Hunger striker’s health at risk

Today marks the 40^th day that Jaume Sastre began his hunger strike in defense of decent, public education in Catalan. His health is suffering gravely. According to his support group, doctors have warned Sastre that he “is at a critical junction, at very high risk to his health”.

José Ramón Bauzá’s government has still not made any statements nor contacted Jaume Sastre or his support team. The musician Biel Majoral, who has been at Sastre’s side since the first day, told VilaWeb yesterday: “The government’s lack of sensitivity has been amply proven. Jaume has achieved something extraordinary. He has demonstrated the government’s aggression toward the country, the culture, and the language.”

Majoral says that Sastre is still mentally strong but his body has begun to fail him. For that reason, his family and a small number of people who make up his support group met to evaluate the situation and make a decision.

Hunger strike for Catalan schooling

Jaume Sastre decided to begin a hunger strike to protest the scorn that the Balearic Islands government has shown towards the demands and complains of the educational community, which has been up in arms all school year because of the controversial TIL decree that discriminates against the Catalan language in the classroom.

Sastre, 51 years of age and a high school teacher at IES Llucmajor, has received a good deal of support, including at the Som Escola demonstration in Barcelona on Saturday. In fact, he himself published a letter in his diary on +VilaWeb addressed to the demonstrators which encouraged them to keep the defense of the language and the schools alive.

The worsening of his condition was evident last Thursday during a live interview with TV3. Half way through the discussion, fatigue forced him to have his companion, Biel Majoral, speak for him.