BILBAO, Spain: Tens of thousands of people have demonstrated in Spain's troubled Basque region, calling for the government to legalize a new pro-independence party that says it rejects violence by armed separatist group ETA. The Supreme Court on March 24 denied Sortu legal status and barred it from running in local elections in May, finding the party is a repackaged version of ETA's outlawed political wing Batasuna. Protesters carried placards saying “For the normalization of the Basque region, legalization now.” Sortu can appeal but the ruling will likely come after the May 22 polls.
