Riot policemen break up Basque protests

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34131, 19 April 1976, Page 13

Riot policemen break up Basque protests

<N Z P A -Reuter—Copyright) PAMPLONA (Spain), April 18.

Riot policemen broke up groups of demonstrators during the night in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona, where there are plans to defy a Government ban on a Basque nationalist rally.

T 1 - police fired rubber bullets and swung their truncheons as they dispersed small groups of . ople chanting “Bas > 3 freed or ” in ♦' main shopping centre. Leftist opposition groups dis; used leaflets calling on Basqu demonstrate today for autonomy, political liberties, anj amnesty for political prisoners. The lea” *s ask people to turn out for a Basque “day of the fatherland” rally, banned by t‘ civil governor, who has called in extra armed policemen.

The main organisers, the self-proclaimed Basque gov-ernment-in-exile and the Basque Nationalist Party, a’ro have called off the rally because they, too, fc -.red violence. Bui some opposition groups want it to go ahead. They include the separatist Eta terrilla move..-.- t and Trotskyite workers’ organisations.

The Prime Minister (Mr Arias) . -as due back in Madrid today from an Easter holiday on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, after a meeting with King Juan Carlos there on Friday night. Mr Arias said a- ■ the meeting that he would address the nation on television before the end of the month to outline the Government’s programme for the forthcoming months. This 's expected to include a timetable for political reforms. speeded up because of growing pressure from the outlawed opposition.