Communist Movement of Euskadi

Communist Movement of Euskadi Euskadi Mugimendu Komunista
Leader	Patxi Iturrioz
Founded	1966 as ETA-Berri
Dissolved	1991
Merged into	Zutik Batzarre
Newspaper	Zer Egin?
Youth wing	Kemen
Ideology	Communism Marxism-Leninism Basque nationalism Maoism[1]
Political position	Far-left
Congreso de los Diputados (1977)	1 / 350
Town councillors in the Basque Country (1979)	9 / 3,827 [2]
Politics of Basque Country

Communist Movement of Euskadi (Basque: Euskadi Mugimendu Komunista, EMK; Spanish: Movimiento Comunista de Euskadi) was originally the branch of the Communist Movement (MC) in Basque Country and Navarre, Spain. EMK was previously known as ETA Berri, a splinter-group of ETA. EMK separated itself from MC in 1983. In 1991 EMK merged with LKI (the Basque branch of LCR) and formed Zutik in Basque Country. In Navarre EMK took part in forming Batzarre. Some of its most prominent leaders were Patxi Iturrioz, Eugenio del Río, Rosa Olivares Txertudi, Milagros Rubio, Jesús Urra Bidaurre and the brothers Javier and Ignacio Álvarez Dorronsoro.^[3]

Ideology

Although initially influenced by Trotskyism, thriving in Europe after the French May 68, EMK adopted a Maoist ideology, inspired by the Chinese Cultural Revolution, but over the years, specially after 1981-82, EMK gradually abandoned its previous ideologies (Orthodox Marxism, Leninism, Maoism). Active in Navarre and the Basque Autonomous Community, is coordinated at the Spanish level with the Communist Movement (MC), of which EMK was one of the founders.

History

First years

EMK appeared after a split in ETA, after the workerist sector left the organization, founding ETA Berri. In 1969 ETA Berri changed its name to Komunistak-Movimiento Comunista Vasco, and adopted a maoist political line. In 1972 EMK finally adopted its last name: Euskadi Mugimendu Komunista.

1975-1977

EMK joined in 1975 the Democratic Convergence Platform, a coalition created by much of the opposition, led by the Socialist Party (PSOE), to fight the Franco dictatorship. The EMK took an active role in all the riots and protests of the time and in the creation of the modern labor movement and tried, along with other organizations, the establishment of a organization that coordinated all the Basque revolutionary left, which eventually was not totally possible, although the majority of the organizations^[4] (including the EMK) created a common platform, the Euskal Erakunde Herritarra (EEH).

Transition

For the first legislative elections of 1977 EMK made a coalition with Euskal Iraultzarako Alderdia (EIA) called Euskadiko Ezkerra (EE) candidate Patxi Iturrioz took a few months the only parliamentary seat obtained in the elections, following the resignation of Francisco Letamendia^[3] Also, in Navarre EMK, EIA, OIC-EKE and ORT formed the electoral coalition Navarrese Left Union (UNAI), that was the third most voted party in Navarre (9.47%), but failed to gain any seat.

UNAI sent Jesús Urra to the commission of the Parliamentary Assembly in 1977, to prepare the autonomic agreement. However, in February 1978 EMK was dissatisfied with the autonomic process, considering it not enough. The same year the Euskadiko Ezkerra sent Juan María Bandrés (only Euskadiko Ezkerra senator) to the Basque General Council (the preautonomic Basque government and the decision of Euskadiko Ezkerra of voting to the candidate of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) to the presidency of the council, precipitated the decision of EMK, that left Euskadiko Ezkerra, along with the OIC-EKE (which in 1979 would eventually be integrated in EMK). EMK finally decided to support abstention in the autonomic referendum of 1979. EMK also left UNAI the same year. In the Navarrese elections of the same year EMK failed to gain any seats in the Parliament of Navarre.

The 80's and the end of the ideological orthodoxy

On April 2, 1983 EMK became independent organizationally from the Communist Movement (MC), to explore new political spaces, which led the organization to support the coalition Auzolan, comprising Liga Komunista Iraultzailea (LKI), LAIA and Nueva Izquierda (Euskadiko Ezkerra split). After the electoral defeat of Auzolan, EMK began a joint campaign with the trotskyist formation LKI, adopting a proabertzale speech and asking several times to vote for HB, which has led some historians to believe that the party became a satellite of abertzale coalition.^[5]

During the 80's, EMK decided to support the new social movements that emerged in the early eighties, including the campaign against NATO membership in a referendum in 1986, the movements of insubordination to the military service or the LGBT movement.

End

In 1991, after several years of collaboration, EMK and LKI decided to merge, resulting in Zutik (in the autonomous community of the Basque Community) and Batzarre (Navarre).

References

1. Until 1983.
2. 6 in the Basque Autonomous Community and 3 in Navarre.
3. «Euskadiko Mugimendu Komunista-Movimiento Comunista de Euskadi», Enciclopedia Vasca Auñamendi.
4. Euskal Herriko Alderdi Sozialista, Langile Abertzale Iraultzaileen Alderdia, Euskal Iraultzarako Alderdia, Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak, Langile Abertzale Komiteak, Carlist Party of Euskalherria, Organización Revolucionaria de los Trabajadores, Eusko Sozialistak, Eusko Komunistak, Party of Labour of Spain, Communist Unification Party, Liga Komunista Iraultzailea, Communist Left Organization and the Communist League.
5. Leonisio Calvo, Rafael (2012). «Izquierda abertzale, de la heterogeneidad al monolitismo». III Congreso Internacional de Historia de Nuestro Tiempo. Logroño: Universidad de La Rioja. p. 385. ISBN 978-84-695-5155-4.

• Merino, Javier (2009). «El espejismo revolucionario: la izquierda radical ante ETA», Cuadernos Bakeaz, núm. 94.