Until the 19th century, Spanish kings swore an oath to respect Basque autonomy underneath a tree here in Guernica. But despite this tortured history, or perhaps because of it, the Catalan crisis does not appear to have markedly increased the zeal for Basque independence. But after a controversial Catalan independence referendum in early October, an opinion poll found that nearly 63 percent of Basques did not want to copy the Catalan approach to achieving independence, while only 22 percent were in favor. Besides, the Basque region already has greater autonomy than Catalonia, particularly in financial affairs, Mr. Ortuzar said. PhotoThis does not harbinger a return to separatist violence, which is now “out of the political equation” in the Basque region, Mr. Otegi said.

Source: New York Times October 28, 2017 09:00 UTC