Mass demonstrations took place in the major Basque centres, despite ruthless repression by the dictatorship's police: six demonstrators were wounded by police who opened fire on one demonstration. But in some cases the massive display of solidarity paralysed even Franco's paid assasins.
In the small Basque town of Zarauz, hometown of murdered freedom fighter "Tiki", 5,000 of the 15,000 inhabitants turned out for the requiem mass in his memory, turning it into a demonstration of political solidarity. Attempts by the local Guardia Civil to break up this demonstration were brushed aside by the indignant crowd. On the steps of the church Txiki's mother told the crowd: 'My son's message is to go on with the struggle of the Basque people.' She added, to enthusiastic cheers: 'Go on! Go on!' And indeed this is the message that the Basque people have drawn from the recent repressive actions of the dictatorship.
Elsewhere in the country the response was not so clear-cut. Even these new