "in a democracy, any idea can be defended and any disagreement can be expressed," but always "by peaceful means." It also reminds that "no cause, ideology, or pretext legitimizes the use of violence; those who resort to it, or shelter it, place themselves outside democratic channels."
The Executive warns that "we know all too well the damage caused by the justification of violence" and considers "especially serious and concerning the presence of very young people involved in dynamics of hatred, intimidation, and confrontation."
Support for the Ertzaintza and defense of coexistence
In the face of these behaviors, the Government insists that the Ertzaintza "will continue to act firmly, to protect the citizens and their right to live peacefully." In this way, the Executive expresses its support "without ambiguity" for the "work and effort" of the autonomous Police to clarify what happened.
Along the same lines, it maintains that "we firmly believe that events like those recorded yesterday cannot go without consequences; they must be investigated to the end so that the perpetrators are held accountable before justice."
The Executive emphasizes that Euskadi "is a plural, mature, and democratic society" and states that it will not allow "a violent minority to condition coexistence or make us go backwards." It reiterates that "violence has no place in Euskadi; no provocation justifies it; no end legitimizes it" and once again calls "on all political forces, social agents, and the entire Basque society" to "join this condemnation."