Editing ETA (separatist group) (section)

===Social support===
[[File:ETA Pasajes 2003 06 28.jpg|thumb|Graffiti in [[Pasaia]] (2003). "ETA, the people with you" on the left, and Batasuna using several nationalist symbols asking for "Independence!"]]

The [[Spanish transition to democracy]] from 1975 on and ETA's progressive radicalisation had resulted in a steady loss of support, which became especially apparent at the time of their 1997 kidnapping and countdown assassination of [[Miguel Ángel Blanco]]. Their loss of sympathisers had been reflected in an erosion of support for the political parties identified with them. In the 1998 Basque parliament elections Euskal Herritarrok, formerly Batasuna, polled 17.7% of the votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electionresources.org/es/eus/parliament.php?election=1998 |title=October 25, 1998 Election Results - Euskadi Totals |work=Election Resources on the Internet |access-date=21 December 2020}}</ref> However, by 2001 the party's support had fallen to 10.0%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electionresources.org/es/eus/parliament.php?election=2001|title=May 13, 2001 Election Results - Euskadi Totals |work=Election Resources on the Internet |access-date=21 December 2020}}</ref> There were also concerns that Spain's "judicial offensive" against alleged ETA supporters (two Basque political parties and one NGO were banned in September 2008) constituted a threat to human rights.{{cn|date=November 2024}} Strong evidence was seen that a legal network had grown so wide as to lead to the arrest of numerous innocent people.{{cn|date=November 2024}} According to [[Amnesty International]], [[torture]] was still "persistent", though not "systematic".{{cn|date=November 2024}} Inroads could be undermined by judicial short-cuts and abuses of human rights.{{CN|date=November 2024}}