ETA:all about the Basque separatist group

ETA - Basque acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (Euskadi Homeland and Liberty) - is a Basque separatist group, which has its origins in the Spanish Basque Country.

Founded in 1959 as a cultural association, at the end of the 70s, its main objective was to proclaim the independence of the Basque Country. For this, he used violent methods that consisted of murders, kidnappings, extortion and threats.

In 2011, the group announced the end of its armed actions and in 2018, its dissolution.

Origin and Objectives of ETA

After the installation of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), any regional cultural manifestation was prohibited.

Franco's government vetoed the use of the Basque language, the local flag or exalting the region's leaders. In this way, a group of university students founded in 1959 a cultural association to promote the Basque language and culture.

The organization adopts the line of Marxist-Leninist theories and readings that talk about the need to resist the oppressor through guerrilla warfare.

It was also the time of the Cuban Revolution and the Algerian War, when leftist groups managed to change the destiny of their countries through struggle.

They also identify with the decolonization movement of African countries. For them, the Basque Country would be a region occupied by a foreign power, Spain, and any form of liberation would be valid to achieve independence.

Attacks

Within this logic, the group carries out several violent attacks to achieve its objectives. In this way, they commit murders against politicians from right-wing parties, military and police commanders, some of them known torturers of Franco's repression.

At this moment, ETA gets the sympathy of part of the Spanish population, because it understands that they were fighting against the Franco regime.

The biggest political attack, however, was against the president of government Carrero Blanco, in Madrid, on December 20, 1973. This was followed by attacks against police officers and members of the Civil Guard.

In order to finance their actions, in several cities of the Basque Country, merchants and businessmen had to contribute to the revolutionary cause through the "revolutionary tax". Anyone who refused to do so was threatened with death and, in many cases, murdered.

With the arrival of democracy and the recovery of old rights that the Basque Country had lost during Francoism, many thought that ETA would abandon its activity. However, the organization became increasingly radical and began to target leftist politicians and civilians as well.

The attack that caused the most deaths took place in Barcelona when a bomb was placed in the parking lot of the Hipercor supermarket on June 19, 1987. The explosion left 21 dead and 45 injured.

Numbers of Attacks

ETA's terrorist actions left 854 dead, 6,389 wounded, 86 kidnappings (with 10 dead), 700 attacks (224 of them unresolved).

It is important to note that 80% of the attacks committed by ETA were carried out during democracy.

Until 2011, when the group announced the end of its actions, 3,300 people were under state protection. In 2018 there were 225 etarras (ETA members) in Spanish prisons.

End of ETA

On October 20, 2011, members of the terrorist organization ETA announced the end of their activities and their willingness to hand over the arsenal they had in their possession.

The group was going through a moment of deep division, and no longer had the support of the Basque population, nor of the Spanish population. The scenario of the 60s and 70s, of struggle against an oppressive nation, no longer made sense.

In May 2018, in the presence of journalists and foreign observers, the group handed over weapons and announced the end of its existence. No Spanish authorities were present at the ceremony.

ETA and IRA

The ETA and IRA (Irish Republican Army) organizations were the most active terrorist groups in Europe in the 60's and 70's.

Both shared the same view that it was necessary to use violence in order to achieve their political goals. They understood that their victims must be military targets, but they also carried out indiscriminate killings of civilians.

Although they were very similar, there are notable differences between the Basque and Irish groups. The IRA has always had a religious component due to the situation between Catholics and Protestants, something that has been rejected since the beginning of ETA's formation.

Also, because it was structured like an army, the IRA's hierarchy was more centralized than the Basque group, which was divided into regional commands and were more independent from each other.

In 2005, the IRA announced the end of its activities.

See also:Bloody Sunday Be sure to read these texts :

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