Intellectuals, victims of terrorism, politicians and former politicians lead a manifesto that demands the San Sebastian Film Festival to “exclude” from its programming the interview that the journalist Jordi Évole recently made to the former leader of ETA Josu Terneraunderstanding that its broadcast would mean “whitewashing” the terrorist group and the figure of the man himself. Veal.
It is a document signed by figures such as Rosa Diez, Fernando Aramburu, Fernando Savater, Andrés Trapiello, Carlos Martínez Gorriarán, Love Pagazaurtundúa, Carlos García Adanero, Marimar Blanco, Felix de Azúa o Ruben Mugica, among other intellectuals and members of the political sphere. The manifesto is signed by 500 citizens, “the vast majority Basque”, as detailed in the letter.
It demands that the San Sebastián-Zinemaldia International Film Festival exclude from its programming the documentary, produced by Netflix Spain, in which Évole talks with the former leader of ETA in the late 80s and early 90s.
Although it is explained in the letter that the Film Festival “does not share in any way the motives or purposes of Josu Ternera nor of the ETA gang”, it is considered that “this documentary is part of the process of whitewashing ETA and the tragic terrorist history in our country, converted into a justifying and trivializing story that puts murderers and accomplices, victims and resistant”.
For this reason, the signatories ask the competition management not to broadcast this documentary. “We reject the claim that Josu Ternera has had reasons to order dozens of crimes against humanity, including the murder of children for the crime of being children of civil guards. “We deny that such motives should be exposed and applauded in a cultural event of the highest level, as if it were a testimony of an admirable life and an exciting story of action.”