The working group rejects “public oblivion” and advocates self-criticism and multiple memory

Euskaraz irakurri: “Ahanztura publiko gabeko” eta autokritika eta memoria anitzak ardatz dituen etorkizuna aldarrikatu dute

This year’s Memorial Day has served to present the document “Begiradak. Shared Foundations for the Social Construction of Memory in Euskadi”, a text prepared at the request of the Basque Government’s Deputy Ministry of Human Rights, Remembrance and Cooperation. It is a “shared reflection” performed by three victims of different sensitivities and three historians from the universities of the UPV/EHU and Deusto. The document censors “public oblivion” and claims the multitude of memories, as well as the self-criticism of those who bear some responsibility for the various manifestations of terrorism and violence, without forgetting an acknowledgment of all victims. All this, to move towards a future of peace and coexistence, “in a modest contribution, not definitive or unique”, say the authors, who hope to be “an extra grain of sand to keep sharing tomorrow”.

Those responsible for the work are on the one hand Joshua Elespe Pelaz and Maria Jauregic Lasa, son and daughter respectively of Froilán Elespe and Juan Maria Jauregi, victims of ETA and Axun Lhasa Arostegi, victim of torture and sister of Joxean Lasa Arostegi, victim of the GAL. In addition, the group consists of three historians, who contributed their academic vision: Unai Belaustegic Bedialauneta (UPV/EHU), Eider Landabrerea Abad (University of Deusto) and Virginia Lopez de Maturana Dieguez (UPV-EHU).

For the reflection process, the working group has developed a series of Interviews twenty people with different involvement in the peace process. They include Sara Buesa, daughter of Fernando Buesa, murdered by ETA; Karmen Galdeano Prieto, daughter of Xabier Galdeano, victim of the GAL; well-known figures of Basque politics (Jesús Eguiguren, Ramon Rabanera or José Antonio Ardanza), as well as the coordinator of the Social Forum, Agus Hernan or the lawyer Txema Urkijo, with extensive experience and charges in the field of victims. Their contribution, assures the working group, has proved “fundamental and valuable” for the reflection process.

With these wickers, the group has created a document that collects nine bases or key aspects to achieve a future of peace and coexistence. Thus they underline that “the Basque society does not want to forget”, and to refuse, So, “a public oblivion”. According to nuances, “this does not mean that you want to look at this past from revenge or revenge, but to look at the past from constructive and inclusive positions.”

Faced with this public oblivion, they claim that future with “memories”, plural, who outside of their coexistence, seek out “common places”, although they admit how “difficult” this path is. As they claim, a single official memory is “artificial, sterile and unconstructive.”

Likewise, they call for the overcoming of “self-justifying narratives”, which are “partisan, vindictive and exclusive” and which “perpetuate and describe the scenario of “some” and “others”. In this sense, they find it necessary to “a self-critical look back at the past” because “it gives more guarantees” for non-repetition. On this point, he questions “directly and without apology those who had direct and indirect responsibilities in the various manifestations of terrorism and in all manifestations of politically motivated violence and human rights violations.” “Neither political conflict nor state reasons justify the use of force in any way,” they recall.

They call for the search for “the truth” of the facts, to know and understand them, and to recognize equally, all victims. Of them, they say that “they represent the radical injustice of violence and the intolerability of what has been suffered”, and they ask “to avoid their political use and their re-victimization or secondary victimization in public spaces”. Finally, the working group urges memory work among the younger generations, citing educational experiences such as Adi-adian as an example.

Urkullu demands an “ethical view” of the past

After the presentation of the document, the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, took the floor to emphasize the importance of the ethical dimension: “Looking from ethics. That look from history and from memory, that look from the experience of the victims, that self-critical view that does not seek self-justification must also be an ethical view, a view that must lead to a final corollary: it was unfair. This is without doubt the best guarantee of non-repetition.”

With regard to self-criticism, the Lehendakari has said that “not all Basque men and women had the same responsibility, we had the same responsibility”, stressing that it must be “sincere and consistent” to be treated as such.

For Urkullu, the ‘shared’ document presented today is ‘a valuable contribution to living together’.

De Lehendakari has defended the need for a “future with memory”, understood as “the basic pillar of a model of coexistence based on nonviolence, on ethical and democratic principles and values, and on the defense, protection and effective guarantee of human rights”.

“We can’t, we can’t, we don’t want to forget,” concluded the lehendakari.

The document presented today underlines that the “recognition of each of the victims” is “fundamental to building democratic coexistence in a future of memory and truth”.