COMMENTS:
Voted : No, it isn't wrong. Ethnic profiling can be practical and logical in this kind of circumstance.
Oh indeed, I can see that such a policy can be practical, logical, and useful. It would be silly to suspect all people of all backgrounds to be equally likely to be an ETA terrorist. Being slightly more suspicious of Basque people is probably common sense; and doing so does not mean at all that one believes all basque people are part of ETA or that they are all terrorists, but it is rather a matter of the fact that most in ETA are indeed Basque.
Let us say for example, that the Spanish government has come across information that ETA is planning to set off a bomb at Madrid airport. They increase security at the airport. Would it be wrong or right for them to be somewhat more suspicious of Basques (indicated by their names, etc), taking into account that people's lives could very well be at stake?
There would probably of course be innocent Basque people at that airport as well. However, their lives are at risk too, and this isn't about hounding them; this is about protecting them as well.
Voted : Yes, it is wrong. All people from all groups should equally be suspected of being an ETA terrorist.
if they want to separate, they should be allowed to. then you don't have to oppress people by profiling
by LCD on Fri Feb 09, 07 1:03am
[+]
It's impossible to distinguish a basque from a catalan, a galician, castillian, etc. by the his/her physical appearance and the Etarras have fake id's and blag their cars in France. So it doesnt make much sense to profile the basques.
Besides there are non-basques helping them...
Oh and i was questioned once when i lived in Spain. So i dont think they are just going after the basques
Voted : No, it isn't wrong. Ethnic profiling can be practical and logical in this kind of circumstance.
You mean they actually look at the people most likely to be terrorists? What a concept. But how do they harass old women and children at the airports?
seamus- I believe Spaniards can easily distinguish a Basque from their names, and also their accent.
LCD- I sympathise with the Basque claim to self-determination. However, I have none of that for ETA. They are terrorists. I would support the Basques getting an independent state through a democratic referendum to the Basque people, but I would oppose your idea of simply giving them independence merely because ETA said so.
And do you seriously believe that all people should be equally suspected of being an ETA terrorist? How about a Japanese tourist? Should he be considered on an exact level of suspicion as anyone else from your point of view? I think such an assertion is ludicrous.
"I believe Spaniards can easily distinguish a Basque from their names, and also their accent."
Not really then cant. Spaniards suck at languages. Besides, it's easy for a basque to imitate a castilian accent. That's what i imagine an ETA terrorist will do while driving his nicked Peaugeot with 100 kg of dynamite in the boot down the motorway and the coppers pull him over. And like i said before they use forged id's. Good ones too.
seamus- From my point of view the Basques have a very strong and distinct accent (probably due in part to the fact that their language makes up its own distinct linguistic family). As for covering up an accent? That skill varies from individual to individual. I personally could never hide the accent of where I come from no matter how hard I tried. I hear most Basque separatists plain refuse to speak either Spanish or French out of their nationalism, and insist on their own language?
They refuse to speak spanish to or in front of "spaniards" but they do know how to speak it and need no particular effort to impersonate a bloke from Madrid for example. Outside of the Basque Country they have no other option but speak it.
In the flat above mine lived a guy from San Sebastian. We had the same landlord and signed the rental contract on the same day. I remember mr Espino, the landlord, asking him where he was from. So obviously he was clueless about his origin.
Voted : Yes, it is wrong. All people from all groups should equally be suspected of being an ETA terrorist.
^ What seamus said.
seamus- That's strange. I have heard of other Spaniards who can easily pick up on the different accents of the entire country: be it Basque accent, Madrid accent, Seville accent, and so on.
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