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Date: Fri, 12 Sep 97 20:47:59 CDT Basque Web Site BackBy Gary Wilson, Workers World, 18 September 1997In July, a web site on the Internet maintained by a Basque organization was shut down by IGC/Peacenet after a campaign of "e-mail bombing"--sending so much hostile electronic mail to a site that its computers are overwhelmed. This is usually done by computer systems and is never the result of a popular letter writing campaign. Typical e-mail messages could never produce this effect. It appears the Spanish government was behind the censorship campaign, which came days after a large demonstration in Spain against the Basque separatist movement. In a victory for free speech, however, the closed-down web site is now available on five temporary mirror sites. The Congress for Peace in Euskal Herria, which maintained the site, issued a statement saying in part: "On July 18, 1997, the Institute for Global Communications (IGC) suspended the EHJ web site for review. "This occurred after IGC endured a virulent 'e-mail bombing' attack promoted from Spain by political forces who opposed EHJ's reports on the Basque resistance movement and claim ed IGC was hosting the Basque armed organization Euskadi Ta Askatasuna itself. "We believe that Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA, Basque Homeland and Freedom) has a right to a web site just like the Zapatistas, the FARC-EP, the MRTA or any other resistance movement. However, EHJ is published by the Congress for Peace in Euskal Herria, an independent grassroots organization that promotes political negotiations and Basque self-determination. EHJ has historical information and documents about/from ETA but it would be presumptuous to speak for ETA. "Second, we promote dialogue for a peaceful solution of the Basque conflict. And there cannot be real dialogue without including ETA, a principal antagonist in the conflict. "Third, the intervention of the Spanish government-- telling CNN to remove the links between its site and the Euskal Herria Journal--and the media that encouraged the 'e-mail bombing' is a signal that EHJ is effective. "Finally, we hope IGC restores the EHJ web site at the earliest possible date. We believe that no matter how threatening 'e-mail bombing' was to IGC, the suspension of the EHJ web site gives in to such attackers and endangers free speech."
The Euskal Herria Journal can be found at: (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@workers.org. For subscription info send message to: info@workers.org. Web: http://workers.org) |
