Socialist Movement (Basque Country)

Socialist Movement (Basque: Mugimendu Sozialista or MS) is a separatist and socialist political movement in the Basque Country that emerged in the late 2010s. The Socialist Movement is composed of various organizations that are interconnected and share similar ideologies and tactics, with each organization focusing on a specific area of influence.

Although the name Mugimendu Sozialista is written with capital letters, or the acronym MS, it is used as a collective term, particularly in the publication Gedar, which is associated with the movement. The name has also been seen written in lowercase.^[1][2]

The Socialist Movement originates from the same ideological sphere as the Basque National Liberation Movement (ENAM) However, from its inception, the movement has broken away from ENAM and the broader Basque Nationalist Left, becoming a movement organized outside of these traditional structures.^[3][4]

The origin of the Socialist Movement can be traced back to the late 2010s. The strategic shift within the Basque Nationalist Left generated significant disagreements among various militants, many of whom began to distance themselves from the Basque Nationalist Left and align with other movements, particularly within the student movement and social centers (gaztetxes). Over time, many of these militants started exchanging ideas, laying the ideological foundations for what would become the Socialist Movement. During this process, blogs like Borroka garaia da! played a crucial role, as they published texts and reflections from different individuals who would later form the Socialist Movement.^[3]

The student movement played a significant role in the formation of the Socialist Movement. Ikasle Abertzaleak (IA) began adopting positions that diverged from the official stances of the Basque Nationalist Left, leading to tensions between IA and the broader Basque Nationalist Left. As a result, in October 2018, the youth organization Ernai decided to sever its ties with IA.^[5] In 2019, IA held its VII Congress, where it formalized and consolidated the ideological and political foundations that had been developing, adopting the creation of a Basque Socialist State as its strategic goal.^[6][7]

In February 2019, the Gazte Koordinadora Sozialista (GKS) was launched at the Auzolana fronton in Gasteiz.^[8] GKS aimed to address youth issues from a class perspective. The new organization began collaborating with IA, shaping the current form of the Socialist Movement. The two organizations have carried out numerous joint actions, the most prominent being the Euskal Herriko Gazte Sozialiston Topagunea (Gathering of Young Socialists of the Basque Country).^[9] In the same year, Erraki was founded to operate within the realm of self-managed spaces. Erraki's goal was to overcome the limitations that these spaces might face in isolation through class solidarity and to equip them with mechanisms for self-defense.^[10]

In October 2020, ITAIA, which had until then been a network of socialist women, became a formal organization, transitioning into the socialist women's organization. Through this change, ITAIA became the organization within the Socialist Movement that addresses gender issues.^[11] In the same year, the Kontseilu Sozialista Iruñerria (Socialist Council of Iruñerria) was introduced at the Berriozar Music School auditorium. The new organization aimed to address societal issues from a socialist perspective and was intended to be intergenerational. Over time, Socialist Councils (Euskal Herriko Kontseilu Sozialista, EHKS) were established in many regions across the Basque Country.

In 2021, Ekida was founded as an organization aimed at promoting art from a socialist perspective.^[12]

The main publication of the Socialist Movement is the Gedar website, which provides updates on the activities of various organizations under the Socialist Movement banner. These organizations include:

• Gazte Koordinadora Sozialista (GKS): The youth movement.
• Ikasle Abertzaleak (IA): The student union.
• Itaia, Emakumeon Antolakunde Sozialista: The socialist women's organization.
• Euskal Herriko Kontseilu Sozialista (EHKS): An organization that addresses societal issues from a socialist perspective. It includes the Basque Country Socialist Housing Union, the Labor Self-Defense Network, and the Institute of Socialist Research.
• Erraki: A network that supports spaces under workers' control, aligned with the building occupation movement.
• Ekida: A cultural initiative aimed at promoting art from a socialist perspective.

While acknowledging certain initiatives within its own ranks, MS has distanced itself from other factions and organizations outside the official Basque Nationalist Left. For instance, it has stated that it has no affiliation with Jarki or their Jardun Koordinadora, nor with the Hauspoa group, the Amnesty and Anti-Repression Movement, or Herritar Batasuna.^[13]

Similar movements like MS have developed after 2022 in other regions in Spain. On July 17, 2022, several assemblies publicly announced the creation of a new political space called "Horitzó Socialista". This movement emerged in Catalonia following a split within the youth organization Arran, due to political, ideological, and strategic differences within the Catalan independence movement. This would lead in 2023 to the creation of the Organització Juvenil Socialista in Catalonia and the Valencian Community.^[14] Similar movements have popped up in Galicia (Creba Socialista), the Balearic Islands (Bastida) and in the Castillian speaking regions of Spain. (Coordinadora Juvenil Socialista).

• Abertzale left
• Batasuna
• Jarki

• Gedar
• Gazte Koordinadora Sozialista
• Ikasle Abertzaleak
• Itaia
• Ekida