Spanish police hit Basque youth wing

Police say Haika is a breeding ground for ETA

By Flora Botsford in Madrid

Spanish police have arrested 15 members of the Basque youth group, Haika, for alleged links with the violent separatist group, ETA.

Police between Haika members graduate to attacks such as this one in Bilbao on Saturday

Around 300 police took part in the raids in the early hours of Tuesday morning, at locations spread over the Basque region and neighbouring Navarre.

As well as arresting the members of Haika, which means "Rise up" in Basque, they took away a truck-load of documents, CD-Roms and promotional material.

The judge who tried to put former Chilean leader General Pinochet on trial in Spain, Baltasar Garzon, ordered the arrests and was there in person to oversee the operation.

Training ground

The Spanish authorities have been been keeping a close eye on Haika, which they believe is a training ground for ETA recruits.

"First they throw stones, then petrol bombs, and next they pick up a gun or plant a car bomb," said Juan Cotino, the director of police.

"Important terrorists have emerged from this organisation," he added.

Almost every day in the Basque country there is street violence or vandalism which police blame on ETA's youth supporters.

Public telephones are smashed, cash dispensers destroyed and buses burnt by gangs of youths who are rarely arrested.

Cross-border links

Haika was formed in April last year from the merger of Spanish and French Basque youth groups.

Its inaugural rally and rock concert was attended by 20,000 young people, who were shown a video urging them to continue the fight for an independent Basque country.

This week the French anti-terrorist authorities warned that ETA and its supporters were planning to step up their activities on French soil.

The most radical Basque nationalists are fighting for a homeland which includes not just the semi-autonomous Basque region of Spain but part of France as well.