The Wall Street Journal receives the 17.000 signatures defending the basque language

All the 17.000 basques around the world who signed past November a reply letter to "The Wall Street Journal" to protest against the article written by Keith Johnson saw all their efforts rewarded at last. Emilia Doyaga, member of the NABO organization and of the New York Basque Club, handed over Karen Pensiero, vice-editor of the famous newspaper, the document with the 17.000 signatures complaining about the article wrote against basque language. Also, she enclosed the letter written by Eusko Ikaskuntza to defend the language.

Were morning 11.30 roughly, New York time, when Emilia Doyaga went upstairs to "The Wall Street Journal" building in order to deliver Mrs. Penseiro the document collecting the 17.000 signatures of all the basques showing their rejection to the article and defending but also supporting the basque language. An hour latter, the meeting was finished leaving a very good sesation on the basque representative: "We have done our work as basques and we have delivered the proper message" assured Doyaga.

Karen Pensiero, vice-editor of "The Wall Street Journal", answered in the name of the prestigious newspaper by explaining they wouldn´t rectify for it. Anyway, Mrs. Doyaga was very happy with the meeting and she affirmed that "we have a very good impression (...) Despite of their lack of compromise for publishing a rectification letter, we are very happy of having being received by them, something they never use to do".  As the same time, Emilia Doyaga also invited the newspaper "to write a report by explaning the nowadays real state of the basque culture, with its history and explaning who are we".

All this polemic was created on the 6th of November 2007 by  "The Wall Street Journal" correspondent at Spain called Keith Johnson titled article "Basque Inquisition: How Do You Say Shepherd in Euskera?". On it he was constantly attacking the Basque and he also stayed that it was a "backward" and "rural" language that "is not adapted to the contemporary world". Betwen its lines we could also read that "the basque independists have choosen the gramatics instead of the guns."

More info

Read Keith Johnson´s complete article.

Visit the special space created for defending the Basque language on EuskoSare. 

Read the news published on Deia.

Read the news published on Diario de Noticias de Gipuzkoa.

Read the news published on Eitb24.