Police that carry Knives.-Basque crackdown.

[Matthew X]

Christine Nixon has foreshadowed random drug and alcohol testing for the 
members of drug squad A,(or B,one or the other.)Will she also order 
search's for concealed weapons?
And run the sniffer dogs over them? Inquiring minds want to know.
http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=32591&group=webcast
Basque Clampdown
Spanish Government Outlaws Basque Political Party
A Spanish Judge has issued an order to suspend Batasuna, a Basque left 
separtist party, on the basis that it is part of ETA (which stands for 
Basque Fatherland and Freedom). ETA is an armed group struggling for an 
independent of the Basque Country.
Judge Garzon has ordered the closing of all oficial buildings from 
Batasuna, Batasuna is no longer allowed to organize or to participate in a 
political event. Garzon also asks for Batasuna's website to be shutdown. 
This could be the first case of an internet site to be closed by spanish 
administration.
Garzon's decision is based on article 129 from Spanish Penal code. An 
article specially designed for private associations but it does not mention 
for political parties.
Batasuna has polled with around 10% of the votes representing nearly 48,000 
voters in Navarra and a bit more than 143,000 in the Basque Autonomous 
Region. Batasuna was also present in the northern Basque Country under 
french administration.
At the same time the Spanish Parliament has voted a law to make Batasuna 
illegal in case it keeps quiet after ETA practices violence. This measure 
is been critisized by spanish lawyers as they find a breach on basic 
fondamental rights and the Spanish Constitution.
Polls show a split between Spanish and basque public opinion. While Spanish 
public opinion is in vast majority in support of this law a majority of 
Basques oppose this law. This means that a law will be applied in the 
Basque country on the basis that spanish majority prevails over the Basque 
one. The three parties governing Basque autonomous region (PNV, EA and IU, 
moderate nationalists and United Left -former communist party-) have shown 
their opposition to the law.
From, monday, 26th of august, police are closing different offices and 
buildings of Batasuna violent clashes between Batasuna supporters and the 
national police or the basque autonomous police have broken out. Some 
offices belonging to the Basque Prisoners Relatives' Association and the 
association against torture were shut down as well.
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