1.
GV PAN ALONG Women demonstrators chanting anti-Franco slogans
0.6

2.
CU Woman carrying baby PAN TO banner and others carrying pictures of dead Basques (2 shots)
0.21

3.
TV Women demonstrators singing & cloth portrait of executed Basque (3 shots)
0.38

4.
SV Women giving clench fist salute and singing
0.45

5.
GU Spanish frontier signpost with Spain crossed out
0.51

6.
GV PAN FROM Frontier TO police forming roadblock
0.58

7.
TV Demonstrators approaching police roadblock (2 shots)
1.05

8.
TV Demonstrators sitting in road in front of police chanting (4 shots)
1.25

9.
CU Banner of Franco in wheelchair with victims
1.30

10.
SV Women chanting (2 shots)
1.30

11.
GV Women holding banners (2 shots)
1.49



Initials BB/0200 NPJ/AW/BB/0220



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: More than one thousand French women blocked traffic going from France to Spain at the border crossing at the town of Hendaye, in southern France on Sunday (5 October). The demonstration was in protest at the Spanish regime of General Franco, following the recent executions of Basque guerrillas in Spain.

The women marched from the town of Hendaye to the international bridge at Behobie, but police blocked access to the frontier and the women staged an 80-minute sit-in on the bridge. They released balloons carrying anti-Franco pamphlets, but contrary winds blew them back into France.

The demonstration was called by five feminist organisations and it was attended by women from the south-west border region and also many from paris.

On Monday (6 October) the foreign ministers of the European Economic Community (Common Market) decided at their meeting in Luxembourg to suspend current trade negotiations with Spain. The decision was announced by the Italian Foreign Minister, Signor Mariano rumour, who had been the chairman of the meeting.

He told a news conference that the meeting had concluded that under present circumstances the negotiations between the Community and Spain cannot be resumed".

SYNOPSIS: More than a thousand French women gathered in the town of Hendaye near the border with Spain on Sunday to demonstrate against the present Spanish regime of General Franco. The demonstration was one of many held throughout Europe following the execution of five Basque guerrillas over a week ago.

The women marched from the town of Hendaye to the international bridge at Behobie. The demonstrators came from many parts of the south west region of France as well as from Paris. The protest had been organised by the five biggest feminist organisations in France. When the demonstrators reached Behobie, however, their access to the frontier was blocked by police.

As they approached the frontier crossing they were stopped by a cordon of gendarmerie. During the demonstration they released balloons carrying anti-Franco pamphlets, but the prevailing winds blew them back into France. They therefore resorted to a sit-down protest and traffic was prevented from crossing the bridge for eighty minutes. The police did not attempt to move the demonstrators from the road, and the protest ended without violence.

On the following day, Monday, further pressure was put on the Spanish regime when the foreign ministers of the European Economic Community decided at their meeting in Luxembourg, to suspend current trade negotiations with Spain. The Chairman of the meeting, Italy's Signor Mariano Rumour, told newsmen that the ministers concluded that negotiations could not be resumed under present circumstances.