He Bilbao Athletic Club will pay tribute this Saturday, October 19 to Martine Zabaleta and the serpent Pasang Temba“the heroes who carried the ikurriña at the top of the world” by crowning the Everest in 1980. Aboth They will kick off in San Mamés, during the match in front of him Spanish.
However, the tribute backfired red and white club. The reason? Several groups have warned that the mountaineer who participated in this expedition took a photo of the highest peak on the planet with a Basque flag on which appeared the ax and the snake ETA.
“I personally take responsibility for the slogan,” Zabaleta declared at the time, posing with the anagram of the terrorist group and an anti-nuclear poster. 1980 was also the bloodiest and cruelest year for the group, a year of many deaths. ETA killed as it had never done before and as it has never done since: in 1980, it murdered 98 people.
The climber from Gipuzkoa, accompanied by Serpa Temba and a group made up of 11 other Basque and Navarrese mountaineers, They trampled on the top of Everest on May 14, 1980, “a date engraved in letters of gold and diamonds in the history of Basque sport”, according to the Athletic press release. Everest is the the highest mountain on the planetwith a altitude of 8,848 meters above sea level.
“They made the Basque flag the sixteenth flag to fly at the summit of Everest,” the Athletic press release continued, “without a doubt one; an undeniable success who filled with pride a society which needed positive news“.
THE honor kicks They are generally awarded for sporting merits. During the last matches, the Bizkayan club honored, among others, the rally driver Joseba IrolaEuropean mountain sports champion with the Basque national team; to the boxer Sandblaster Martineworld number 1 and three-time world champion and fervent supporter of the club; Dani Ruiz-Bazanhistoric captain of Athletic on the 50th anniversary of his professional debut, etc.
On this occasion, and on the occasion of the centenary ofAnd THE Basque-Navarra Federation of Mountaineering, San Mamés decided to pay “a well-deserved tribute” to Zabaleta and the Sherpa.
Controversial
As EL ESPAÑOL learned from sources close to the club, the club was unaware that Zabaleta was wearing an ikurriña with ETA symbols. THE Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) and Ego Noa citizen platform focused on fight excuses of the terrorist group, showed their rejection to the tribute by echoing the news on social networks.
Despite the controversy generated, Athletic is not going to back down and will continue with the event. This newspaper contacted the Rojiblanco club to find out its position on this issue. The Athletic decided not to comment on the subject and referred to the press release published on its website. Zabaleta is referred to as a “legend” and it is obvious that he was holding an ikurriña with the ETA symbol.
Athletic’s match against Espanyol takes place precisely on the same weekend in which another team, Atlético de Madrid, will apply the sanction of partial closure of its stadium due to the growing commitment of sports establishments and policies against violence. He The punishment inflicted on the Madrilenians has its origins in the incidents of the derby against Real Madrid on September 29, during which there were throwing objects by some of the supporters.
The controversy also comes at a time of peak sensitivity from victims of terrorism. At the beginning of October, the Basque Government, a coalition formed by PNV and the PSOEgranted the semi-freedom regime to members of ETA Luis Mariñelarena Garciandiamurderer of Fernando Buesa, and Harriet Iragi Gurrutxagaconvicted of shooting prosecutor Luis Portero. The decision was taken in particular by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, led by the Socialist Party. Mary Jesus Saint Joseph.
Added to this is the recent reform of the law in favor of ETA detainees, which should be published in the Official State Gazette. This is a Government bill which transposes a European directive and which received the unanimous support of the entire Congress. Without realizing it, the people approved an amendment of the Add For that ETA prisoners would deduct the years in prison they have served France.
