Eta's ceasefire statement decoded

In any case, the outfits and the stage-managing of their videos are easily decoded:

1 The face mask The soft masks with eyeholes are not as rugged as the pipe-and-balaclava combination favoured by Zapatista Subcomandante Marcos in Chiapas, Mexico, but they are at least a change from the highwayman's hankie or keffiyeh favoured by other self-proclaimed revolutionaries. The police wear balaclavas in the Basque country – and Eta do not identify with them.

2 The beret We may associate them with cycling French onion salesmen, but the beret really started as a Basque shepherd's hat. Thanks to Che Guevara they are now also a revolutionary symbol.

3 The ikurriña, or flag of the Basque Country Invented by the father of Basque nationalism, Sabino Arana, at the end of the 19th century. He used the Union Flag as his model. Critics claim that the fact that he had to invent a flag is proof that the Basque country has never really been a separate state.

4 The red flag of Navarre Eta believes that Navarre, now one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions and previously a medieval kingdom that covered much of the Basque-speaking lands in Spain and France, should form part of the Basque Country. Most people in Navarre disagree.

5 The black eagle of King Sancho The eagle on the yellow flag symbolizes the kingdom of Navarre at the height of its glory some eight centuries ago.

6 The axe and snake The axe stands for armed struggle. The snake is, depending on who you speak to, either watchfulness or politics. The "bietan jarrai" slogan can be roughly translated as "go forward both ways". The phrase is given various interpretations, including that Eta will pursue both violent and political routes to independence.