The legitimization of political violence: A case study of ETA in the Basque country.

Abstract

Political violence can be legitimized by offering the public justifications for harm doing. This study of the legitimation of political violence is situated in the Basque region in northern Spain. It focuses on ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna; Basque Homeland and Freedom), the last separatist and nationalist group in Western Europe using terrorist violence as a tactic to achieve independence. In its 50 years of existence, ETA has evolved in its target selection and the forms of violence it utilizes to achieve political independence for the Basque Country. Utilizing two theories as analytic tools, Faces of Legitimization Theory (Van den Broek, 2004) and Moral Exclusion Theory (Opotow, 1990a, 1990b, 1995), this article describes how ETA's victims experience threatened or actual harm and its aftermath, how ETA describes its own actions, and the relation between ETA and Spanish governments. The article concludes with a discussion of results, limitations, and implications of the research findings.