The Young Bretons/Ar Vretoned Yaouank at the Alderdi Eguna
The Young Bretons / Ar Vretoned Yaouank were invited last week-end at the Basque Nationalist Party's ceremony. The Party has been in power in Euskadi since 1979.
We arrived on Friday in Baiona and discussed with the representatives of the party in the Northern Basque country the political situation of both our countries. On Saturday, while the rest of the delegation headed to Bilbao, we met EGI, the youth section of the BNP, and we attended their political acts and their party. We visited Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the autonomous community of Euskadi, we attended concerts... There was a very good mood. EGI is an example for us in Brittany : it is a youth movement that defends a democratic, free, quiet and moderate nationalism, involved in the Basque society.
The biggest news in the Southern Basque country are the consultation that the BNP's Basque government wants to set up at the end of October, despite the opposition of the Spanish parties and of ETA. (read also on this topic the report of the Breton Party on www.partibreton.org ) EGI obviously supports this consultation, which was at the heart of their wrappers and slogans during the traditional parade on Sunday morning. Our delegation was happy enough to parade in the middle of 100 000 people. Our flags, Gwenn Ha Du, were nicely welcomed, and many people stopped us to praise our country, which pleased us a good bit !
We then attended the big celebration, and we visited the various stands of the BNP. We managed to discuss with the members of the party. That allowed us to notice once again that our ideas are widely shared elsewhere in Europe by many people, and that the French rule that chokes Brittany will not last forever. The mobility, the European openness allow the young people to discover very different realities. We therefore left cheered up on Sunday night, with many good memories to remember.
The Young Bretons movement / Ar Vretoned Yaouank wants to thank Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea-Basque Nationalist Party and EGI for these days, and to express its total support to the Basque people and government, and to their president the Lehendakari Ibarretxe, for the weeks and months to come. Thanks a lot for your invitation, and good luck for the consultation and the Basque Parliament elections in March 2009 ! Eskerrik asko.
Gora Euzkadi Askatuta!
For Ar Vretoned Yaouank,
Kilian Gastinger
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