European elections: No ban on ideas

A list of candidates for the European elections in Spain has been declared invalid by the country's Supreme Court on the grounds of alleged close ties with the Basque terrorist organisation Eta. Many critics call this a false decision, saying the evidence is not conclusive. Political scientist Ramón Cotarelo has soothing words for the critics in the Spanish daily Público: "Ultimately the conclusion is that the conclusion of the critics is wrong. In Spain we do not ban ideas, and certainly not ideas of independence. The proof is that independence-seeking parties are represented in our institutions, like Aralar in the Basque country and the ERC in Catalonia, which is actually a ruling party there. The difference is that they do not approve of violence and do not belong to the political movement of those who murder in order to impose their political ideas. In Spain activities or events are banned, but not ideas. And anyone who is affected by a ban can appeal against it if he believes that rights have been violated."

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