Cafetería Rolando bombing
Encyclopedia
The Cafetería Rolando bombing was an attack on the Rolando cafe in Calle del Correo, Madrid
, Spain
which killed 13 people and wounded 71. Though no claim of responsibility was made, the attack is widely believed to have been carried out by the armed Basque
separatist group ETA
.
Two of the 12 initially killed and 11 of the injured were members of the police force however the wounded included the number two of the Spanish Political Police, with the remainder employees and customers of the cafe. A thirteenth victim died in 1977 of injuries suffered during the attack.
, the opportunity to attack the Prime Minister Carlos Arias Navarro
.
In the immediate period of confusion following the attack, some blamed the attack on the far right. The police, however, decided that ETA were responsible and launched an operation against the group's infrastructure in Madrid. Initially the police also blamed the Communist Party of Spain
(PCE) of cooperating in the attack, but the PCE energetically denied involvement. Reports that police officers had received a circular advising them not to go to the Rolando Cafe or stand outside the building added to the mystery surrounding the incident.
Leftists known to be sympathetic to ETA were arrested, including Eva Forest, wife of the Communist playwright Alfonso Sastre
, Mari Luz Fernandez and her relatives, Lidia Falcon, the theatre director Vicente Sainz de la Peña, a construction worker Antonio Durán, a pilot Bernardo Badell and his wife María del Carmen Nadal, the actress María Paz Ballesteros, and the writer Eliseo Bayo. Between June 1975 and February 1976, courts dismissed the cases and released the defendants. However Eva Forest and Mari Luz Fernandez remained in prison as they were charged with complicity in the assassination of Luis Carrero Blanco
. Despite Lidia Falcon publishing a denunciation of Eva Forest which suggested that Forest's role in the Rolando attack had been considerable, neither Forest nor Luz Fernandez were tried for the Rolando bombing. Both Forest and Luz Fernandez were released in June 1977 as part of a general amnesty for political prisoners.
The government also offered a reward of one million pesetas for information leading to the capture of Juan Manuel Galarraga Mendizabal who they suspected of being a high ranking ETA figure involved in the bombing. Exact authorship of the bombing has however remained a mystery.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
which killed 13 people and wounded 71. Though no claim of responsibility was made, the attack is widely believed to have been carried out by the armed Basque
Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
separatist group ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
.
Background
The Rolando Cafe was located on 4 Calle del Correo in Madrid, close to the General Directorate of Security, the headquarters of the Spanish Police. It was regularly frequented by members of the police force and security services.The attack
The bomb was placed at the entrance to the building and exploded on a Friday afternoon, during a busy lunchtime period. Over 300 hundred people were eating in the neighbouring El Tobogan restaurant at the time of the explosion, two of whom were among the dead. The explosion caused significant damage to nearby buildings, shattering the windows of the nearby General Directorate of Security, while two cars parked nearby were totally destroyed. The bomb caused part of the Rolando Cafe's ceiling to collapse and guests staying in a pension above were injured due to falling through the gaps in the ceiling. The police immediately arrived and cordoned off the scene.Two of the 12 initially killed and 11 of the injured were members of the police force however the wounded included the number two of the Spanish Political Police, with the remainder employees and customers of the cafe. A thirteenth victim died in 1977 of injuries suffered during the attack.
Responses and arrests
The leadership of ETA was taken aback by the responses to the attack and on 15 September, issued a statement denying their responsibility, though implicitly defending the bombing, claiming that the cafe was full of police agents. This caused tensions within the group, with some members believing that the organisation had to admit responsibility for attacks carried out, even if the results were not those intended. The bombing gave those opposed to further liberalisation of the country, such as Blas PiñarBlas Piñar
Blas Piñar is a Spanish politician. He has had connections with Catholic organizations; directed the Institute of Spanish Culture and served as deputy in the Cortes and a councillor of the Movimiento Nacional.In the 1960s, Blas Piñar was in charge of the Institute of Spanish Culture that was...
, the opportunity to attack the Prime Minister Carlos Arias Navarro
Carlos Arias Navarro
Don Carlos Arias-Navarro, 1st Marquis of Arias-Navarro, Grandee of Spain, born Carlos Arias y Navarro was one of the best known Spanish politicians during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco....
.
In the immediate period of confusion following the attack, some blamed the attack on the far right. The police, however, decided that ETA were responsible and launched an operation against the group's infrastructure in Madrid. Initially the police also blamed the Communist Party of Spain
Communist Party of Spain
The Communist Party of Spain is the third largest national political party in Spain. It is the largest member organization of the United Left electoral coalition and has influence in the largest trade union in Spain, Workers' Commissions ....
(PCE) of cooperating in the attack, but the PCE energetically denied involvement. Reports that police officers had received a circular advising them not to go to the Rolando Cafe or stand outside the building added to the mystery surrounding the incident.
Leftists known to be sympathetic to ETA were arrested, including Eva Forest, wife of the Communist playwright Alfonso Sastre
Alfonso Sastre
Alfonso Sastre is a Spanish playwright, essayist, and critic. He was an outspoken critic of censorship during the reign of General Francisco Franco...
, Mari Luz Fernandez and her relatives, Lidia Falcon, the theatre director Vicente Sainz de la Peña, a construction worker Antonio Durán, a pilot Bernardo Badell and his wife María del Carmen Nadal, the actress María Paz Ballesteros, and the writer Eliseo Bayo. Between June 1975 and February 1976, courts dismissed the cases and released the defendants. However Eva Forest and Mari Luz Fernandez remained in prison as they were charged with complicity in the assassination of Luis Carrero Blanco
Luis Carrero Blanco
Don Luis Carrero Blanco, 1st Duke of Carrero Blanco, Grandee of Spain was a Spanish admiral and long-time confidant of dictator Francisco Franco.- Biography :...
. Despite Lidia Falcon publishing a denunciation of Eva Forest which suggested that Forest's role in the Rolando attack had been considerable, neither Forest nor Luz Fernandez were tried for the Rolando bombing. Both Forest and Luz Fernandez were released in June 1977 as part of a general amnesty for political prisoners.
The government also offered a reward of one million pesetas for information leading to the capture of Juan Manuel Galarraga Mendizabal who they suspected of being a high ranking ETA figure involved in the bombing. Exact authorship of the bombing has however remained a mystery.