The law and the will of the people were key to ending ETA's terrorism

The Faculties of Law (Comillas ICADE) and Humanities and Social Sciences (Comillas CIHS) joined synergies in organising the screening of the documentary “Basta ya. Resistencia democrática. Conversaciones en la librería Lagun” by Juan Vadillo, a piece that brings together various testimonies of resistance to ETA. After the screening, those present were able to attend a colloquium, moderated by the Director of the Department of International Relations at Comillas CIHS, Emilio Sáenz-Francés, and in which, in addition to the director of the film, the MEP Maite Pagazaurtundúa, one of the protagonists and promoters of the documentary, and the Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Law, Ignacio Astarloa, took part.

During the presentation, Emilio Sáenz-Francés recalled the importance of memory. "This event has to do with one of the most dramatic and tragic passages of our country, and we cannot let it fall into oblivion". The director of the Department of International Relations also alluded to the collaboration between faculties that made the organisation of the meeting possible. "To quote the Dean of Law, Abel Veiga, together we are stronger. This event is a start to continue collaborating and doing many more things together," he concluded.

After the screening of the film, the students in attendance, many of them from the Dual Degree in Law and International Relations, were able to listen first-hand to the testimonies of the protagonists. "The 'Basta Ya' movement put an end to the silence and stigma attached to the victims every time there was a murder by the terrorist group ETA. It all started from a citizens' movement that decided to take their freedom seriously," said Maite Pagazaurtundúa. "We took to the streets and showed our rejection of the brutality and violence that had become normalised and had permeated the institutions", she concluded.

Ignacio Astarloa, Secretary of State for Security from 2002 to 2004 and responsible for the Law on Political Parties, alluded to the "strength of the state" when it came to putting an end to the conflict. "The terrorists were defeated when the rule of law used only the weapons of the rule of law and the law to fight them".