Grupos Armados Españoles
The Grupos Armados Españoles (GAE) (English: Spanish Armed Groups) was a Spanish neo-fascist paramilitary organisation active from 1979 to 1980, primarily in the Basque Country. A report by the Office for Victims of Terrorism of the Basque Government in June 2010 attributed six murders to the group, and linked it to the National Police Corps, SECED and the Civil Guard.[1]
| Spanish Armed Groups | |
|---|---|
| Grupos Armados Españoles (Spanish) | |
| Leader | Unknown |
| Dates of operation | c. 1979 – c. 1980 |
| Motives | Opposition to separatism, communism and democracy |
| Active regions | Spain (Basque Country) |
| Ideology | Neo-fascism Spanish nationalism Vasco-phobia |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Notable attacks | Alonsotegi bombing |
| Status | Inactive |
| Size | Unknown |
| Spanish Armed Groups Grupos Armados Españoles (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Unknown |
| Dates of operation | c. 1979 – c. 1980 |
| Motives | Opposition to separatism, communism and democracy |
| Active regions | Spain (Basque Country) |
| Ideology | Neo-fascism Spanish nationalism Vasco-phobia |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Status | Inactive |
| Size | Unknown |
| Allies | Batallón Vasco Español Alianza Apostólica Anticomunista Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey Acción Nacional Española Antiterrorismo ETA |
| Opponents | Basque National Liberation Movement
Government of Spain |
| Battles and wars | the Basque Conflict |
Attacks edit
Attacks attributed to the Spanish Armed Groups:[a]
- 28 September 1979: Assassination of Tomás Alba Irazusta, Herri Batasuna town councillor of Donostia in Astigarraga.
- 15 January 1980: Assassination of Carlos Saldise Corta (member of the Gestoras Pro Amnistía) in Lezo.
- 20 January 1980: Alonsotegi bombing. four killed and 10 injured.[2]
Alleged links with Francoist repression edit
The report of the Office of Victims of Terrorism of the Basque Government said that the GAE was a well organized group that "acted with a high level of tolerance, when no complicity with important sectors of the police apparatus of the time",[full citation needed] and criticized the impunity and lack of investigation about group actions.
Notes edit
- ^ This list may be incomplete, because many of their attacks were never claimed. Additionally the acronyms GAE and others (Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey, Antiterrorismo ETA, Primera Línea de Fuerza Nueva, Batallón Vasco Español, Alianza Apóstolica Anticomunista, and later Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación and GANE) seem to have been indistinctly used by the same Spanish nationalist networks capriciously.