Txirimoio askatu! ETA prisoner row reopens Spain's debate over ETA

Txirimoio askatu! The call to mobilize that reopens the debate over ETA

Who is Txirimoio, and why has his name become a rallying cry on social media? The slogan "Txirimoio askatu!" (Free Txirimoio) has burst into Basque political life, tied to claims that this ETA prisoner is a victim of "Francoist justice." The call to take to the streets clashes head-on with those who believe that members of the terrorist group, dissolved in 2018, deserve no kind of amnesty.

The Txirimoio case and the shadow of ETA

The figure of Txirimoio, about whom few concrete details have emerged, has become a symbol for those who believe the Spanish justice system holds a political bias against ETA prisoners. The reference to "Francoist justice" is no accident: it seeks to equate the current rule of law with the dictatorship. At the other end, there are those who argue that these prisoners are not victims but perpetrators of blood crimes, and that their ideology lives on even though the organization formally dissolved on 3 May 2018.

ETA's dissolution, certified eight years ago, has left a legal vacuum over the status of its former members. While some argue that, with the organization gone, its members should no longer face incivil charges, others point out that individual crimes do not expire and that many are still serving their sentences. The controversy is fueled by claims of supposed "paguicas," or financial aid that some of these prisoners allegedly receive from public authorities — something some call a privilege and others a hoax.

The cost of a divided society

Beyond the specific case, the "Txirimoio askatu" call shows that the wound of terrorism in the Basque Country remains open. The mobilization, which some have called a provocation, lays bare two irreconcilable narratives: those who see ETA prisoners as political prisoners, and those who consider them common incivil who must serve their full sentences. The irony that the debate sometimes boils down to wordplay over being "inside" or "outside" the organization does not hide how serious the matter is.

With the call to take to the streets, the Txirimoio case threatens to become a new flashpoint in a Basque society that, officially, left terrorism behind. But the slogans and cries of "askatu" show that the silence of weapons is not always accompanied by the silence of hatred.