Concept

Gamazada

This is the name given to the period of fueros agitation that Navarre experienced from the spring of 1893 to February of the following year, due to the threat that loomed during those months to the province's tax autonomy enjoyed thanks to the 1841 law on fueros.

The threat lay in article 17 of the new State budget law presented by the Minister of Finance, the liberal Germán Gamazo. From the moment the bill appeared in the Madrid Gazette (11 May 1893), public opinion in Navarre reacted unanimously against it, with not a single political figure willing to compromise on the article which read:

"The Government will immediately use the authorisation granted to it by article 8 of the law of 11 July 1877 to apply to the province of Navarre the contributions, revenues and taxes currently in force, and those created by the present law in the other provinces of the kingdom".

The battle was fought in the Cortes and in the streets. The Provincial Council's note of protest (16 May) was followed by a series of protests from Navarre's town councils, parliamentarians and merindades. Signatures were collected and the people took to the streets on 28 May in the five capitals, demonstrating their intention not to support the project when it was put to the vote. One party, that of López Zabalegui, even went so far as to take up arms. On 4 June, a mass demonstration took to the streets of Pamplona. The unrest spread to the rest of the Basque Country.

At the beginning of August, serious disturbances broke out in Vitoria and, on 16-17 August, the Orfeón Pamplonés arrived in Gernika at the invitation of pro-Fuerista and Biscayan nationalist groups, where the first burning of a Spanish flag in the nationalist celebrations (the Sanrocada) took place. On the 20th, unrest broke out in Laguardia, with one death and several injured. But the most important incidents took place in San Sebastián on the 27th, when people stormed the hotel in London where Sagasta had just moved and the Guardia Civil charged, killing two people and injuring several others. In the last days of August, clashes were frequent along the coast of Gipuzkoa and Biscay, with thousands of workers in Bilbao demonstrating against the government's decision to order cruise ships to Ferrol to the detriment of the city and an atmosphere - on the eve of the renewal of the Economic Agreement of the Basque Country - that was completely opposed to the government.

In February 1894, the Government called a meeting of the Navarrese deputies to the regional parliament, who, after initially refusing, ended up going to Madrid, where they were inflexible. The popularity of the fueros was particularly evident when the Diputación, which had not bowed to Madrid's demands, returned to Navarre on 18 February 1894; on the train journey from Castejón to Pamplona, the deputies received a triumphant ovation amid extraordinary enthusiasm, which deeply impressed Arana Goiri, who was present in Navarre on that day.

On the occasion of this popular Navarrese festival on 18 February 1894, alongside the Catalan regionalists, the Biscayan regionalists were also present - a special train from Bilbao with the Arana Goiri brothers at its head, carrying a flag (made by Juana Irujo) with the slogan alluding to the solidarity of Biscay and Navarre and the colours of the future ikurriña. In red letters on a white background the following bilingual inscription could be read: "Jaun-Goikua eta Lagi-Zarra. Agurreiten deutse Naparrei" - "God and Old Law. Bizkaya salutes Navarre". A delegation from the Euskalerria society and a delegation from the Bilbao Integrist Circle were also present. Sabino de Arana was invited and received in Pamplona by the Provincial Council of Navarre, before which he said a few words:

"In the name of the Biscayans present here, and I could even say of all Biscayans, because they are all with Navarre, and also in the name of the newspaper "Bizkaitarra", of which I am the director, I respectfully greet and enthusiastically congratulate the Provincial Council of Navarre, for its patriotic attitude and its heroic campaign against the unjust plans of the Spanish government, and I ask you to give, on our behalf, a strong embrace to the people of Navarre, the patriotic people, the people who are our brothers, the people who are dear to our hearts". Back in Bilbao, Sabino de Arana wrote a congratulatory message that ended with the following words: Long live Navarre, long live united Euskeria! For Arana," commented Manuel de Irujo, son of Arana's companion on that occasion, Daniel de Irujo, the "gamazada" was a decisive event: "Until then Sabino was a thinker, he had spoken and written, but he had not created a newspaper, he had not created a circle, he had not acted in politics. On the occasion of the Gamazada the newspaper was created, the Euskaldun Batzokija or Basque Centre was set up and he began to act publicly".

Pamplona maintains a proud memory of the days that took place in the Monument to the Fueros, agreed to be erected on 12 June and built, by popular subscription, following the pentagonal project (five merindades) of the architect Manuel Martínez de Ubago from Iruña. Finished in 1903, it bears the following main inscription in Basque:

Gu gaurko euskaldunokGure aitasoen illezkorrenOroipenean, bildu gera emenGure legea gorde naiDugula erakusteko.

[We Basques of today / have gathered here, / in immortal memory of our ancestors, / to that we want / to keep our laws".]

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)