Bildu eliminates bodyguards in towns where it governs

Bildu, the pro-Basque independence coalition, has decided to eliminate bodyguards for all council members in towns where it governs. The surprise measure has alarmed many Socialist and Popular Party councilors who have been threatened by ETA.

"The first order coming from the mayor [Bildu's Ana Carrere] is to prohibit bodyguards from entering all municipal buildings," said Estanis Amutxastegi, a Socialist councilor in Andoain in Guipúzcoa province. San Sebastián Mayor Juan Carlos Izagirre, also of Bildu, said Friday that the city council will discuss whether to keep or eliminate the bodyguards. "It's on the agenda for discussion" he said.

A Bildu spokesman told EL PAÍS that there was no direct order from the coalition's leaders to relax security measures in towns Bildu governs. But according to sources in Andoain, Lasarte-Oria and Mondragón, municipal workers have already removed the metal detectors in the town halls' entrances, and officials have decided not to renew contracts with private security firms.

Basque interior chief Rodolfo Ares, a Socialist, sent a letter to the Andoain mayor expressing his total disagreement with her measures. Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba said that Bildu must follow the law and provide security to councilors.