Connor Hayes speaks with Senator Gorka Elejabarrieta Díaz, a senator in the Spanish parliament and Director of International Relations and Policy for EH Bildu, about the history of the Basque people, the emergence and evolution of the Basque self-determination struggle, the criminalisation of the Basque movement under the war on terror, and the relations between the Basque movement and other self-determination struggles around the world, including the Kurdish freedom movement.

Senator Gorka Elejabarrieta Díaz is a senator in the Spanish parliament for the constituency of Gipuzkoa and serves as Director of International Relations and Policy for Euskal Herria Bildu, a coalition party active in the Basque Country. He was born in Deusto, Bilbao, in 1977, and studied sociology at the University of Deusto. He has received additional training in conflict resolution and international relations, and has published dozens of articles on international politics. Throughout his career, he has worked with a variety of political and civil society actors and officials from all levels of government, from the local to the international, and has served representative functions in numerous countries, including in Belgium, England, Germany, Sweden, Sapmi, Kurdistan, Morocco, Mexico, Ireland, Italy, and Cuba, to name a few.

Connor Hayes is an activist, researcher, and a student of philosophy. He was a member of the 2019 International Peace Delegation to Imrali.

This interview is sponsored by the Peace in Kurdistan Campaign and the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities.