The Abertzale union celebrated its 50 years with an event at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao. According to the coordinators Igor Arroyo and Garbiñe Aranburu, from now on they will continue to “pave the way for national liberation and social transformation.”
For the first time in half a century of history, the union LAB has crossed the threshold of 50,000 membersas reported by the plant in an event celebrating its 50 years held this Monday at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao. “With good health and full strength,” the union has stressed, it will continue to “pave the way for national liberation and social transformation”.
The celebration was attended by some 400 members of the union, as well as the previous general secretaries of LAB, Rafa Díez and Ainhoa Etxaide and the current general coordinators Igor Arroyo and Garbiñe Aranburu.
As both have highlighted, the union is a “tool”, not an objective. Thus, they have considered as their objective “promoting the national liberation and social transformation of Euskal Herria” and have indicated that the path taken in these 50 years has been “fruitful.” Since, in their words, they have deactivated “different strategies to make this people disappear”, and on the other hand, “Euskal Herria has been established and is being established as an autonomous area for the organization and union struggle, in totally different coordinates of the unionism of the two states”.
The general coordinators of LAB have compared the creation and evolution of the union to the growth of a tree: “50 years ago, a group of national workers laid the seed of what is now LAB”, a seed that has had as base the national and class consciousness just like him feminism. “The seed fertilized and took root. Firmly supported by the roots, we are now extending our branches, enriching our project, expanding it,” they noted.
In the opinion of Arroyo and Aranburu, many of the ideas that LAB has defended throughout its history have become “majority” in Basque unionism. Among others, they have cited the sociopolitical nature, counterpower, independence, feminist unionism or anti-racist unionism.
In addition to this, they have stressed that the constituent process of Euskal Herria is an opportunity and a path for social transformation. In that sense, they have assured that in Euskal Herria there is a social, union and political space that demands other types of public policies, and that “a large majority” joins the demands for social transformation and the right to decide of this people .
According to LAB, “the neoliberal recipes applied to date and the institutional management tailored to the employers’ needs are in question,” and they added that “working people want to say goodbye to this political cycle that is exhausted and want alternatives.” In this sense, they have assured that this alternative is “possible.” “As in Ipar Euskal Herria and Navarroa, also In the Basque Autonomous Community the opportunity for change is wide open“.
Source: Eitb
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