| Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, (ETA) | |
|---|---|
ETA symbol |
|
| Operational | 1959–present |
| Led by | Mikel Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina "Txeroki" |
| Objectives | The creation of an independent socialist Basque Country (Euskal Herria) |
| Active region(s) | Spain and France (Basque Country) |
| Ideology | Basque nationalism, Marxism-Leninism |
| Status | Designated as Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. State Department Designated as Proscribed Group by the UK Home Office Designated as terrorist group by EU Common Foreign and Security Policy |
Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or ETA (Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom"; pronounced [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque nationalist separatist organization. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Basque nationalism is a movement with roots in the Carlism and the loss by the laws of 1839 and 1876 of the Ancien Régime relationship between the Basque provinces Marxism-Leninism is a Communist ideological stream that emerged as the mainstream tendency amongst the Communist parties in the 1920s as it was adopted " Foreign Terrorist Organization " is a designation of non- United States -based organizations declared terrorist by the United States Secretary of State The Terrorism Act 2000 is a current United Kingdom Act of Parliament, described as "an Act to make provision about Terrorism; and to make temporary The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for security and order The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in This article deals with the workings of European Union foreign policy Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain Basque nationalism is a movement with roots in the Carlism and the loss by the laws of 1839 and 1876 of the Ancien Régime relationship between the Basque provinces Separatism refers to the advocacy of a state of cultural ethnic tribal religious racial or gender separation from the larger group often with demands for greater political autonomy Founded in 1959, it evolved from a group advocating traditional cultural ways to an armed group demanding Basque independence. [1]
According to official figures, since 1968 ETA has killed 823 people,[2] having committed dozens of kidnappings over this period as well. The group is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by both the Spanish and French[3] authorities as well as the European Union as a whole,[4] the United States,[5] and the United Nations. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in " Foreign Terrorist Organization " is a designation of non- United States -based organizations declared terrorist by the United States Secretary of State The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security More than 700 members of the organization are incarcerated in prisons in Spain, France, and other countries. [6]
All formulations of ETA's goals have centered on sovereignty and self-determination for the Basque Country. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Self-determination is defined as free choice of one’s own acts without external compulsion and especially as the freedom of the people of a given Territory to determine their [7] The group's ideology is Marxist-Leninist. Marxism-Leninism is a Communist ideological stream that emerged as the mainstream tendency amongst the Communist parties in the 1920s as it was adopted [8]
ETA's motto is Bietan jarrai ("Keep up on both"). This refers to the two figures in the its symbol, a snake (representing politics) wrapped around an axe (representing armed fight). [9][10][11]
ETA has changed several times its internal structure for different reasons, commonly security ones. The band used to have a very hierarchical organization with a leading cupola on the top, delegating into three substructures: the logistic, military and political sections. Reports from the Spanish, Basque and French police point toward significant changes in the last years in ETA's structures. ETA has divided the three substructures into a total of eleven. The change was a response to recent captures, and possible infiltration, by the different law enforcement agencies. ETA intention is to disperse its members and reduce the impact of detentions.
The leading committee is formed by 7 to 11 individuals, and ETA's internal documentation refers to it as Zuba, a abbreviation of Zuzendaritza Batzordea (directorial committee). There is another committee named Zuba-hitu that functions as an advisoral committee. The eleven different substructures are: logistics, politics, international relations with fraternal organizations, military operations, reserves, prisoner support, expropriation, information, recruitment, negotiation and treasury. [12]
ETA's armed operations are organized in different taldes ("groups") or commandos, generally composed of three to five members, whose objective is to conduct attacks in a specific geographic zone. The taldes are coordinated by the cúpula militar ("military cupola"). In Architecture, a cupola or lantern is a radially symmetrical ornamental structure (often dome-shaped or quadrilateral located on top of a larger To supply the taldes, support groups maintain safe houses and zulos, the Basque word zulo literally means "hole". In law enforcement and intelligence jargon of Intelligence agencies and Police forces a secured location suitable for hiding witnesses agents or other persons Zulos are small rooms concealed in forests, house attics or undergrounds, used to store arms, explosives or, sometimes, kidnapped people. The small cellars used to hide the people kidnapped are named by ETA and ETA's supporters "people's jails"[13]. Currently the most common commandos are the itinerant ones, not linked to any specific area, and thus, more difficult to capture. [14]
Among its members, ETA distinguishes between legales/legalak ("legal ones"), those members who do not have police records and live apparently normal lives; liberados ("liberated") members known to the police that are on ETA's payroll and working fulltime for ETA;apoyos("support") who just give punctual help and logistics support to the organization when required. [15]. There are also the imprisoned members of the organization, serving time scattered across Spain and France, that sometimes have still significant influence inside the organization; and finally the quemados ("burned out"), members freed after having been imprisoned or those that the organization suspect under police vigilance. There was also in the past the figure of the deportees, expelled by the French government to remote countries where they live free. France stopped the practice of deporting ETA members to other places than to Spain to be judged.
ETA's internal bulletin is named Zutabe ("Column"), replacing the earlier one(1962) Zutik ("Standing"). See Zutik for the current Basque leftist party ---- Zutik ("Standing" in Basque was the internal organ of the Basque
ETA also promotes the kale borroka ("street fight"), that is, violent acts against public transportation, political parties offices or cultural buildings, destruction of private property of politicians, police, military, journalist, council members, and anyone voicing critics against ETA, bank offices, menaces, graffiti of political mottos, and general rioting, usually using Molotov cocktails. Kale borroka ( Basque for 'Street Fighting' refers to urban riots caused by Basque nationalist youth who are integrated into the Abertzale The Molotov cocktail, also known as the booze bomb, alcohol bomb or Molotov bomb, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary These groups are made up mostly of young people, who are directed through youth organizations (such as Jarrai, Haika and Segi). SEGI is a Basque pro-independence and revolutionary left-wing organization Many of the present-day members of ETA started their collaborations with the organization as participants in the kale borroka.
The political party Batasuna (formerly known as Euskal Herritarrok and "Herri Batasuna"), banned today by the Spanish Law as a non-democratic organization (Ley de Partidos Políticos[16]), pursues the same political goals as ETA and does not condemn ETA's use of violence. Batasuna ("Unity" in Basque language) is a Basque nationalist political organization based mainly in Spain, declared illegal but with Batasuna ("Unity" in Basque language) is a Basque nationalist political organization based mainly in Spain, declared illegal but with Batasuna ("Unity" in Basque language) is a Basque nationalist political organization based mainly in Spain, declared illegal but with It generally received 8 to 15% of the vote in the Basque Autonomous Community [17].
Batasuna's political status has been a very controversial issue. It is considered to be the political wing of ETA[18][19] although the party itself denies that this is the case, despite the fact that double membership -simultaneous or alternative- between Batasuna and ETA is often recorded, such as with the cases of prominent Batasuna leaders like Josu Ternera, Arnaldo Otegi, Jon Salaberria and others[20][21]. Arnaldo Otegi Mondragón (born 6 July 1958) is a Basque politician the ideological enforcer and Spokesman for the Basque nationalist The Spanish Cortes (the Spanish Parliament) began the process of declaring the party illegal in August 2002 by issuing a bill entitled the Ley de Partidos Políticos which bars political parties which may be based on a hatred ideology or which advocate political violence. The Cortes Generales ( Spanish for General Courts or Cortes Españolas, Spanish Courts) is the Legislature of Spain. Many within Basque nationalism strongly disputed this move, which they felt was too draconian or even unlawful: they alleged that any party could be made illegal almost by choice, simply for not clearly stating their opposition to an attack. Defenders of the new law argue that the Ley de Partidos does not necessarily require responses to individual acts of violence, but rather a declaration of principles explicitly rejecting violence as a means of achieving political goals anathema to the state. Batasuna has failed to produce such a statement as of February 2008. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
In a parallel trial, the Judge Baltasar Garzón suspended the activities of Batasuna and its headquarters were shut down by police as the nature of the relationship between the political party and ETA were investigated. Baltasar Garzón Real (born October 26, 1955 in Torres, Jaén, Spain) is a Judge in Spain. The Supreme Court of Spain finally declared Batasuna illegal on March 18, 2003. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The court considered proven that Batasuna had links with ETA and that it constituted in fact part of ETA's structure.
A new party called Aukera Guztiak (All the Options) was formed ex profeso for the elections to the Basque Parliament of April 2005. The Basque Parliament ( Basque: Eusko Legebiltzarra &ndash Spanish: Parlamento Vasco) is the legislative body of the Basque Country Its supporters claimed no heritage from Batasuna, asserting that their aim was to allow Basque citizens to freely express their political ideas, even those of independence. On the matter of political violence, Aukera Guztiak stated their right not to condemn some kind of violence more than other if they did not see it fit (in this regard, the MLNV regards violent police action as violence, which the law does not). The Basque National Liberation Movement ( Spanish: Movimiento de Liberación Nacional Vasco MLNV; Basque Euskal Herri Askapenerako Mugimendua is an umbrella Nevertheless, most of their members and certainly most of their leadership were former Batasuna supporters or affiliates. The Spanish Supreme Court unanimously considered the party to be a sequel to Batasuna and declared a ban on it.
After Aukera Guztiak had been banned, and less than two weeks before the election, another political group appeared born from an earlier schism from Herri Batasuna, the Communist Party of the Basque Lands (EHAK/PCTV, Euskal Herrialdeetako Alderdi Komunista / Partido Comunista de las Tierras Vascas), a formerly unknown political party which had no representation in the Autonomous Basque Parliament. The Communist Party of the Basque Homelands ( Euskera: Euskal Herrialdeetako Alderdi Komunista, acronym EHAK; Spanish: Partido Comunista EHAK made the announcement that they would apply the votes they obtained to the programme of the now banned Aukera Guztiak platform. This move left no time for the Spanish courts to investigate the EHAK in compliance with the Ley de Partidos before the elections were to be held, which eventually allowed the programme of the illegalized Batasuna to keep being represented without having condemned violence as required by the Ley de Partidos. The bulk of Batasuna supporters voted in this election for PCTV, a virtually unknown political formation until then. PCTV obtained 9 seats (12. 44% of votes) at the Basque Parliament [22].
The roots of ETA's support lie in attempts of the dictator Franco to suppress Basque nationalism. Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid Since some Basque nationalists had sided with the Republican government in the Spanish Civil War, Franco restricted virtually any public expressions of Basque culture and banned all expressions of Basque nationalism, including public display of the nationalist flag (the Ikurriña), the celebration of nationalist holidays, speaking the Basque language in public or teaching the language in schools and even baptizing children with non-Spanish names. The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid The Ikurriña flag is a Basque symbol and the official flag of the Basque Country Autonomous Community of Spain In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted However, the territories which were deemed as "loyal" during the Civil War to the Franco uprising were allowed after his victory to keep their limited self-government. These were Álava and Navarre, where Franco supporters (mostly Carlists) sided with Franco from the start, seeing Franco as a leader who would end anticlericalism and violence against the Catholic Church. Álava (Araba is a province of northern Spain in the southern part of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Carlism is a traditionalist and legitimist political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes Religious (generally Catholic institutional power and influence real or alleged in all aspects of public and political Conversely, Biscay and Guipuscoa were considered "rebellious" for having sided with Republican Spain during the Civil War. Population Of the 1133444 people who live in Biscay about 35% live in the capital Bilbao and 88% in its metropolitan area. Guipúzcoa ( Spanish) or Gipuzkoa ( Basque and official is a province of the Basque Country, in Spain. The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country These regions therefore saw their fueros abrogated by the Francoist regime. Fuero ( Spanish) is a Spanish legal term and conceptThe word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market tribunal
During Franco's era, ETA had considerable public support beyond the Basque populace, reaching its peak after the 'Burgos Trials' of 1970—which drew international attention to the organization's cause and highlighted the repressive nature of the Franco regime—and their assassination of Almirante Luis Carrero Blanco in 1973 (Carrero Blanco was appointed by Franco as Prime Minister and "strong-man" to rule Spain after his death). Luis Carrero Blanco 1st Duke of Carrero-Blanco ( March 4, 1903, Santoña, Cantabria &ndash December 20, 1973, Spain's transition to democracy from 1975 on and ETA's progressive radicalization have 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. Miguel Ángel Blanco Garrido ( 13 May, 1968 – 13 July, 1997) was a local politician in Ermua ( Biscay) in the Basque Their loss of sympathizers has been reflected in an erosion of support for the political parties identified with the MLNV.
A more recent poll by the Basque Autonomous Government (December 2006)[23][24][25] shows that 88% of the Basques think that it is necessary for all political parties to launch a dialogue, including a debate on the political framework for the Basque Country (86%). 69% support the idea of ratifying the results of this hypothetical multitipartite dialogue through a referendum. This poll also reveals that the hope of a peaceful resolution to the violent Basque separatist problem has fallen to 78% (from 90% in April).
These polls did not cover Navarre, where support for Basque nationalist electoral options is weaker (around 25% of population) or the Northern Basque Country where support is even weaker (around 15% of population). The French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country (Pays basque français Iparralde constitutes the North-Eastern part of the Basque Country and the Western
ETA was founded by young nationalists, who were for a time affiliated with the PNV. Started in 1952 as a student discussion group at the University of Deusto in Bilbao, an offshoot of the PNV's youth group EGI, it was originally called EKIN, from the Basque-language verb meaning "to act"; the name had the meaning "get busy". The University of Deusto ( Spanish: Universidad de Deusto, Basque: Deustuko Unibertsitatea) is one of the most distinguished academic institutions Bilbao, (also Bilbo) in the North of Spain, is the largest city in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay (Basque The European Grid Initiative aims to establish a sustainable grid Infrastructure in Europe On July 31, 1959 it reconstituted itself as ETA. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Their split from the PNV was apparently because they considered the PNV too moderate in its opposition to Franco's dictatorship. They disagreed with the PNV's rejection of violent tactics and advocated a Basque resistance movement using direct action. A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups dedicated to fighting an Invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign nation Direct action is political action which happens outside normal political channels via indirect actions such as electing representatives. This was an era of wars of national liberation such as the anti-colonial war in Algeria. Wars of national liberation are conflicts fought by indigenous military groups against an imperial power in the name of Self-determination, thus attempting Decolonization refers to the undoing of Colonialism, the establishment of governance or authority through the creation of settlements by another country or jurisdiction Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's
In their platform, formed at their first assembly in Bayonne, France in 1962, ETA called for "historical regenerationism", considering Basque history as a process of construction of a nation. Bayonne ( French: Bayonne bajɔn Gascon Occitan and Basque: Baiona) is a city and commune of southwest This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. They declared that Basque nationality is defined by the Basque language, Euskara; this was in contrast to the PNV's definition of Basque nationality in terms of ethnicity. In contrast with the explicit Catholicism of the PNV, ETA defined itself as "aconfessional"—meaning ETA does not recognize a special state religion—although using Catholic doctrine to elaborate its social program. They called for socialism and for "independence for Euskadi, compatible with European federalism". The term " federalist " describes several political beliefs around the world
In 1965, the VI Assembly of ETA adopted a Marxist-Leninist position; its precise political line has varied with time, although they have always advocated some type of socialism. Marxism-Leninism is a Communist ideological stream that emerged as the mainstream tendency amongst the Communist parties in the 1920s as it was adopted Since the 18th century Socialist ideas have developed and separated into many different types of socialism.
In its early years, ETA's activity seems to have consisted mostly of theorizing and of protesting by destroying infrastructure and Spanish symbols and by hanging forbidden Basque flags. The Ikurriña flag is a Basque symbol and the official flag of the Basque Country Autonomous Community of Spain
It is not clear when exactly ETA first began a policy of assassination, nor is it clear who committed the first assassinations identified with ETA. There are sources that single out a failed 1960 attempt to derail a train carrying war veterans as a result of which the litte girl Beatriz Urroz was killed, this attack was not vindicated by ETA or any other group. The first confirmed assassination occurred on June 7, 1968 when Guardia Civil, José Pardines Arcay was shot dead when he tried to halt ETA member Txabi Etxebarrieta during the course of a routinary road check. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Civil Guard ( Guardia Civil) is the Spanish Gendarmerie. It has both military and civilian functions Txabi Etxebarrieta ( 14 October 1944 &ndash 7 June 1968) also known as Xabier Etxebarrieta Ortiz was a Basque nationalist and Etxebarrieta was chased down and killed as he tried to flee[26]. This led to retaliation in the form of the first planned ETA assassination, that of Melitón Manzanas, chief of the secret police in San Sebastián, widely known torturer and a Gestapo collaborator in World War II. Melitón Manzanas ( San Sebastián, 1906-1968 was a high-ranking police officer in Francoist Spain and the first high-profile member of the police force killed by Secret police (sometimes political police) are a Police agency which operates in Secrecy to maintain National security against internal In 1970, several members of ETA were condemned to death in the Proceso de Burgos ("Trial of Burgos"), but international pressure resulted in commutation of the sentences, which, however, had by that time already been applied to some other members of ETA. History Early man of Neanderthal occupied sites around Burgos as early as 800000 years ago Commutation of sentence involves the reduction of legal penalties, especially in terms of imprisonment. The nationalists that refused Marxism-Leninism and looked for a National Front appeared as the so-called ETA-V. They kidnapped the German consul in San Sebastian, Eugen Beilh, to exchange him for the Burgos condamnees. The most consequential assassination performed by ETA during Franco's dictatorship was Operación Ogro, the December 1973 assassination by bomb in Madrid of Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, Franco's chosen successor and president of the government (a position roughly equivalent to being a prime minister). The Operación Ogro ( Operation Ogre) was the name given by ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom" to the assassination of Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Luis Carrero Blanco 1st Duke of Carrero-Blanco ( March 4, 1903, Santoña, Cantabria &ndash December 20, 1973, This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. The assassination had been planned for months and was executed by placing a bomb in the sewer below the street where Blanco's car passed every day. The bomb blew up just in time and threw the politician and his car three floors into the air and over the top of a nearby building; the car landed on a balcony in a courtyard the other side from the road.
This killing was not condemned and in some cases was even applauded by the Spanish opposition in exile. For some Carrero Blanco's death was an instrumental step for the posterior establishment of democracy, by eliminating Franco's choice of successor. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system In regard to Carrero's death, the former ETA member now turned anti-nationalist author Jon Juaristi contends that ETA's goal with this particular killing was not democratization but a spiral of violence as an attempt to fully destabilize Spain, increase Franco's repression against Basque nationalism and subsequently put the average citizen in the Basque country in the situation where they would have had to accept the lesser evil in the form of ETA's reaction against Franco's unleashed repression. Jon Juaristi Linacero (born in Bilbao in 1951 is a poet essayist and Spanish translator in Castilian and Basque [27]
After Franco's death, during the Spanish transition to democracy, ETA split into two separate organizations: one faction became ETA political-military or ETA(pm), and another ETA military or ETA(m). The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the Dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. eu '''Euskadi Ta Askatasuna''' or ETA ( Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom" ˈɛːta is an illegal armed Basque nationalist Separatist
Both ETA(m) and ETA(pm) refused offers of amnesty, instead continuing and intensifying their violent struggle. The years 1978–80 were to prove ETA's most deadly, with 68, 76, and 91 fatalities, respectively. [Martinez-Herrera 2002]
During the Francoist dictatorship, ETA was able to take advantage of tolerance by the French government, which allowed its members to move freely through French territory, believing that in this manner they were contributing to the end of Franco's regime. The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares There is much controversy over the degree to which this policy of "sanctuary" continued even after the transition to democracy, but it is generally agreed that currently the French authorities collaborate closely with the Spanish government against ETA. Sanctuary has multiple meanings A sanctuary is the consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar
In the 80s, ETA(pm) accepted the Spanish government's offer of individual pardons to all ETA prisoners, even those who had committed violent crimes, who publicly abandoned the policy of violence. This caused a new division in ETA(pm) between the VII and VIII assemblies. ETA VII accepted this partial amnesty granted by the now democratic Spanish government and integrated into the political party Euskadiko Ezkerra ("Left of the Basque Country"). Euskadiko Ezkerra ( Basque Country Left, in Basque or EE was a Basque Socialist political organisation
ETA VIII, after a brief period of independent activity, eventually integrated in ETA(m), possibly influencing ETA(m) into adopting even more radical and violent positions. With no factions existing anymore, ETA(m) revamped the original name of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna.
ETA performed their first car bomb assassination in Madrid in September 1985, resulting in one death (American citizen Eugene Kent Brown, Johnson&Johnson employee) and sixteen injuries; another bomb in July 1986 killed twelve members of the Guardia Civil and injured 50; on July 19, 1987 the Hipercor bombing was an attack in a shopping center in Barcelona, killing twenty one and injuring forty five; in the last case, entire families were killed. A car bomb is an explosive device placed in a car or other Vehicle and then detonated. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Hipercor is a chain of Hypermarkets in Spain, belonging to the same group as El Corte Inglés Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The horror caused then was so striking that ETA felt compelled to issue a communiqué stating that they had given advance warning of the Hipercor bomb, but that the police had declined to evacuate the area. The police claim that the warning came only a few minutes before the bomb exploded.
In a "dirty war" against ETA, Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación (GAL, "Antiterrorist Liberation Groups"), a government-sponsored and supposedly counter-terrorist organization active 1983–87 committed assassinations, kidnappings and torture, not only of ETA members but of civilians supposedly related to those, some of whom turned out to have absolutely nothing to do with ETA. This article refers to the Argentine Dirty War for the British film of the same name see Dirty War (film. Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación (GAL Antiterrorist Liberation Groups were Death squads illegally set up by officials of the Spanish government to fight Counter-terrorism or counterterrorism refers to the practices tactics, techniques and strategies that Governments militaries, Police departments In 1997 a Spanish court convicted and imprisoned several individuals involved in GAL, not only mercenaries and low-level police officials but politicians up to the highest levels of the PSOE government of prime minister Felipe González, including a former Homeland Minister. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is Felipe González Márquez (born 5 March 1942 is a Spanish socialist politician Although González had been quoted as saying that the government would defend itself in the "sewers of the state" (las cloacas del estado), his role in GAL was never proven. No major cases of foul play on the part of the Spanish government after 1987 (when GAL ceased to operate) have been proven in Spanish courts, although agencies against torture and some human rights associations still routinely claim human rights violations and torture by security forces; international human rights organizations like Amnesty International have backed some of these claims on a regular basis. Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally AI has shown concern for the continuous disregard on the recommendations issued by the agency to prevent the alleged abuses to take place. Reportedly ETA's manuals were once found telling its members and supporters to claim routinely that they had been tortured while detained.
In 1986 Gesto por la Paz (known in English as Association for Peace in the Basque Country) was founded; they began to convene silent demonstrations in communities throughout the Basque Country the day after any violent killing, whether by ETA or by GAL. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States These were the first systematic demonstrations in the Basque Country against terrorist violence. Also in 1986, in Ordizia, ETA shot down María Dolores Katarain, known as "Yoyes", while she was walking with her infant son. Ordizia is a town and Municipality located in the Goierri region of the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country Yoyes was a former member of ETA who had abandoned the armed struggle and rejoined civil society: they accused her of "desertion" because of her taking advantage of the Spanish reinserción policy which granted amnesty to those prisoners who publicly refused political violence (see below).
On January 12, 1988 all Basque political parties except ETA-affiliated Herri Batasuna signed the Ajuria-Enea pact with the intent of ending ETA's violence. Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Batasuna ("Unity" in Basque language) is a Basque nationalist political organization based mainly in Spain, declared illegal but with Weeks later on January 28, ETA announced a 60-day "ceasefire", later prolonged several times. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Negotiations known as the Mesa de Argel ("Algiers Table") took place between the ETA representative Eugenio Etxebeste ("Antxon"), and the then PSOE government of Spain but no successful conclusion was reached, and ETA eventually resumed the use of violence. Algiers (الجزائر Algerian Arabic: Dzayer ( (From kabyle pronunciation Kabyle: Ledzayer, Alger) is the Capital and largest
During this period, the Spanish government had a policy referred to as "reinsertion", under which imprisoned ETA members whom the government believed had genuinely abandoned violence could be freed and allowed to rejoin society. Claiming a need to prevent ETA from coercively impeding this reinsertion, the PSOE government decided that imprisoned ETA members, who previously had all been imprisoned within the Basque Country, would instead be dispersed to prisons throughout Spain, some as far from their families as in the Salto del Negro prison in the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish France has taken a similar approach. In the event, the only clear effect of this policy was to incite social protest, especially from nationalists and families of the prisoners, claiming cruelty of separating family members from the insurgents. Much of the protest against this policy runs under the slogan "Euskal presoak - Euskal Herrira" (Basque prisoners to the Basque Country, by "Basque prisoners" only ETA members are meant). It has to be noted that almost in any Spanish jail there is a group of ETA prisoners, as the number of ETA prisoners makes it difficult to disperse them. Gestoras pro-Amnistía/Amnistia Aldeko Batzordeak ("Pro-Amnesty Managing Assemblies", currently illegal), later Askatasuna ("Freedom") and Senideak ("The family members") provide support for prisoners and families. ASKATASUNA (from the Basque word meaning freedom According to European Union statements ASKATASUNA is a terrorist organization that is included in ETA (euskadi ta askatuna The Basque Government and several Nationalist town halls grant money on humanitarian reasons for relatives to visit prisoners. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. The long road trips had caused accidental deaths that are protested against by ETA supporters.
During the ETA ceasefire of the late 1990s, the PSOE government brought back to the mainland the prisoners on the islands and in Africa. Since the end of the ceasefire, ETA prisoners have not been sent back to overseas prisons. Some Basque authorities have established grants for the expenses of visiting families.
Another Spanish "counter-terrorist" law puts suspected terrorist cases under the central tribunal Audiencia Nacional in Madrid, due to the threats by the group over the Basque courts. The Audiencia Nacional de España ("National Court of Spain" is a high court in Spain. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Under Article 509 suspected terrorists are subject to being held "incommunicado" for up to thirteen days, during which they have no contact with the outside world, including informing their family of their arrest, consultation with private lawyers or examination by a physician other than the coroners. A coroner is an official responsible for investigating deaths particularly some of those happening under unusual circumstances and determining the cause of death In comparison the habeas corpus term for non-terrorists is three days. Habeas corpus (ˈheɪbiəs ˈkɔɹpəs ( Latin: command that you have the body is the name of a legal action or Writ, through which a person can seek relief
In 1992, ETA's three top leaders — "military" leader Francisco Mujika Garmendia ("Pakito"), political leader José Luis Alvarez Santacristina ("Txelis") and logistical leader José María Arregi Erostarbe ("Fiti"), often referred to collectively as the "cúpula" of ETA or as the Artapalo collective [28] — were arrested in the northern Basque town of Bidart, which led to changes in ETA's leadership and direction. Francisco Mujika Garmendia, aka "Pakito" was the military leader of the Basque nationalist Separatist group ETA. Bidart (Bidarte is a village and commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, in southwestern France. After a two-month truce, ETA adopted even more radical positions. The principal consequence of the change appears to have been the creation of the "Y Groups", young people (generally minors) dedicated to so-called "kale borroka" — street struggle — and whose activities included burning buses, street lamps, benches, ATMs, garbage containers, etc. In law the term minor (also infant or infancy) is used to refer to a person who is under the age in which one legally assumes Adulthood and is legally and throwing Molotov cocktails. The Molotov cocktail, also known as the booze bomb, alcohol bomb or Molotov bomb, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary The appearance of these groups was attributed by many to the supposed weakness of ETA, which obliged them to resort to minors to maintain or augment their impact on society after arrests of leading militants, including the "cupola". ETA also began to menace leaders of other parties besides rival Basque nationalist parties. The existence of the "Y Groups" as an organized phenomenon has been contested by some supporters of Basque national liberation, who claim that this construction is merely a trumped-up excuse to give longer prison sentences to those convicted of street violence.
In 1995, the armed organization again launched a peace proposal. The so-called "Democratic Alternative" replaced the earlier KAS Alternative as a minimum proposal for the establishment of Euskal Herria. The Democratic Alternative offered the cessation of all armed ETA activity if the Spanish-government would recognize the Basque people as having sovereignty over Basque territory, the right to self-determination and that it freed all ETA members in prison. Self-determination is defined as free choice of one’s own acts without external compulsion and especially as the freedom of the people of a given Territory to determine their The Spanish government ultimately rejected this peace offer as it would go against the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. Changing the constitution was not considered.
Also in 1995 came a failed ETA car bombing attempt directed against José María Aznar, a conservative politician who was leader of the then-opposition Partido Popular (PP) and was shortly after elected to the presidency of the government; there was also an abortive attempt in Majorca on the life of King Juan Carlos I. (born 25 February 1953 served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004 Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. Majorca ( Spanish and Mallorca is the largest island of Spain. Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic Still, the act with the largest social impact came the following year. July 10, 1997 PP council member Miguel Ángel Blanco was kidnapped in the Basque town of Ermua, with the separatist group threatening to assassinate him unless the Spanish government met ETA's demand of starting to bring all ETA's inmates to prisons of the Basque Country within two days after the kidnapping. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Miguel Ángel Blanco Garrido ( 13 May, 1968 – 13 July, 1997) was a local politician in Ermua ( Biscay) in the Basque Ermua is a town and Municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. This demand wasn't met by the Spanish government and after three days Miguel Ángel Blanco was found shot dead when the deadline expired. More than six million people took out to the streets to demand his liberation, with massive demonstrations occurring as much in the Basque regions as elsewhere in Spain, chanting cries of "Assassins" and "Basques yes, ETA no". This response came to be known as the "Spirit of Ermua".
Before the new electoral situation, which for the first time since the early 80s opened the real prospect of a non-nationalist rule in the Basque autonomous community under the form of a PSOE-PP coalition, Basque nationalist parties (EAJ-PNV, EA, HB) and the Basque branch of IU, EB, signed the Lizarra/Estella Pact in hopes of changing the political situation and reversing what was seen as a menace to Basque nationalism. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is The Basque Nationalist Party is the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community. Eusko Alkartasuna is a Basque nationalist political party operating in Spain and France. This meant that the parties which had governed jointly the Basque Autonomous Community most of the time from the early 80s to date -PNV and EA- departed from the previous Ajuria Enea pact which gathered the parties known as "democratic" (PP, PSOE, PNV, EA, in other words, all but HB). Shortly after the Lizarra/Estella Pact was signed, on September 18, 1998, ETA declared a unilateral truce or ceasefire and engaged in a process of dialogue with Spain's PP government. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The dialogue continued for some time, but ETA resumed assassinations in 2000, accusing the government of being "inflexible" and of "not wanting dialogue". The communiqué that declared the end of the truce cited the failure of the process initiated in the Lizarra/Estella Pact to achieve political change as the reason for the return to violence. The Spanish government, from the highest levels, accused ETA of having declared a false truce in order to reorganize and rearm. This approach seems to have been proven by the appropriation of part of ETA's internal communications at the time of the truce. Later came acts of violence such as the November 6, 2001 car bomb in Madrid, which injured sixty-five, and attacks on soccer stadiums and tourist destinations. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered
The September 11, 2001 attacks appeared to have dealt a hard blow to ETA, owing to the toughening of "antiterrorist" measures (such as the freezing of bank accounts), the increase in international police coordination, and the end of the toleration some countries had, up until then, extended to ETA. In addition, in 2002 the Basque nationalist youth movement Jarrai was outlawed and the law of parties was changed outlawing Herri Batasuna, the "political arm" of ETA (although even before the change in law, Batasuna had been largely paralysed and under judicial investigation by judge Baltasar Garzón). Baltasar Garzón Real (born October 26, 1955 in Torres, Jaén, Spain) is a Judge in Spain.
With ever-increasing frequency, attempted ETA actions have been frustrated by Spanish security forces.
On Christmas Eve 2003, in San Sebastián and in Hernani, National Police arrested two ETA members who had left dynamite in a railroad car prepared explode in Chamartín Station in Madrid. Chamartín is the name of a railway station in Madrid, Spain. On March 1, 2004, in a place between Alcalá de Henares and Madrid, a light truck with 536 kg of explosives was discovered by the Guardia Civil. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Alcalá de Henares, meaning Castle on the river Henares, is a Spanish city whose historical centre is one of UNESCO 's World Heritage Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain.
ETA was initially blamed for the 2004 Madrid bombings by the outgoing government [29] and large sections of the press. [30] Although the current Spanish government and judiciary now consider the bombs to be the work of Islamic groups, [31] sections of the Spanish right including the main opposition Partido Popular [32] [33] and one of the main Spanish newspapers, El Mundo [34] subsequently continued to assert that there was some degree of ETA involvement. The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. Eight months after the attacks, the former Prime Minister José María Aznar stated that he still believed that ETA was responsible. (born 25 February 1953 served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004 [35] Judicial investigation has subsequently proven that there is no relationship between ETA and the Madrid bombings.
Their aspiration, which was outlined in 1995 in their Democratic Alternative publication, is to force the governments of Spain and France to agree on the following:[36][37]
All formulations of ETA's goals have centered on sovereignty and self-determination for Euskal Herria (Basque Country, Iparralde and Navarra). Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Self-determination is defined as free choice of one’s own acts without external compulsion and especially as the freedom of the people of a given Territory to determine their The French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country (Pays basque français Iparralde constitutes the North-Eastern part of the Basque Country and the Western ETA's motto in Basque-Euskera is "aizkora bezain zorrotza eta sugea bezain zuhurra" which translates in English as "sharp like an axe and quiet like a snake".
ETA has killed hundreds of people, including approximately 340 civilians, and kidnapped dozens, in its actions against the Spanish state. [2] More than 500 ETA militants are held in prison in Spain, France and other countries[6] .
The organization has adopted from time to time other secondary tactical causes such as fighting against:
ETA's victims have expanded from the former military/police-related personnel and their families, to a wider array, which today includes the following:
ETA's tactics include:
ETA operates mainly in Spain, particularly in the Basque Country, Navarre, and (to a lesser degree) Madrid, Barcelona, and the tourist areas of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Actions in France usually consist of assaults on arsenals or military industries in order to steal weapons or explosives; these are usually stored in large quantities in hide-outs located in the French Basque Country rather than Spain. The French judge Laurence Le Vert has been threatened by ETA and a plot arguably aiming to assassinate her was unveiled[59]. Only very rarely have ETA members engaged in shootings with the French Gendarmerie. A gendarmerie or gendarmery (dʒɛnˈdɑrməriː or /ˌʒɑndɑrməˈriː/ after the French is a Military body charged with Police duties among civilian This has often occurred mainly when members of the organization were confronted at checkpoints.
In spite of this, ETA killed in France on December 1, 2007 two Spanish Civil Guards on counter-terrorist surveillance duties in Capbreton, Landes[60]. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Civil Guard ( Guardia Civil) is the Spanish Gendarmerie. It has both military and civilian functions Capbreton is a commune of the Landes département in southwestern France. Landes ( Occitan: Lanas) is a département in southern France. This has been its first cold blood killing after it ended its self-styled "permanent ceasefire" and the first killing committed by ETA in France of a Spanish police agent ever since 1976, when they kidnapped, tortured and assassinated two Spanish inspectors in Hendaye[61]
A police file, dating from 1996, indicated that ETA needed about 15 million pesetas (about 90,000 Euros) daily in order to finance its operations. Hendaye ( Basque Hendaia) is the most southwesterly town in France. More recently, 2007 police reports point out that, after the serious blows suffered by ETA and its political counterparts during the 2000s, its budget would have been adjusted to 2,000,000 euros annually[62]. Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e
Although ETA used robbery as a means of financing its activities in its early days, it has since been accused both of arms trafficking and of benefiting economically from its political counterpart Batasuna.
Arrested ETA members often carry false documentation, especially in France, including Spanish police badges.
ETA is considered to form part of what is informally known as the Basque National Liberation Movement, a movement born much after ETA's creation. This page is a list of attacks undertaken by the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA, an armed Basque separatist movement mainly in Spain. The Basque National Liberation Movement ( Spanish: Movimiento de Liberación Nacional Vasco MLNV; Basque Euskal Herri Askapenerako Mugimendua is an umbrella This loose term refers to a range of political organizations that are ideologically akin, comprising several distinct organizations that promote a type of leftist Basque nationalism that is often referred to by the Basque-language term Ezker Abertzalea (Nationalist Left). Abertzale in the Basque language means roughly " patriot " and is used to mean " Basque nationalist " Other groups typically considered to belong to this independentist movement are: the political party Batasuna, the nationalist youth organization Segi, the labour union Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak (LAB), and Askatasuna among others. Batasuna ("Unity" in Basque language) is a Basque nationalist political organization based mainly in Spain, declared illegal but with SEGI is a Basque pro-independence and revolutionary left-wing organization LAB ( Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak, "Nationalist Workers' Committees" in Basque language) is a Basque nationalist Trade union ASKATASUNA (from the Basque word meaning freedom According to European Union statements ASKATASUNA is a terrorist organization that is included in ETA (euskadi ta askatuna There are often strong interconnections between these groups, double or even triple membership are not unfrequent[21].
There are Basque nationalist parties with similar goals as those of ETA (namely, independence) but who openly reject their violent means. They are: EAJ-PNV, Eusko Alkartasuna, Aralar and, in the French Basque country, Abertzaleen Batasuna. The Basque Nationalist Party is the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community. Eusko Alkartasuna is a Basque nationalist political party operating in Spain and France. Aralar may refer to Aralar Range, a mountain range Aralar Party, a political party The French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country (Pays basque français Iparralde constitutes the North-Eastern part of the Basque Country and the Western Abertzaleen Batasuna ( Patriot's Union or Unity in Basque) ( A In addition a number of left-wing parties, such as Ezker Batua, Batzarre and some sectors of the EAJ-PNV party, also support self-determination but are not in favour of independence. Zutik ("Standing" is a Political party in Basque Country, Spain. The Basque Nationalist Party is the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community.
Historically members of ETA have often taken refuge in France, particularly in the French Basque Country. ETA leaders have typically chosen to live in France for security reasons, as police pressure on the group has tended to be usually lower on the French side of the border. This used to be tolerated by the French government, especially during the rule of Franco in Spain. The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares Some ETA members were executed during the Franco era (capital punishment was later on suppressed in Spain with the advent of democracy after the Spanish Constitution of 1978 was passed). Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy.
After Franco's death, in the mid 1970s and the 1980s, ETA members and its suspected supporters were the target of right-wing violence and violence by government agents such as GAL, whose actions have been considered a case of "state terrorism"[63]
The GAL was dissolved in 1987, four years after its foundation. Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación (GAL Antiterrorist Liberation Groups were Death squads illegally set up by officials of the Spanish government to fight State terrorism refers to acts of Terrorism conducted by governments [64] The airing of the state-sponsored "dirty war" scheme and the imprisonment of officials responsible for GAL in the early 1990s led to a political scandal in Spain. These events marked the end of the armed "counter-terrorist" period in Spain (although some minor attacks were carried out during the early 1990s under the name of GANE and other acronyms). With the new situation, the French government considered that detainees' rights were being adequately defended in Spain. France changed its position in the matter and initiated a period of active cooperation with the Spanish government against ETA, including fast-track transfers of detainees to Spanish tribunals that are regarded as fully compliant with European Union legislation in human rights and the legal representation of detainees. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled This cooperation is still active.
In response to this new situation, ETA carried out attacks against French policemen and made threats to some French judges and prosecutors. This implied a drastic change from the organization's previously low-profile activity in the French Basque Country, from where ETA had been discreetly managing their activities in the south.
ETA members and supporters always allege torture at the hands of any police organization. Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally While these claims are hard to verify, some convictions are based on confessions obtained while prisoners are held incommunicado and without access to a lawyer of their choice, for a maximum of three days. These confessions are routinely repudiated by the defendants during trials as having been extracted under torture. There have been some successful prosecutions of proven tortures during the "dirty war" period of the mid-1980s, although the penalties have been considered by Amnesty International as unjustifiably light and lenient with co-conspirators and enablers. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to [65][66]
ETA considers its prisoners political prisoners. A political prisoner is someone held in Prison or otherwise detained perhaps under House arrest, for his or her involvement in political activity Until 2003,[67] ETA consequently forbade them to ask penal authorities for progression to tercer grado (a form of open prison that allows single-day or weekend furloughs) or parole. There are four prison security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison ˈfɝloʊ}} is a temporary leave of absence especially from duty in the [[armed services]] or from a [[prison]] term Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system Before that date, those who did so were menaced and expelled from the group. Some were assassinated by ETA for leaving the band and going through reinsertion programs[46].
A more recent tactic of the Spanish Governments' campaign against ETA has been to target its social support network. The most important measure has been the passing of the Ley de Partidos Políticos. This is a law barring political parties which support violence, don't condemn terrorist actions or are involved with terrorist groups [68]. The law has resulted in the banning of Herri Batasuna and its successor parties unless they condemn explicitly terrorist actions and, at times, imprisoning or processing some of its leaders who have been indicted for cooperation with ETA. Batasuna ("Unity" in Basque language) is a Basque nationalist political organization based mainly in Spain, declared illegal but with
Judge Baltasar Garzón has initiated a judicial procedure (coded as 18/98), aimed towards the support structure of ETA. Baltasar Garzón Real (born October 26, 1955 in Torres, Jaén, Spain) is a Judge in Spain. This procedure started in 1998 with the preventive closure of the newspaper Egin (and its associated radio-station Egin Irratia), accused of being linked to ETA, and temporary imprisoning the editor of its "investigative unit", Pepe Rei, under similar accusations. Egin ( Armenian: hy Ակն "Akn" the former name of Kemaliye, was an important trading town in the Vilayet of Asiatic Turkey In August of 1999 Judge Baltasar Garzón authorized the reopening of the newspaper and the radio, but they coulndn't reopen due to economic difficulties. Baltasar Garzón Real (born October 26, 1955 in Torres, Jaén, Spain) is a Judge in Spain.
Judicial procedure 18/98 has many ramifications, including the following:
As of June 2007, indicted members of the youth movements Haika, Segi and Jarrai have been found guilty (January 2007) of a crime of connivance with terrorism. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A legal finding of connivance may be made when an accuser has assisted in the act about which they are complaining Most of the other trials are still under process.
On Tuesday 20 May 2008, leading ETA figures were arrested in Southern France. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Francisco Javier Lopez Pena, also known as 'Thierry,' had been on the run for twenty years before his arrest. Francisco Javier López Peña Alias Thierry, ( 14 February 1958 –) is an ETA member [70] A final total of arrests brought in six people, including ETA members and supporters, including the ex-Mayor of Andoain, José Antonio Barandiarán, who is rumoured to have led police to 'Thierry'. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government Andoain is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of Spain [71]. The Spanish Interior Ministry claimed the relevance of the arrests would come in time with the investigation. Furthermore, the Interior Minister said that those members of ETA now arrested had ordered the latest terrorist attacks, and that the man considered to be the head of the terrorists, Francisco Javier López Peña was "not just another arrest because he is, in all probability, the man who has most political and military weight in the terrorist group. " [72]
The United Nations, European Union and the United States list ETA as a terrorist organization in their relevant watch lists. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in " Foreign Terrorist Organization " is a designation of non- United States -based organizations declared terrorist by the United States Secretary of State Many organizations that are accused of being a terrorist organization deny using Terrorism as a Military tactic to achieve their goals and there is no international The United Kingdom lists ETA as a terrorist group in the Terrorism Act of 2000. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Canadian Parliament listed ETA as a terrorist organization on April 2, 2003 [73]. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
France and Spain have often showed co-operation in the fight against ETA, despite France's lack of co-operation during the Franco Era. In late 2007, two Spanish guards were shot to death in France when on a joint operation with their French counterparts. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Furthermore, in May 2008 the arrests of four persons in Bourdeax led to a major breakthrough against ETA, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry. MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle" 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common [5]
In the context of negotiation with the Spanish government, ETA has declared what it has described as "truce" a number of times since its creation. The ETA 's 2006 "permanent ceasefire" was the period spanning between 24 March and 30 December 2006 during which following an ETA communiqué the Spanish government On the morning of December 30, 2006, an explosion took place in the carpark building attached to Terminal 4 of Madrid Barajas International Airport in Spain
The most recent is the one of 22 March 2006, when ETA sent a DVD message to the Basque Network Euskal Irrati-Telebista[74] and the journals Gara[75] and Berria with a communiqué from the organization announcing what it called a "permanent ceasefire" that was broadcast over Spanish TV. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ETB (also EiTB is short for Euskal Irrati Telebista (Basque Radio-television the name of the Basque Country 's Public broadcast service Gara ( Basque: "We are" is a bilingual (Basque/ Spanish) Spanish Newspaper published in the city of San Sebastián Berria is the only Newspaper published wholly in the Basque language and which can be read in the entirety of the Basque country.
Talks with the group were then officially opened by Spanish Presidente del Gobierno José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current
These took place all over 2006, not free from incidents such as an ETA cell stealing some 300 handguns, ammunition and spare parts in France on October 2006. [76] or a series of warnings made by ETA such as the one of September 23, when masked ETA militants declared that the organization would "keep taking up arms" until achieving "independence and socialism in the Basque country"[77], which were regarded by some as a way to increase pressure on the talks, by others as a tactic to reinforce ETA's position in the negotiations.
Finally, on 30 December, 2006 ETA detonated a van bomb after three confusing warning calls, in a parking building at the Madrid Barajas international airport. On the morning of December 30, 2006, an explosion took place in the carpark building attached to Terminal 4 of Madrid Barajas International Airport in Spain Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. The explosion caused the collapse of the building and killed two Ecuadorian immigrants who were napping inside their cars in the parking building. [78] At 6:00 P. M. , José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero released a statement stating that the "peace process" had been discontinued. [79]
On December 1, 2008 ETA gunmen -after an unplanned encounter- killed a painclothes civil guard and seriously injured another (who died days later) on a surveillance mission in Capbreton, France [80][81]. The Civil Guard ( Guardia Civil) is the Spanish Gendarmerie. It has both military and civilian functions Capbreton is a commune of the Landes département in southwestern France.
In January 2008, ETA stated that its call for independence is similar to that of the Kosovo status and Scotland. During and after the breakup of Yugoslavia there were increasing ethnic and regional conflicts culminating in the Kosovo War of 1999 [82]
On March 7, 2008 ETA killed Isaías Carrasco in Mondragón-Arrasate, an ex-councillor for the Socialist party the PSOE, who was shot five times as he was walking in the street with his family. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Isaías Carrasco (1964 - March 7 2008 was a Basque politician affiliated with the PSE. [83][84][85].
On May 14, 2008 a car bomb was detonated in front of a Civil Guard lodging compound where 15 families lived, killing policeman Juan Manuel Piñuel Villalón and leaving four others injured. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ETA claimed responsibility for the attack. [86]
On May 20th 2008 a number of senior ETA members were arrested in Bordeaux, France, in a joint Spanish-French operation. ( Gascon: Bordèu) is a port city in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate Among those arrested was Francisco Javier Lopez Pena, the group's military chief. Francisco Javier López Peña Alias Thierry, ( 14 February 1958 –) is an ETA member
Documentary films about ETA
Novels about ETA