Itioz Dam / Basque

A protest took place at the Basque regional parliament in Pamplona, Spain against the building of the massively destructive Itoiz dam. The dam, which is being built as part of a wider plan for industrial and tourist development of the region will flood 81 square kilometres. There has been a history of resistance to the project. In 1996, 8 people cut cables across the valley each weighing 140 tonnes, causing untold damage and setting work back by 11 months.

On the 7th April, people from 20 countries chained themselves to metal grills surrounding the parliament building, scaled the side of the building, and hung banners. Parliamentary police yanked people off the windows, cut chains, poked people with scaffold tubes to get them off the facade and mauled people off the balcony. The fire brigade was used to remove people from pillars. 33 people were arrested. Charges and expulsion proceedings are being brought against them.

As one British activist commented “this is not a local issue, it’s a European one. European companies and tourists are the reason this dam is going ahead. The Basques are really keen to network and build international resistance to this project so why not go over and visit”

Solidari@s Con Itoiz, Apdo. 2105, 31080 Iruna, Euskal Herria (Estadoo Espanol), Spain www.eusnet.org/partaide/solidarios/home.htm