Spain's Problem with ETA

The news article is here: http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5387176

The Basque separatist group is ETA. This stand for Euskadi ta Askatasuna, or Basque Homeland and Freedom. They want their own nation, which obviously Spain is not going to simply fork over. After lying mostly dormant for two years, they strike again - first at 5 service stations in Madrid, and then in 7 Spanish cities: Leon, Valladolid, Malaga, Avila, Ciudad Real, Santillana del Mar, and Alicante. It's a good thing that ETA announced they were attacking before they did, so it gave people a chance to clear out of the area. These attacks come on the anniversary of the Spanish Constitution in 1978.

ETA usually doesn't kill people as of late, as they don't want to be compared to the Islamic militants who bombed the Madrid Subway. Nearly 850 people have died since 1968 by ETA, but the last fatal attack was around 18 months ago, due to a crackdown policy.

Some analysts say that since the bombs were mainly small and because ETA warned people before the attacks, ETA is still ready to go to the negotiation table, which Spain has refused. In my under-educated knowledge of how government in Spain works, the nation is divided into Autonomous Communities. El Pais Vasco is one of those. So to my understanding, the Basques already enjoy a great deal of autonomy. Second of all, could they reasonably set up an independent state if given the chance?

There are Basques in France also, so the new "Basque Country" would include parts of Spain and France. I am not entirely opposed to their cause, but I do not think that reasonably Spain or France would give up any territory at all. What especially hurts their chances of any concesesions is the terrorist activity. Blowing up buildings, in my opinion, does nothing except make people mad and have them turned off to the cause. If the Basques want something, they should petition the Spanish and French governments, instead of damaging property and wounding or killing innocent people.