Unknown individuals spray-painted slogans on the socialist party’s Txosna in the Campas de Arrate at Eibar (Gipuzkoa) overnight on 8 September. The news agency Europa Press reported this in the morning. According to the report, volunteers from the local party branch discovered the slogans before the festivities in honour of Eibar’s patron saint began. All that was reported about the graffiti was that it was offensive and political in nature.
The Socialist Party of the Basque Country (PSE-EE) condemned the attack as unacceptable, according to reports, and said it would contact the relevant authorities. There were initially no concrete leads on who was responsible. Onda Vasca also reported the incident. It was still unclear that morning whether a complaint had been filed and what investigative steps would follow.
The affected festival stall belonging to the Agrupación Socialista de Eibar had been set up as part of the patron saint’s day celebrations in Arrate . Txosnas — temporary festival stalls — are a familiar feature of local celebrations in the region. Parties, associations and neighbourhood groups regularly run them during major festivities.
According to consistent regional reports, similar acts of vandalism against festival stalls belonging to various political groups have occurred repeatedly in previous years around the Arrate celebrations. However, current reports provide no reliable evidence pointing to a particular perpetrator or organised motives. Observers in local political circles regularly note that incidents of this kind strain relations; in this case, there is no firm evidence of any pattern or motive.
The local socialist branch called for respect in political competition and stressed the importance of peaceful celebrations. No official statements from the security forces had been published by the time of writing. Further details of the incident and any suspects are expected once the investigating authorities provide more information.
Eibar is in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country. The pilgrimage site of Arrate above the city is traditionally the setting for the patron saint’s day celebrations, which attract large numbers of visitors each year. Several festival stalls are set up at the Campas de Arrate for the occasion; the damaged socialist stall was one of them.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).