The Basque language in the court

The Basque language played another “match” last week in the court of Baiona/Bayonne, in the Northern Basque Country (France). In recent years, it has played several more in courts across the Basque Country, both in France and Spain. The field of justice has rarely been a welcoming one for Basque, with a few exceptions.

Four Basque activists were tried for painting a slogan in favour of the official status of Basque on the building that houses the Department of Pirinio Atlantikoak/Pyrénées-Atlantiques in Baiona/Bayonne. The message read: Euskaraz bizi nahi dugu! – “We want to live in Basque.” The action was intended to denounce what the activists see as the French authorities’ failure to take the language seriously and, in the words of Bernart Etxepare, their failure to give it the momentum it needs.

The defendants had informed the court well in advance of their intention to testify in Basque. The court therefore had sufficient time to appoint an interpreter to translate their statements into French, but chose not to do so. This was not without precedent. In previous decades, the same court had allowed Basque-speaking defendants to testify in Basque with the assistance of an interpreter – including members of the armed group Iparretarrak in 1984 and several Basque refugees.

Why not now? In matters concerning the Basque language, the approach of some judges in the Northern Basque Country appears to mirror that of some judges in the Southern Basque Country under Spanish administration. If they were coordinated, they might not have acted differently.

Did Basque lose last week in Baiona/Bayonne? Not necessarily. It depends on how the case is viewed. Gorka Torre and the three other defendants maintained their request firmly, taking another step towards the normal use of Basque in the courts.

With many such actions, supporters argue, it may be possible to crack the walls of the palaces of justice – as other walls once raised against Basque have already begun to crack.