As Iñaki de Juana’a two-day hearing began in Belfast today, November 12, around 30 people gathered in the rain at 1pm outside Laganside Courts to show their support for his fight against extradition to Spain. The support rally was called by the Don’t Extradite the Basques Campaign, which aims to build public support for Belfast-based Basque activists, Iñaki de Juana and Arturo Beñat Villanueva, who are facing extradition charges brought by the Spanish authorities.
Former Antrim and St Gall’s football manager Michael Culbert, who is the director of the ex-prisoners’ group Coiste na n-Iarchimí, addressed the supporters, who included local Councillors, republican ex-prisoners, members of Belfast’s Basque community and others.
“We’re here today to show our solidarity with Iñaki de Juana and Arturo Beñat Villanueva – but also with the Basque people in general, who are struggling for their basic human and civil rights such as the right to freedom of expression and association,” Mr Culbert said at the rally.
“The case against Iñaki is motivated by vindictiveness on the part of the Spanish government despite the fact that there is no evidence against him. The charges are spurious and absurd.
“We are here to show that the local community understand that these extradition requests reflect the oppression of the Basque people, that we support our Basque friends in their struggle for democratic rights, and that we fully support the right of Iñaki and Beñat to live in Ireland, free from political harassment.”
Mr Culbert then urged supporters to sign the online petition against the extraditions. More than 1,000 people have now signed this petition which demands that the British government reject the Spanish government’s extradition requests, including MEP Bairbre de Brún, journalist John Pilger, civil rights activist Fearghas Ó hÍr and lawyer Professor Phil Scraton.
Speaking as Arturo Beñat Villanueva’s hearing was held in October, Ms de Brún said: “These two men are essentially being pursued solely for their political ideas and the extradition attempts are purely political on behalf of the Spanish authorities. This needs to be challenged and rejected.
“Both men have been living openly in Ireland and Sinn Féin supports the demand for Iñaki de Juana and Arturo Beñat Villanueva to continue to do so.”
