The former president of the High Court of Justice of the Basque Country, Juan Luis Ibarra, pointed out that social and cultural criticism of the latest rulings that have reduced the linguistic rights of the Basques are “the echo of the campaigns that ENAM – the Basque National Liberation Movement – used to scare the Basque judiciary” between 1996 and 2001. Likewise, in a conference organized by the Buesa Foundation, Ibarra stressed that in the criticisms the “taste of the strategy of socializing suffering” is perceived.

Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu highlighted the "lack of sensitivity" of the magistrates towards the Basque country. On the other hand, the Government spokesman and Minister for Culture and Language, Bingen Zupiria, announced that he would file two appeals against the rulings of the General Justice of the Basque Country for “the annulment of some ten articles of the decree regulating the use of Euskera in Basque municipalities”. Zupiria also noted that the rulings and political positions questioning the Basque government are worrying.

The Valley has equated these criticisms at the heart of the “delegitimization campaigns” carried out by ENAM and ETA to the judiciary, and has stressed that “they echo the strategy of socializing suffering”.

Demonstration against sentences in Basque

The Council of Euskalgintza organised a demonstration on 4 November in Bilbao. The protest against “rulings that despise the Basque and Basque speakers” has been supported by agents such as ELA, LAB, ESK, CGT/LKN, Steilas, Hiru, EHNE, Etxalde, Lanartea, Olatu Koop and EH Pensioners.