The tomb of Fernando Buesa, a socialist politician murdered by ETA in 2000, appeared this morning attacked with paint and feces, just 24 hours after the monolith in his memory was vandalized. These attacks have earned the rejection of all political groups with representation, including EH Bildu, which through Arnaldo Otegi has considered these attacks “inadmissible.”
The first of the attacks was detected this Thursday morning. The monolith in memory of Fernando Buesa, former councilor of the Basque Government and former vice president, and his bodyguard, Jorge Díez Elorza, murdered in the same attack, appeared painted with black spray paint. This monolith is located a few meters from the place where the attack occurred, in the university area of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
This morning a new attack was identified, in this case in the Santa Isabel cemetery. Fernando Buesa's grave has been attacked with black paint and feces.
Three years ago, on July 9, 2020, they also sabotaged the tombstone of the socialist leader murdered by ETA, when they sprayed it with red paint.
The tombstone, in addition to the name of the former vice president and socialist spokesperson in the Basque Parliament, includes the phrase: "He was a man of peace. He defended the freedom of all with words."
These attacks have earned the rejection of representatives of all political parties. The Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, has pointed out that they are "absolutely deplorable" actions that he has condemned because they are acts that "once again revictimize the deceased person and his family, colleagues and friends, and the entire Basque society that is carrying out an exercise of non-revictimization." and respect for the memory of the people who have been cruelly murdered".
The mayor of Vitoria, the socialist Maider Etxeberria; the deputy general of Álava, Ramiro González; the Government delegate in the Basque Country, Denis Itxaso; the general secretary of the PSE-EE, Eneko Andueza; or the PP spokesperson in the council, Ainhoa Domaica, have also condemned these attacks.
The leader of EH Bildu Arnaldo Otegi has expressed his "rejection" of the "inadmissible" attacks. The complaint by the general coordinator of the Abertzale coalition on social networks has occurred after the municipal group of EH Bildu in Vitoria did not want to sign a declaration of "condemnation" by the City Council of the capital of Álava to these two sabotages and has requested change the word "condemnation" to "rejection", which other parties have opposed.
Otegi has indicated that "they are an authentic provocation to democratic coexistence in our country" and has asked "what are those who violate coexistence in this way pursuing with these attacks."
The Local Police have opened a report for this latest attack for an alleged hate crime and are on the scene investigating the events.
