In the first place we wish to express our deepest solidarity with those arrested and their families, and our recognition for the work that, from Herrira those arrested have carried out in defence of the rights of Basque prisoners.

That said we wish to point out the seriousness of the police operation that began yesterday and that is completely tied to the new political time opened in the Basque Country. The time to build peace and democratic coexistence for our people.

To open this new time there have been many and decisive steps taken and the dynamics opened by the Abertzale Left and by other agents. The commitment of those of us who want justice, peace and democracy for this country has been made this new time possible.

On the other hand, the PP and the PSOE are sabotaging in a continuous manner this new time and with it the opportunities for peace. These two parties and their Basque branches, beginning with the government of Zapatero and ending with the last police operation by Rajoy yesterday, they have always acted as enemies of peace.

The operation against Herrira yesterday is marked in this strategy of the PP and the PSOE which we wish to condemn in a forceful manner.

The Spanish state has taken a qualitative leap with this operation, directly attacking the resolution process and the demand for the rights of the prisoners that is so widespread in our streets.

The response, therefore, to this aggression has to be in accordance with its seriousness. A popular and strong response. To the political sabotage of the PP we have to respond with a democratic firmness, from the institutions to the street, from town to town. We have to say loud and clear that that's enough, that we aren't going to permit more repression.

This hasn't been the response, however, of some Basque institutions. So, while the government of Navarre applauded the police operations, that of the Basque Autonomous Community condemned it in a low voice, uniting the violence of the Guardia Civil with that of their Ertzaintza. The proof of that is their behaviour yesterday afternoon when they charged against the people who were gathered in support of those arrested, causing various injuries, including that of the senator of Amaiur in Madrid Amalur Mendizabal.

The same ones who yesterday attacked and beat Amalur Mendizabal, were those who killed Rosa Zarra and Iñigo Cabacas. In this manner, Sortu believes that it is necessary and urgent that the Ertzaintza stops being a political police force and carries out their own repressive disarmament. That the Ertzaintza, for once and for all, stops being an instrument in the war strategy of the state.

Those responsible in the institutions of the Basque Country must take measures so that operations such as those yesterday don't happen again, and in that way defending the rights of the citizens. And it is that the Lehendakari that doesn't defend the rights of his citizens doesn't deserve to be Lehendakari.

Finally, we want to call on all of the citizenry so that at this time when they want to clear the streets and punish the demands for the rights of the prisoners, we want to shout this out to the four winds. Let's go out into the streets and carry to every corner the demand of "Euskal Preso eta Iheslariak Etxera" (Bring Basque prisoners and exiles home). And on this path we have a date that we cannot miss next Saturday, the 5th, in streets of Bilbao.

SORTU