S ERVICIOS DE M ANTENIMIENTO DE S ISTEMAS DE S EGURIDAD

Words such as “abertzale (pro-Basque),” “youth,” “pro-liberty vigilante,” and “hero” were included in the positive classification. Descriptions like “group,” “organization,” “member,” and “presumed etarra” constituted neutral vocabulary. And “terrorist organization,” “terrorist,” “armed group,” “authors of kidnapping,” “drug addicts,” “illegals,” “executioners,” “murderers,” “neo-fascists,” and “criminals” were considered negative nouns. 539

Figures Two, Three, Four, and Five depict the results of the analysis graphically.

As discussed in the previous chapter, the word selections of both ABC and La Gaceta del

Norte reflect an over-achingly negative opinion of ETA in response to Ryan’s death. Madrid’s ABC employed 221 negative words or phrases, constituting 91% of its ETA word selections.

Bilbao’s La Gaceta del Norte used 73 negative words or phrases, making up 90% of its ETA descriptions. La Gaceta del Norte used slightly more neutral phrases, with ABC utilizing 4 neutral words at 2.0% of all tallied descriptions, and La Gaceta del Norte including 6 neutral words at 7.5% of all tallied descriptions. ABC printed slightly more positive descriptions than La

Gaceta del Norte. The Madrid paper included 17 positive nouns at 7.0% of all ETA descriptions,

while the Bilbao press only used 2 positive words at 2.5% of all ETA word choices. The

difference between each publication’s positive, neutral, and negative descriptive nouns is slight. In articles referring to Ryan’s kidnapping and assassination, both Madrid and Bilbao expressed a tremendously negative opinion of ETA.

However, the positive, neutral, and negative nouns used to describe ETA in the aftermath of Izaguirre’s torture and death differ strongly from those word selections used in response to Ryan’s kidnapping and murder. In articles referring to Izaguirre’s brutal fate, both Madrid and Bilbao attributed far less negative nouns to ETA. Madrid’s ABC employed 155 negative words or phrases, constituting 62.5% of its ETA descriptions. Bilbao’s La Gaceta del Norte used even fewer negative nouns. The Northern newspaper included 29 negative word choices, making up 34.5% of its ETA word selections. La Gaceta del Norte used more neutral phrases, with ABC utilizing 51 neutral words at 20.5% of all tallied descriptions, and La Gaceta del Norte including 43 neutral words at 51.2% of all tallied descriptions. And both newspapers used approximately the name number of positive words or phrases. ABC utilized 42 positive descriptive nouns at 17% of its ETA word choices, and La Gaceta del Norte used 12 positive words at 14.3% of its ETA descriptions.

The sharp decrease in negative ETA descriptions following Izaguirre’s torture and death is stunning. In articles referring to Ryan’s kidnapping and murder (only a week prior to

Izaguirre’s death), 91% of ABC’s ETA references were negative. And 90% of La Gaceta del 2.5% (2) 7.5% (6) 90% (73)

La Gaceta del Norte: ETA

Descriptions - Ryan

ABC: ETA Descriptions - Ryan

Positive Neutral Negative

Norte’s ETA word choices were negative. But when Izaguirre’s fatal torture consumed Spanish

and Basque media on February 14th, only 62.5% of ABC’s and 34.5% of La Gaceta del Norte’s ETA descriptions were negative. Furthermore, the frequency of neutral and positive nouns reflects a substantial increase between articles referencing Ryan and publications concerning Izaguirre. In the context of Ryan’s mistreatment, 2.0% of ABC’s ETA descriptions were neutral and 7.0% were positive. La Gaceta del Norte’s neutral and positive nouns were equally low. In response to Ryan’s kidnapping and death, 7.5% of the Bilbao newspaper’s ETA word selections were neutral and 2.5% were positive. But in articles referencing Izaguire, 20.5% of ABC’s ETA descriptions were neutral and 17% were positive. And 51.2% (the majority of ETA descriptions) in La Gaceta del Norte were neutral, while 14.3% were positive. The large increase in neutral noun choices in both Madrid and Bilbao is particularly fascinating. It suggests the public possessed a less polarized stance on ETA following Izaguirre’s death than it did after Ryan’s kidnapping and murder. Instead of portraying ETA militants as evil incarnate or heroic patriots, the Spanish and Basque press took a more neutral stance. Izaguirre was a presumed terrorist, but he was also a victim. As this realization dawned on both the Spanish and Basque populace, public opinion mellowed from two emotionally-driven extremes.

The difference between negative shift in Madrid and Bilbao is also noteworthy. Although both ABC and La Gaceta del Norte attributed substantially less negative descriptive nouns to ETA following Izaguirre’s death, ABC was far more derogatory than its Northern counterpart. While 34.5% of La Gaceta del Norte’s ETA descriptions were negative, ABC’s negative nouns reached 62.5% of all words assigned to ETA. The conflicting political sympathies of Madrid and Bilbao likely contributed to the disparity. Madrid, the city in which Izaguirre suffered brutal torture, was more inclined to denounce etarras as dangerous criminals. Negative descriptions of

Izaguirre, and his fellow ETA militants, provided a superficial justification for the prisoner’s death. In contrast, Bilbao was historically sympathetic to ETA’s cause. La Gaceta del Norte journalists were more likely to avoid negative condemnation of Izaguirre and other etarras. Instead the Bilbao paper utilized positive or neutral terminology regarding ETA to bolster support for Basque independence movements.

Despite Izaguirre’s criminal history, the etarra’s savage torture increased favorable public sentiment towards the Basque terrorists. His prison death, which Basque and Spanish civilians deemed an example of governmental disregard for Spain’s new democratic system, enraged both populations. A representative of the Socialist Party of the Basque Country (Euskadiko Ezkerra) speculated to El Correo Español, “This fact [Izaguirre’s death]

demonstrates that there is a government strategy to divide the country [around terrorism] and cause another civil war.”540

And the Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party (PSOE) issued a statement asserting “the death of José Arregui Izaguirre, brought on by nine days of interrogation, threatens

540 _{El Correo Español [Vitoria, Spain] 14 Feb. 1981: 5. Print.}

14.3% (12) 51.2% (43) 34.5% (29)

La Gaceta del Norte: ETA

Descriptions - Izaguirre