ETA (Spain). This terrorist organization is not enough, we need independence

TASS-DOSIER. April 8, 2017 members of the Basque radical organization"Basque Country and Freedom" (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna; "Euskadi Ta Askatasuna"; ETA) must complete the disarmament process.

It was carried out under the supervision of the International Control Commission (established in 2011).

The TASS-DOSIER editors have prepared material on the history of Basque separatism and the ETA organization.

History of Basque separatism

Basques (self-name - Euskaldunak; descendants of the Iberian tribe of the Vascons) - a people living mainly in Spain in the autonomous region of the Basque Country (Euskadi; ​​Euskadi; ​​autonomy since 1980), in the province of Navarre, as well as in southwestern France in the Atlantic department Pyrenees. According to the Spanish census, 2 million 189 thousand Basques live in the country, which is about 5% of the population of Spain. The Basques speak their own language, which is not attributed by experts to any language group and keep their traditions.

By the beginning of the XVI century. the southern areas of the Basque settlement formally became part of the Spanish kingdom, but until the 19th century. they retained local autonomy and had privileges in trade, taxation and military service. However, in late XIX in. under King Alfonso XII (reigned in 1874-1885), the forced Hispanization of the Basques began (elements of Spanish culture and the Spanish language began to be actively introduced), in 1876 economic privileges were abolished.

In response to the king's policies, a movement of Basque separatism arose. Sabino Arana (1865-1903) became its ideologue. He was the first to declare the need for the independence of the Basque territories (the provinces of Alava, Gipuzkoa, Biscay and Navarra) from Spain and the racial exclusivity of the Basques. Arana developed the symbols of the Basque nation - the red-green-white flag (icurinha), the anthem, the coat of arms, etc., and also came up with the name "Euskadi" (the neologism comes from Euskal Herria and means "Basque country"). On his initiative, in 1894, the Basque Nationalist Party (BNP) was created, which is currently the leading political force in the Basque Country.

In October 1936, on the basis of the Basque Statute adopted by the Spanish Cortes (legislative authority), an autonomous region was created, called the Basque Country. In 1939, General Francisco Franco came to power. One of his points political program was the creation of a unified state. In the same year, Basque autonomy was abolished. A ban on the use of the Basque language was also introduced. Under Franco, the Basque Country turned into one of the active centers of resistance to the regime; in 1939, the Basque Movement for National Self-Determination arose.

History of ETA

On July 31, 1959, a group of BNP activists, in response to Franco's policy, created a Basque separatist organization, called the Basque Country and Freedom. Her symbol is a snake wrapped around an axe. The ETA members chose the teachings of Marx as their official ideology. Starting armed resistance to Francoism, ETA simultaneously proclaimed its ultimate goal the creation independent state Basques "in the territories where they historically live" (Spain and France).

Due to the fact that the ETA struggle was directed against Franco, the organization enjoyed the support of a significant part of the Spaniards. After the repressions of 1962, ETA did not have the opportunity to be active for some time. In 1968, the members of the organization finally rejected the possibility of a political dialogue with the authorities and switched to terror tactics.

ETA's first murder was in June 1968, when policeman José Pardines was shot dead in Villabon (Basque Country). In December 1973, Basque fighters killed Franco's official successor as Prime Minister of Spain, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, by blowing up his car in the center of Madrid. This attack was one of the most famous shares organizations.

In 1973, ETA split into two factions: the "military" faction, which advocated armed struggle, and the "military-political" faction (it disbanded in 1981), which believed that it was impossible to achieve its goals by violence alone. In 1978, the Batasuna separatist party was created, which became the political wing of ETA.

In 1975, after Franco's death, the government of his successor Adolfo Suarez (until 1981) took steps to democratize the regime. The Basque country, in accordance with the Spanish constitution of 1978, received temporary, and since January 1980 - permanent autonomy. The Basques had their own government, parliament and police, TV channels and radio, bilingual education. They were given the right to establish and collect taxes themselves. In addition, in July 1976, the government announced an amnesty for political prisoners and tried to negotiate with ETA, but the leadership of the organization was not satisfied with these concessions and demanded independence. The government did not agree to meet this demand, and ETA continued its terrorist activities.

Between the mid 1980s and the late 1990s. a peak of ETA activity was observed. In February 1986, the car of Vice Admiral Cristobal de Carvajal was blown up, and in September, one of the former ETA leaders, Maria Dolores González Cataráin, who condemned the violence and began negotiations with the authorities, was shot dead.

In June 1987, a bomb exploded in a supermarket in Barcelona (killing more than 20 people), and in December, a powerful explosion destroyed the barracks of the Civil Guard in Zaragoza (killing 11 people, including five children). In April 1994, an attempt was made on the life of Prime Minister José Maria Aznar in Madrid. In 1995 and 1997, terrorists prepared assassination attempts on the Spanish King Juan Carlos. In July 1997, after the kidnapping and murder of the economic adviser of one of the municipalities, Miguel Angel Blanco, several million Spaniards took to the streets to protest against the activities of ETA. The authorities arrested almost the entire leadership of the Batasuna party, whose activities were banned in 2003 (dissolved in 2013).

Over the years of its existence, ETA has repeatedly declared the cessation of armed struggle. Such tactics were used to split the ranks of the anti-terrorist forces, reduce the vigilance of the police, and also to regroup their forces. However, after a pause, the organization each time found a reason to resume armed activities. Thus, in September 1998, ETA announced for the first time that it was ceasing terrorist activities without any conditions; in response, the authorities released a number of the group's activists. However, in November 1999, the separatists withdrew from the truce, presumably due to the strengthening of the radical wing in the leadership of the organization.

In March 2006, ETA again announced an indefinite ceasefire. It was interrupted on June 5, 2007 by a bomb explosion in a car park at the Madrid airport (two people died), and in September 2007 a statement was made public by the ETA leadership calling for active action by all supporters in order to achieve the withdrawal of the autonomous region from Spain. In September 2010, the group once again issued a statement renouncing armed struggle and added that it would continue to adhere to peaceful means to achieve its goals.

On October 20, 2011, ETA finally abandoned the armed struggle. Despite the declaration of a ceasefire, law enforcement Spain and France continued to pursue members of the group. As a result, ETA last years was significantly weakened, and many of its leaders ended up in prison. Over the years of its existence, more than 360 ETA members were detained. In September 2015, Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz announced that the terrorist organization had been completely decapitated and de facto ceased to exist.

The main sources of funding for the organization were funds received as a ransom for kidnapped people, from drug trafficking, as well as interest from banking operations carried out in the Basque Country. ETA is included in the "black lists" of terrorist organizations in the United States and the European Union. ETA has more than 850 victims on its account (more than 300 of them are civilians).

Among all the European separatists, the Basques are undoubtedly the most famous. The ETA organization, one of the most brutal, along with the IRA, terrorist organizations in Europe, sets as its goal the independence of the Basque people. The Basque separatists are distinguished by a good organization, an extensive network of terrorist groups - from small in number to quite large ones. Despite their cruel methods(since 1968, about a thousand people have died at the hands of terrorists), ETA and similar movements enjoy almost complete support of the population - unlike other rebellious regions and organizations in Europe, for example, Corsica. All this creates a dangerous phenomenon both for the Spanish authorities and for the stability of Europe as a whole.

The ancestors of today's Basques, the Vascones, came to what is now the Basque Country in the 6th century AD. From the 7th to the 9th centuries, these tribes were under the rule of the Frankish state and the Duchy of Aquitaine, until the invasion of the Moors, who captured most of the Iberian Peninsula. The mountainous part of the duchy - Vasconia - remained independent, and successfully resisted the invasions of the invaders - Moors and Franks: in 778, for example, the famous battle took place in the Ronceval Gorge, where the detachment of the Breton Margrave Roland was defeated by the Basques. In 811, in the territories conquered from the Arabs, the Frankish king Louis the Pious creates a Spanish brand, but in 819 the Basques raise an uprising, and in 824 again defeat the Franks in the same Ronceval Gorge, which allows the Basque kingdom of Pamplona to achieve independence.

From the 9th to the 13th century, the kings of Pamplona, ​​and then Navarre, as the state began to be called in the 11th century, actively participate in the Reconquista. Taking advantage of a convenient geostrategic position, the Navarrese take part in all major military operations of the Reconquista, while themselves remaining impregnable in their mountain castles. During the reign of Sancho the Great (first third of the 11th century), Navarre occupied the entire north of the Iberian Peninsula, including Leon and Galicia. But the tradition of equitable division of the inheritance between the sons played a role, and the kingdom was divided among the four princes. The Navarrese troops also took part in the decisive battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, where the united Christian troops of the Iberian states, led by the kings of Castile Alphonse VIII and Sancho VII the Strong of Navarre, defeated the army of the Almohads, after which the expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula became a question time.

In the second half of the 13th century, Navarre, thanks to the marriage of Queen Juana to the King of France, Philip the Handsome, comes under the centenary control of the French royal house. At the beginning of the XVI century. the southern territories of Navarre - what are now known as the Basque Country - join the Spanish kingdom, and in 1589 King Henry III of Navarre becomes King Henry IV of France, and the rest of the kingdom becomes part of France. Spanish Basques until the middle of the XVIII century. enjoyed significant liberties - "fueros", granted to them by the king of Spain in the 16th century.

In the middle of the 19th century, the Basques were one of the driving forces Carlist movement - supporters of the contender for the crown of Don Carlos. Following the promises of Carlos to grant autonomy to the Basque Country, and the support of the Catholic clergy, the Basques rose up against the rule of the regent Maria Christina. The Carlist wars actually became a conflict between conservative (mostly Catholic) and liberal ideas, and the Basques became fanatical zealots of tradition and the church. The defeat of the Carlists led to the abolition of all the liberties of the Basques, and the beginning of a policy of rigid centralization of Spain.

The history of Basque nationalism in modern times begins at the end of the 19th century, when the province became the center of an influx of cheap labor from other parts of Spain - Galicia and Andalusia. The rapid development of metallurgical production caused an influx of immigrants, who were treated extremely negatively by the conservative Basque society: all these immigrants spoke only Spanish, and were very poor. In 1895, the Basque National Party was founded by the Basque Sabino Arana, which pursued the goal of independence or self-government for the Basque state (Euskadi). Their ideology was based on a combination of Christian Democratic ideas with a distaste for immigrants, whom they perceived as a threat to the ethnic, cultural and linguistic integrity of the Basques, as well as a conduit for importing "newfangled" leftist thoughts.

The first open conflict between the Basques and the official Spanish authorities in the 20th century was the Spanish Civil War. In 1931, immediately after the formation of the Spanish Republic, the Catalans were granted self-government, which prompted the Basques to actively demand the same from the republican government. The Basques were also opposed to secularization, which in the period 1931-1936 took on a huge scale. A duality arose: Bilbao and the surrounding workers' outskirts were controlled by the socialists, while the rest of the Basque Country supported its nationalists. But the central government suddenly contributed to the unity of the people: the Basque autonomy project met with a negative reaction from the right side of the parliament, which pushed the Basque nationalists to establish contacts with the Republicans.

After the rebellion of the Francoists and the beginning civil war, the Basques were actually divided into two groups. A minority were the Rekete, the Carlist militias, who sided with the Nationalists. But most of the Basques took the side of the Republic, in exchange for the recognition of independence. In October 1936, the Republic of Euskadi was proclaimed, with Bilbao as its capital. For the defense of a strategically important area - and the Basque Country had the largest metallurgical plant in Spain and metal mining areas - an insufficient number of Republican troops were allocated, and especially little aviation, which made it possible for Nationalist pilots to carry out regular bombing. The apogee of the air war over the Basque Country was the bombing of Guernica on April 26, 1937, captured on the famous painting by Picasso. Ancient city was practically wiped off the face of the earth, the death toll was, according to various sources, from 200 to 2000 people. In the summer of 1937, the army of General Mola, after a long siege, captured Bilbao, and the Basque state was abolished. Many Basques went into exile after the end of the civil war - like, for example, the Euskadi football team, which for many years performed on tour around the world, including in the USSR.

During the Franco dictatorship, despite the contribution of the Basque Carlists to the victory of the Spanish nationalists, the Basque language and symbols were officially banned. Under the pretext of industrialization, the regions of Bilbao and Gipuzkoa were resettled a large number of immigrants from the poorest Spanish regions. All this caused quite an unambiguous reaction among the broad strata of the Basque people. The result was the creation in 1959 of an organization of young nationalists from a discussion group of students, called ETA (ETA, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, "Basque Country and Freedom"). The creators of the ETA considered the policy of the Basque National Party too moderate, sluggish, condemned the refusal of the BNP from violent methods of influence. The first members of ETA compared themselves to the Algerian rebels who at the same time were waging a war of independence against the French.

In 1965, ETA at its sixth assembly adopted the platform of Marxism-Leninism. Other positions were also formed: non-confessionalism, the definition of belonging to the Basque people by language, and not by blood. ETA is increasingly moving away from the BNP, which continues to be a Catholic conservative party.

Initially, ETA was engaged in vandalism and the distribution of graffiti in the banned Basque language, but soon moved into action. The first confirmed assassination occurred on June 7, 1968, when Civil Guardsman José Pardines was shot dead. ETA gunman Xavi Etchebarreta, who killed Pardines, was also killed in the shootout. The first major political assassination was a hasty assassination attempt on the head of the secret police of San Sebastian, Meliton Manzanas. In 1970, several members of the ETA were sentenced to capital punishment ("Burgos case"), but thanks to the international condemnation of the death penalty, they got off with life imprisonment. The right wing of ETA organized the abduction of the Consul of the FRG, Eugen Beyl, in order to exchange him for Burgos prisoners. But the terrorists' biggest success was the assassination of Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, Franco's political successor. On December 20, 1973, the admiral's car was destroyed by a high power bomb.

After the death of Franco and the democratic thaw, ETA split into two wings - military organization and military-political. Such a division did not at all mean the appeasement of morals, and the next three years - 1978, 79 and 80 - became the bloodiest in the history of Basque separatism, taking a total of about three hundred lives. This seems all the more strange because in 1977 the Basque Country received partial autonomy. Compromising, the new Spanish government turned to the military-political wing of ETA with an offer of an amnesty on the condition of renouncing violent methods. The idea caused an additional split in the movement, as a result, part of the military-political wing of ETA became the moderate party of Euskadiko Ezkerra, and the rest entered the re-formed ETA.

The so-called “dirty war” between ETA and the anti-terrorist movement, GAL, also dates back to the 1980s. The activity of the latter was identical to the craft of the former, which only led to additional victims, and to an even greater anger of the people. In the 1990s, Spain was shaken by the scandal over the financing of the GAL units by the Spanish government, which gave the opposition a reason to talk about "state terrorism". It blamed former high-ranking Spanish officials, including Minister José Baryonuevo. Fearing further revelations, the government withdrew its support for the GAL and the organization gradually disappeared.

In the late eighties, ETA applied a new tactic - car bombing. In three years, from 1985 to 1988, 33 people were killed, including a US citizen, and more than two hundred were injured. The worst terrorist attack was mall Barcelona on July 19, 1987, when entire families were among the dead. After such terrible attacks, ETA and the government sat down at the negotiating table, signing a ceasefire agreement in 1988, but it was not possible to reach a compromise: after three weeks of a truce, the Basque activists resumed the attacks. New attempts at negotiations were made in 1992 (after the arrest of three party leaders) and 1995. The conditions of the Basques were unchanged - freedom to all political prisoners (in which they include their associates convicted of terrorism) and freedom of self-determination of the Basque Country. Ultimately, the Spanish government dismissed the terrorists' demands as contrary to the 1978 Constitution. In response, the Basques attempted to commit a terrorist attack against the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I. The kidnapping of Miguel Angel Blanco, a member of the Popular Party, who was found shot dead after the expiration of the ultimatum, was a high-profile case - the terrorists demanded that all arrested members of ETA be released within three days. Terrorists do not loosen their grip in the new millennium - high-profile terrorist attacks in 2001 and 2004 with large quantity victims are also on the conscience of the Basque separatists. They also tried to attribute the sensational terrorist attacks in Madrid in 2004, but ETA in every way denied its involvement in them, in the end, Moroccan terrorists took responsibility.

All, or almost all, the terrorist attacks committed by ETA, one way or another, are directed against the central government. This has been repeatedly emphasized both by the terrorists themselves and by their targets - representatives of the local and central authorities. 65% of all murders were committed in the Basque Country, another 15% - in Madrid, the rest - in Catalonia and Mediterranean tourism centers. The targets of the attacks are police officers (civil guards) and their families, judges and prosecutors, journalists and university intellectuals, who openly speak out against the methods of ETA. Also targeted are big businessmen who refused to pay the "revolutionary tax", or any famous Basques (for example, the Basque-born French footballer Bichente Lizarazu). A separate line are politicians whose activities are directly aimed at countering Basque separatism.

ETA's methods of action do not differ in variety - these are land mine explosions, mortar shelling of barracks, abductions, or murders in public places. The political struggle has been openly despised by terrorists since the beginning of the 2000s, when it was banned as a terrorist party, Batasuna, which regularly won seats in the parliaments of Spain and Navarre during 1979-2003. Moderate political movements, such as the BNP or Euskadiko Ezkerra, do not enjoy wide support among the population of the Basque Country, unlike ETA.

Despite its brutal methods - terrorist attacks, blackmail, etc., ETA is supported by large sections of the population of the Basque Country, mostly young people. The youth wing of ETA (the so-called “Y groups”, or kale borroka) covers, according to various estimates, from 25 to 70% of Basque youth. In addition to the traditional slogans of freedom and independence of the Basque people, young people are also attracted by revolutionary romance - ETA terrorists call on young people to fight against a system that regularly violates human rights. As violations, ill-treatment of terrorists in police institutions, extortion of testimony, and torture are cited.

To date, the idea of ​​the independence of the Basque Country has firmly established itself in the minds of the population of this region. Basque separatists are numerous, they are supported by a significant part of the population, mostly young people. The failure of the latest negotiations between the Spanish authorities and ETA leads to a new round of escalation of the conflict. At the same time, it is quite possible for the separatists to switch to new methods of warfare, since the former ones have not yet had the desired effect. Considering the disdain of ETA activists for political methods, it is safe to say that these will be methods of force.

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Surely many have heard of contemporary problem Spain, whose permission every new government is trying to find every now and then. This is the Basque terrorist organization ETA.

It is worth noting that the problem of Basque terrorism is inextricably linked with the problem of the existence of the Basque state. Let's dive into history a little to understand the roots of the problem itself.

In ancient times, the proud people of the Basques were not completely conquered by either the Romans or the Germans. They were also able to defend their independence during the period of the Arab conquest of the Spanish lands. But despite this, the Basques never had their own state, they managed to maintain only a certain independence.

In the Middle Ages, their territories were called "Special Provinces" and until the 19th century they retained "fueros" (the so-called system of waves and privileges). In 1876, after the defeat of Carlism (this movement caused two wars, the reason was the claims of some claims to the throne. The Basques, meanwhile, fought against the central government in this war), the Basque Country was completely occupied by troops, the fueros were replaced by a number of economic agreements (according to they were given exemptions in tax collections by the Basques, and they paid less than the rest of the provinces)

The ongoing policy of Hispanization of the Basques contributed to the emergence of Baks nationalism. Here it is worth noting one important person who appeared on the horizon - Sabino Arana. It was he who became the ideologist of the Basque nationalists. Arana attributed all the troubles of the Basque Country to contacts with Spain and, of course, to mixing blood. It was he who became the author of the Basque flag, coat of arms and anthem. Also Arana in 1894 created the Basque nationalist party(hereinafter referred to as the BNP), which led the national movement.

Sabino Arana

The Francoist dictatorship came. During this period, the Basques had a very hard time: the language was eradicated, Basque schools, newspapers, theaters were closed. What can we say - almost half of the political prisoners were Basques.

Naturally, pretty soon the Basques found something to answer: in 1959, ETA was created ("Euskadi ta Askatasuna" - "The Basque Country and Freedom"). ETA stated that its goal is to create a socialist Basque state, it rejects moderation and negotiations and gives priority to violent methods. Sabino Arana, whom we mentioned, became their hero. They repeated his demand - the creation of an independent Basque state based on a federation of seven provinces by reducing the territory of France and Spain. By the way, during the years of Francoism, many Spaniards perceived ETA as an organization that courageously fought against the dictatorship.

The struggle of ETA meant that with independence there would also be social liberation, but in fact it came down to the struggle of the province against the mother country. And hatred of Francoism subsequently passed to the Spanish democracy.

In January 1978, the Suarez government passed a decree granting temporary autonomous status to the Basque Country. And this meant a lot - all political obstacles to the development of the language, the restoration of culture and freedom were eliminated.

To finally solve this problem, it was necessary to adopt a new Constitution. She was supposed to restore the fueros in Navarre, in the Basque Country (which was what the BNP proposed). But in the end, the vote was boycotted (hardly 50% of all voters in Navarre approved it), because the Cortes refused to put fueros above the Constitution.

In October 1979, a referendum was held that finally approved the autonomous status of the Basques.

In general, the Spanish authorities tried as best they could and in the future did a lot to resolve the Basque problem: the Basques have their own parliament, two television channels (one completely in Basque), radio, police, and a bilingual education system. As for taxes, the Basques are given the right to set and collect them themselves (and only a small part goes to Madrid). No nation in Europe that does not have its own statehood has as many privileges as the Basques. It would seem that all the conditions for cultural and social development have been created, but this does not satisfy ETA. They continue to commit acts of terrorism, to sow violence .. it does not bring anything good - only fear and uncertainty in the future. From an organization shrouded in a romantic halo, it has turned into a sect of fanatics.

ETA is an underground organization that has large financial resources(robbery, extortion from entrepreneurs, as well as foreign support help here)

The desire of the Spanish governments to different years finally decide internal problem forced sometimes to come into direct contact with the ETA organizers. For example, in 1998, a truce was even established, which was observed for a little over a year. But all Spanish governments have a clear conviction that the provision on the right of the Basques and other autonomous regions to self-determination will never be accepted: this will mean capitulation to terrorism, and even more so, the formation of a weak, small, unviable state on the border of Spain and France will not bring anyone much happiness. but will only become a source of new problems for the whole of Europe. (By the way, according to polls, the majority of the population of the Basque Country does not want separation from Spain - if this is true, then the meaning of the ETA struggle is completely incomprehensible. After all, it turns out that they are fighting against their own people)

What is the reason for the survivability of ETA? Firstly, she still enjoys the romantic legend created during Francoism, secondly, of course, some support in the Basque Country affects her, and thirdly, she began to be supported by the BNP (since complete disappearance ETA is unprofitable for this party: still - after all, it immediately becomes an extreme nationalist force in the region ...)

What are the solutions? Perhaps the further unification of Europe with the abolition of borders, the creation single market, governing bodies will send the idea of ​​self-determination into the distant past. Will show time.

Personally, I do not recognize terrorism, murders, explosions as methods for achieving a righteous goal, therefore I have a negative attitude towards the ETA organization.

Bullet for Franco

The independent past of the Basques has seven centuries: in the IX-XVI centuries they were part of the Kingdom of Navarre. Catalonia was the most developed region in the Kingdom of Aragon. Since the 1800s, Catalan literature has been devoted mainly to nostalgia for an independent past. Poets called life in Spain slavery, historians talked about the special role of the people in European civilization. Catalan nationalists sought, first of all, to protect their native language and positions catholic church. Artists drew sketches from the life of the "glorious" Middle Ages.

40 tons of bombs were dropped on Guernica. This is the basis of Basque propaganda

At the beginning of the 20th century, the nationalism of the Basques and Catalans experienced an unprecedented rise. Both peoples were excessively economic - the joys of the siesta were not for them. The landowners worked tirelessly, and at the beginning of the 20th century, the Basque Country and Catalonia became one of the most prosperous regions of Spain. Today, the Basques contain up to 40,000 large farms, and Catalonia produces more than 25% of Spain's gross national product. This is one of the reasons that prompted the inhabitants of the regions to seek independence with weapons in their hands. “Previously, the backbone of the movement was made up of left-wing youth and relatives of those who suffered from Franco's repressions. To date, the independence movement has been joined by a major and medium business, as well as conservative-minded people who see economic benefits independence from Spain,” says journalist Samara Velte.

Under Franco, it was forbidden to call children Basque names

In 1919, the Catalans drafted a Statute of Autonomy. Madrid, of course, did not support this initiative. Later, the region received partial independence, but was obliged to obey directives from the center.

Spain, 1939

During the years 1936-1939, Catalonia and the Basque Country became Franco's strongholds of resistance. Dictatorship would mean the collapse of the hope for autonomy. The main "trump card" of the Basques was air superiority. However, it was still not possible to repulse the rebels: at the height of the conflict, foreign allies stopped deliveries of ammunition and food to the region. In April 1937, the Basques lost their main shrine - Guernica. 40 tons of bombs were dropped on the city. Guernica was on fire, hundreds of citizens left their homes. Subsequently, Pablo Picasso captured these events in the painting "Guernica". The destruction of the city was used by the radical Basques in their propaganda. In February 1939, Catalonia was occupied.

Guernica after the bombing

During the period of the dictatorship, demonstrative reprisals were staged against the separatists. In 1974, 25-year-old anti-fascist Salvador Puig Antique was executed. He organized an underground printing house that produced anarchist literature. In 1975, Francisco Franco signed the death warrant for five imprisoned terrorists. For 36 years of dictatorship, the Basques have lost their hard-won rights. They were banned from publishing literature and teaching at mother tongue, use national symbols and give children Basque names. At that time, up to 2 million Basques lived in Spain; the total population reached 35 million people. Another 15 million Basques settled in Latin America.

The same fate befell the Catalans. The researcher Gómez Pin wrote: “The Catalan language was limited exclusively to the domestic sphere. Only traditional Catalan dances and music recognized as official propaganda were allowed. The unification of the country's linguistic space fueled nationalist sentiments.

How the Basques laid down their arms

In 1959, the Basque Country and Freedom (ETA) group of Basque separatists was born. ETA embarked on the path of armed struggle. The program document of the grouping proclaimed a course towards a socialist revolution. She committed her first terrorist attack in 1968. Then a high-ranking police officer was killed. All over Spain militants blew up state institutions and railways. "Basque Country and Freedom" enjoyed broad popular support. Their actions were regarded as the only way opposition to dictatorship. In 1973, Prime Minister Carrero Blanco was killed in an explosion. Terrorists dug under one of the main streets in Madrid. An armored car weighing 1.5 tons, which was driven by an official, flew up to a height of several floors at the time of the explosion.

Francisco Franco

After the death of Franco in 1975, the Basque Country and Catalonia received autonomy. Questions regional level were now under the jurisdiction of local parliaments. “Part of the taxes went to Madrid. Since 1975 local authorities independently make decisions in the field of education and healthcare, production, infrastructure,” Samara said.

Basque terrorists "protected" business and kidnapped people

Despite these measures, the Basque Country and Freedom did not stop its activities. Detachments of 20-30 people operated in different parts of Spain. According to experts, in the 1970s and 1980s there were about 500 militants in total. To obtain funds for terrorism, ETA kidnapped people and demanded a huge ransom from their relatives. In addition, representatives of the organization "protected" Basque entrepreneurs for substantial contributions. A major terrorist attack occurred in 2009 in Burgos - then 46 people were injured as a result of a car explosion. In 2011, the special services eliminated some of the leaders of the Basque separatists, and in April 2017, ETA announced its disarmament.

Blanco's armored car took off to the height of a 6-story building

According to Samara, there has been an increase in separatist sentiment in the Basque Country in recent years. “The Catalans have been demanding a referendum since 2010. Then more than a million people participated in the procession through Barcelona. Protests were held annually, the number of participants reached 2 million. Trade unions, universities and FC Barcelona joined the movement. As a result, the referendum on the independence of Catalonia in 2014 was symbolic. The Spanish court found it inconsistent with the country's constitution, and it had no legal force. However, in 2016, the right-wing nationalists won the parliamentary elections in the Basque Country,” the journalist emphasized.

A number of experts claim that ISIS* is “hunting” for the radical Basques. According to Samara, this information is not true: “There is no chance that the group will replenish its ranks at the expense of the Basques. Firstly, people of the same religion and one nationality live here, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to “play” on their religious feelings. Secondly, the Basques have just ended 50 years of armed struggle. The conflict was not of an ethnic nature - it was about gaining independence and building socialism. But at the same time, we are seeing a disturbing trend in the region: girls and boys who have never participated in armed struggle are idealizing it.”

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said yesterday that "in no case" would he allow a referendum on the independence of Catalonia.

*The organization is banned in Russia by decision of the Supreme Court

ETA was founded in 1959 to fight for national self-determination, but its roots are in recent history go back to the years of the civil war, the bombing of Guernica and the elimination of the autonomy of the Basque Country by the dictator Francisco Franco in 1937. Since 1968, the separatists have switched to terror tactics. Among their victims are the official successor of Franco and the prime minister of his government, Luis Carrero Blanco, the descendant of Columbus, Vice Admiral Cristobal Colon de Carvajal, politicians and administrators of various ranks, military and police officials, intelligence officers and even former associates, who, like those killed in 1986 year of Maria Dolores Gonzalez - condemned the violence and went to negotiations with the authorities. In 1998, 6 people were killed. The Spaniards were especially outraged by the news of the ETA conspiracy directed against the beloved king Juan Carlos. In July 1997, after the murder of a young municipal councilor, Miguel Angel Blanco, taken hostage by separatists, over 6 million people took to the streets of Spanish cities under the slogan of condemning ETA. Following this, virtually the entire leadership of Eri Batasuna's party was arrested and convicted.

The turning point in the Spanish government's fight against ETA came after. At first, the Spanish government blamed ETA for the bombings (for which it later paid with a loss in the elections), but then it turned out that the bloodiest terrorist attacks in the history of Spain were the work of the Islamists. After that, it became obvious that ETA's terrorist activities would no longer have the expected effect.

• eternal separatism. A report by "Agentura" journalists from the Basque country
• The Spanish system of combating terrorism: before and after the Madrid bombings

Timeline of ETA terror

• 1959 - ETA founded
• 1961 - an attempt to derail a train on which Franco-supporting politicians traveled. The attempt failed.
• 1968 - ETA's first victim is Meliton Manzanasa, chief of the secret police in San Sebastian.
• 1968 - All-Spanish anti-terror campaign, new anti-terrorism law, 1963 arrests in total.
• 1968, December - "Burgos process". 19 ETA militants arrested and convicted (six were sentenced to death, but their execution was commuted to imprisonment)
• 1969-70 - several ETA leaders were captured and convicted by a military court
• 1973, December - the assassination of the country's prime minister, Admiral Carrero Blanco
• 1976 - The Suarez government tries to negotiate with the Basques, which fail.
• 1976-1980 - the heyday of ETA, the number of ETA members reaches 500, of which 200 are active militants
• 1977 - ETA fighters killed 73 people
• 1978 - The political, legal wing of ETA "Herri Batasuna" (Herri Batasuna) is founded. ETA fighters committed the first murder of a socialist - Herman Gonzalez.
• 1980 - the bloodiest year of ETA: 118 people were killed by the Basques in all of Spain. At the same time, it is believed that there are only 50 people in the ETA.
• 1984 - Socialists General Lakasi and Enrique Casa are assassinated.
• 1981 - self-dissolution of the military wing of ETA
• 1984-1985 - self-dissolution of several separate ETA groups.
• 1986 - ETA terror surge. Until now, ETA militants, as fighters against the Franco regime, used the opportunity to receive political asylum in France, but in the mid-80s, the governments of Spain and France were negotiating to change this rule. And one of the ETA leaders, Muhiko Garmenda, called for blowing up French trucks in protest.
• 1986, First half - committed 20 terrorist attacks in Spain, 28 dead.
• 1989 - in France, the head of ETA, Jose Urruticoechea Bengoechea (Jose Turner), was arrested and sent to jail
• Early 90s - Eloseki Sabaleta (Waldo), Turnera's first deputy arrested
• 1991 - Jesús Arcus Arana, organizer of ETA armed actions, was arrested in France.
• 1992 - Mujiko Garmendia and ETA ideologue José Luis Alvarez were arrested in France, as well as ETA explosives expert Maria Arregue Erostarbe and ETA treasurer Sabieno Suba
• 1992 - ETA murder of two soldiers in Barcelona and an explosion in Madrid, during which 5 people died.
• 1995 - assassination attempt on King Juan Carlos of Spain
• 1995 - Assassination attempt on José Maria Aznar, leader of the right-wing People's Party. The bomb was planted in a car. The politician escaped death by pure chance, not leaving in this car in time. She exploded without him.
• March 1996 - Francisco Tomas y Valente, a former justice of the country's Supreme Court, is assassinated in Madrid.
• 1996 - Aznar's party wins elections in Spain. ETA is sure that the right-wing politician is the successor of Franco's cause, which, in general, for them is not far from the truth, Aznara was and remains against the isolation of the Basques.
• 1996 is the year of terror against Aznar's right-wing party.
• July 1997 - ETA kidnaps and kills Basque Council member, lowly economist Miguel Angel Blanco. Throughout Spain, the attitude towards the Basques is deteriorating. 6 million Spaniards come out across the country to protest against Basque separatism.
• December 1997 - 23 Herri Batasuna leaders were arrested and imprisoned for 7 years for collaborating with ETA.
• February 1997 - Herri Batasuna chooses new leadership, even more radical than before.
• March 1998 - main political parties Spain are involved in the negotiations, wanting to settle the situation in the Basque country. The Spanish government is not involved in these negotiations.
• September 1998 - ETA leadership officially announces an indefinite truce, hoping for political negotiations
• July 2000 - ETA announces the end of the truce and that a new wave of terror is coming

Personalities

IdoyaIrene ("Margarita") Born in 1964. ETA militant, temporarily expelled from the organization. Participated in the assassination attempt on Broseta. She took part in two attacks on members of the guard in Madrid, during which 17 people were killed and dozens were injured. Once, against the "will of the party", as they say, she went AWOL - she committed an unscheduled terrorist attack, for which she was suspended from active work. Its descriptions are in the special services of many countries. Thanks to which it is known that she was for some time in Algeria and in France. In October 1991, she was already in Spain again, as she was seen during an attempted explosion in Zaragossa.

FranciscoMujica Garmendia ("Paquito") former leader THIS. In mid-1999, the French authorities, where he was serving a 10-year sentence for participating in a conspiracy, handed him over to his homeland, where he appeared before the Spanish supreme court. Paquito's trial began in August 2000 - he was accused of involvement in several bombings. He acknowledged his affiliation with ETA, but denied that he held a leadership position in the group. The leading news agencies of the world assumed that he was facing a 30-year prison term, but their predictions did not come true. On October 6, 2000, the former ETA commander was found guilty of organizing several terraks and sentenced to 109 years in prison. Three days later, the ETA militants expressed their attitude to the verdict - on October 9, in Granada, the chief prosecutor of Andalusia was shot right on the street.

See also "Agentura":

• Marina Latysheva.
• Dominic Ridley, The Guardian