Standing vigil against violence

Demonstrations are held to counter ETA killings

By CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain (CNN) -- For millions of Spaniards, the fight against bombs and bullets of separatist violence has brought a response from different kinds of weapons -- peace marches and vigils.

Once sporadic, these demonstrations have grown dramatically in the last four years. One group, whose name means Gesture for Peace, has made a point of answering each ETA killing with a street protest. Other groups have followed suit.

"You have a big problem as a society (and) I think it's a good symptom that this society reacts publicly against this problem," says Pedro Luis Arias of Gesto por la Paz.

VIDEO CNN's Al Goodman reports on the marches and vigils held in response to the violence Play video (QuickTime or Windows Media) An interview with Pedro Luis Arias of the Gesto por La Paz peace group Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

His group made popular a symbol of protest against ETA's kidnappings: a blue ribbon resembling an A, the first letter in the Basque word for freedom.

In Spain, standing vigil does not always mean marching in the streets. In San Sebastian, a memorial concert was held on January 12 for a former health minister shot dead by ETA late last year.

While the music evoked memories of the popular leader, just blocks away from the auditorium -- on the same night, at the same hour -- relatives of ETA prisoners marched, complaining their jailed family members were unjustly being kept far from home.

Though all sides take their protests to the streets, the marches against separatist violence are much larger, and peace groups are confident they are making a difference.

"This is a society that has been abused for the past 20 years in many respects," says Jose Antonio Zorrilla of the peace group Basta Ya. "I think taking to the streets, showing visibly that you are not afraid, is a decisive element in any peace process."

Zorrilla and other Spaniards like him vow to keep marching until the violence stops. No one knows how long that will take.

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