Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación
Encyclopedia
Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación (GAL, Antiterrorist Liberation Groups) were death squad
s established illegally by officials of the Spanish government
to fight ETA
, the principal Basque separatist militant
group. They were active from 1983 until 1987, under Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)-led governments. It was proven at trial that they were financed by important officials within the Spanish
Interior Ministry. The Spanish daily newspaper, El Mundo
, played an important role in revealing the plot when it ran a comprehensive series of articles on the matter.
on the French
side of the Spanish-French border, but kidnappings and tortures were also performed at various places in Spain. The victims (at least 27 dead and 26 injured) were either members of ETA or Basque nationalist activists, but some victims were not known to have links to ETA or political violence
at all. The GAL was active from 1983 until 1987, a period often referred to as "La guerra sucia" (the dirty war) in Spanish history
.
The GAL did not have a coherent ideology. Its sole purpose was to attack ETA members and Basque nationalist targets, even at random, to spread confusion and put pressure on the French government. In this regard, the actual perpetrators were never militants, per se, and certainly not militants in the political sense. Rather they were mercenaries
.
When the whole operation came to an end, in addition to GAL operatives a few Spanish policemen and government officials were also convicted. The scandalous revelations eventually led to terms in prison. For instance, the Interior Minister, José Barrionuevo, and his associate Rafael Vera, were convicted of the kidnapping of Segundo Marey, and General Galindo and the civil governor of Guipuzcoa, Julen Elgorriaga, were found guilty of the murder of Joxe Antonio Lasa and Joxe Ignacio Zabala in October 1983 http://web.amnesty.org/web/ar2001.nsf/webeurcountries/SPAIN?OpenDocument.
Prosecutors proved that the policemen who recruited mercenaries and the government officials who organized the dirty war's operations also embezzled large amounts of public money. Rafael Vera, among others, was sentenced for illegal appropriation of funds from the Ministry. Also, in order to buy their silence, the PSOE government bribed the individuals first jailed.
Due to reports by investigative journalists
from El Mundo
and other Spanish newspapers, Felipe González
, then prime minister of Spain and leader of the PSOE, was suspected of being involved with the GAL. Some people claimed that, although González probably knew about the GAL, he was not brought to trial because it would further discredit Spanish political institutions.
The GAL was one of the main issues of the campaign during the elections of 1996 in which the PSOE was defeated by José María Aznar
's People's Party
(PP) for the first time. González then resigned as leader of the PSOE. With the exception of Ricardo García Damborenea, PSOE leaders have never acknowledged responsibility for the GAL, or condemned their crimes. González himself has never been charged with a GAL-related offence, but he has called publicly for pardons for his former subordinates. PSOE leaders campaigned for leniency towards their former colleagues, and the Aznar government pardoned some of them.
After 1987, when the GAL disbanded, the French government adopted a harsher attitude towards Basque refugees, by denying political refugee status to new applicants, and facilitating extradition
s requested by Spanish judges. This change weakened ETA's veterans. The GAL may have ensured ETA's survival by helping to preserve the image of an authoritarian state at war with the Basque people
.
.
The convicted members of GAL's leadership are:
Members of Batasuna
gave the name "Green GAL" to a group of the Guardia Civil (who wear green uniforms) based on the Intxaurrondo barracks in San Sebastián, because Batasuna
allege that they would attack ETA members illegally.
Death squad
A death squad is an armed military, police, insurgent, or terrorist squad that conducts extrajudicial killings, assassinations, and forced disappearances of persons as part of a war, insurgency or terror campaign...
s established illegally by officials of the Spanish government
Spanish Government
Spain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...
to fight 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...
, the principal Basque separatist militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
group. They were active from 1983 until 1987, under Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)-led governments. It was proven at trial that they were financed by important officials within the Spanish
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...
Interior Ministry. The Spanish daily newspaper, El Mundo
El Mundo (Spain)
El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
, played an important role in revealing the plot when it ran a comprehensive series of articles on the matter.
General history
GAL operated mainly in the portion of the Basque countryBasque Country (historical territory)
The Basque Country is the name given to the home of the Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast....
on the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
side of the Spanish-French border, but kidnappings and tortures were also performed at various places in Spain. The victims (at least 27 dead and 26 injured) were either members of ETA or Basque nationalist activists, but some victims were not known to have links to ETA or political violence
Political violence
Political violence is a common means used by people and governments around the world to achieve political goals. Many groups and individuals believe that their political systems will never respond to their political demands. As a result they believe that violence is not only justified but also...
at all. The GAL was active from 1983 until 1987, a period often referred to as "La guerra sucia" (the dirty war) in Spanish history
History of Spain
The history of Spain involves all the other peoples and nations within the Iberian peninsula formerly known as Hispania, and includes still today the nations of Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain...
.
The GAL did not have a coherent ideology. Its sole purpose was to attack ETA members and Basque nationalist targets, even at random, to spread confusion and put pressure on the French government. In this regard, the actual perpetrators were never militants, per se, and certainly not militants in the political sense. Rather they were mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
.
When the whole operation came to an end, in addition to GAL operatives a few Spanish policemen and government officials were also convicted. The scandalous revelations eventually led to terms in prison. For instance, the Interior Minister, José Barrionuevo, and his associate Rafael Vera, were convicted of the kidnapping of Segundo Marey, and General Galindo and the civil governor of Guipuzcoa, Julen Elgorriaga, were found guilty of the murder of Joxe Antonio Lasa and Joxe Ignacio Zabala in October 1983 http://web.amnesty.org/web/ar2001.nsf/webeurcountries/SPAIN?OpenDocument.
Prosecutors proved that the policemen who recruited mercenaries and the government officials who organized the dirty war's operations also embezzled large amounts of public money. Rafael Vera, among others, was sentenced for illegal appropriation of funds from the Ministry. Also, in order to buy their silence, the PSOE government bribed the individuals first jailed.
Due to reports by investigative journalists
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
from El Mundo
El Mundo (Spain)
El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
and other Spanish newspapers, Felipe González
Felipe González
Felipe González Márquez is a Spanish socialist politician. He was the General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party from 1974 to 1997. To date, he remains the longest-serving Prime Minister of Spain, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996.-Early life:Felipe was...
, then prime minister of Spain and leader of the PSOE, was suspected of being involved with the GAL. Some people claimed that, although González probably knew about the GAL, he was not brought to trial because it would further discredit Spanish political institutions.
The GAL was one of the main issues of the campaign during the elections of 1996 in which the PSOE was defeated by José María Aznar
José María Aznar
José María Alfredo Aznar López served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is on the board of directors of News Corporation.-Early life:...
's People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
(PP) for the first time. González then resigned as leader of the PSOE. With the exception of Ricardo García Damborenea, PSOE leaders have never acknowledged responsibility for the GAL, or condemned their crimes. González himself has never been charged with a GAL-related offence, but he has called publicly for pardons for his former subordinates. PSOE leaders campaigned for leniency towards their former colleagues, and the Aznar government pardoned some of them.
After 1987, when the GAL disbanded, the French government adopted a harsher attitude towards Basque refugees, by denying political refugee status to new applicants, and facilitating extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
s requested by Spanish judges. This change weakened ETA's veterans. The GAL may have ensured ETA's survival by helping to preserve the image of an authoritarian state at war with the Basque people
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
.
Chronology of attacks
- 1983:
- October 17: Kidnapping and assassination of alleged ETA members Joxe Lasa Arostegi and José Ignacio Zabala. Claimed. Their mutilated corpses were found in AlicanteAlicante (province)Alicante or Alacant is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east...
in 1985, but not formally identified until 1995. Several Guardia Civiles were eventually sentenced for this case, though allegations of torture were dismissed. - October 18: Kidnap attempt in BayonneBayonneBayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
of alleged ETA leader José Mari Larretxea Goñi by four Spanish policemen. The four agents were arrested by French gendarmesGendarmerieA gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
. - December 4: Kidnapping of Segundo Marey by mercenaries hired by the Spanish police. They demanded the liberation of the four policemen arrested for the kidnap attempt on Larraetxea. The policemen were released on December 8 and Marey on the 13th. S. Marey was not related to ETA in any way and he was apparently kidnapped by mistake.
- December 19: Assassination of Ramón Oñaederra, alleged ETA member, in Bayonne.
- December 29: Assassination of Mikel Goikoetxea, alleged ETA leader, in Bayonne, by a mercenary sharpshooter.
- October 17: Kidnapping and assassination of alleged ETA members Joxe Lasa Arostegi and José Ignacio Zabala. Claimed. Their mutilated corpses were found in Alicante
- 1984:
- February 8: Assassination of Vicente Perurena and Angel Gurmindo, alleged ETA members, in Bayonne.
- February 25: Assassination by a sharpshooter of Eugenio Gutiérrez Salazar, alleged ETA member, in MendiIdaux-MendyIdaux-Mendy is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is located in the former province of Soule.-External links:*...
. - March 1: Assassination of railroad worker Jean Pierre Leyba in HendayeHendayeHendaye is the most south-westerly town and commune in France, lying in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and located in the traditional province Lapurdi of the French Basque Country...
. - March 23: Assassination of Javier Pérez Arenaza, alleged ETA leader, in BiarritzBiarritzBiarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
. - March (unclear date): Assassination attempt on Ramón Basañez Jauregi, alleged ETA member, in Bayonne. He was gravely injured but survived.
- May 3: Assassination of Rafael Goikoetxea, alleged ETA member, in Baigorri. His companion Jesús Zugarramurdi is injured.
- May 26: Kidnapping and torture of Rafael and Endika Lorenzo, members of the Anti-Nuclear Committees in AlgortaAlgortaAlgorta is a locality within the municipality of Getxo, in the province of Biscay, Basque Country, Spain. In 1996, the population of Algorta was 35,600....
(GetxoGetxoGetxo is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain.It is part of the metropolitan area of Bilbao , and has about 83,000 inhabitants...
, BiscayBiscayBiscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
). - June 15: Assassination of Tomás Pérez Revilla, alleged ETA member, by a bomb hidden in a motorcycle in Biarritz. His companion Ramón Orbe is injured.
- July 10: Bomb attack against the tavern Consolation. Three people are injured: José Oliva Gallastegi, Bonifacio García and Juan Jauregi Aurria.
- November 18: Assassination of dancer Christian Olaskoaga in BiriatouBiriatouBiriatou is a small village in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France....
. He was not known to have connections with ETA. - November 20: Assassination of Santiago BrouardSantiago BrouardSantiago Brouard or Santi Brouard was a doctor and Basque politician. He was one of the leaders of Herri Batasuna, member of the Spanish Senate representing the party, and deputy major in Bilbao...
, leader of HASIHerri Alderdi Sozialista IraultzaileaHerri Alderdi Sozialista Iraultzailea best known for its acronym HASI, that in Basque language means to begin, was a non-legal Basque political party, considered commonly to be the political branch of ETA...
in his own medical practice in BilbaoBilbaoBilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
. - December 11: Attack on José Iradier in HendayeHendayeHendaye is the most south-westerly town and commune in France, lying in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and located in the traditional province Lapurdi of the French Basque Country...
, injured.
- 1985:
- February 1: Attack on Xabier Manterola, leader of Herri Taldeak, injured.
- February 5: Bomb attack against Christian Casteigts in Bayonne, injured. He was not known to have connections with ETA.
- March 29: Attack on Les Pyreneés tavern in Bayonne. Benoit Pecasteing, Jean Marc Mutio and Pedro José Pikabea were injured, Benoit fatally. Pikabea allegedly was member of ETA.
- March 30: Assassination of photographer journalist Xabier Galdeano in Saint-Jean-de-LuzSaint-Jean-de-LuzSaint-Jean-de-Luz is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.Saint-Jean-de-Luz is part of the province Basque of Labourd and the Basque Eurocity Bayonne - San Sebastian .-Geography:...
. - June 26: Assassination of Santos Blanco González, alleged ETA member, in Bayonne.
- June (unclear date): Attack on the Trinkete tavern in CiboureCiboureCiboure is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It lies across the river Nivelle from the harbour of Saint-Jean-de-Luz....
: Emile Weiss and Claude Doer are killed. They were not known to have connections with ETA. - August 31: Assassination of Dominique Labeyrie in St. Jean de Luz. He was not known to have connections with ETA.
- September 2: Assassination of Juan Manuel Otegi, alleged ETA member, in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-PortSaint-Jean-Pied-de-PortSaint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothills....
. - September 25: Attack on the Monbar hotel in Bayonne. José Mari Etxaniz, Iñaki Asteazu Izarra, Agustín Irazustabarrena and Sabin Etxaide Ibarguren, alleged ETA members, are killed.
- December 24: Robert Caplanne is fatally injured in Biarritz. He died on January 6. He was not known to have connections with ETA.
- 1986:
- February 8: Attack on the Batxoki tavern. Karmele Martínez, Federick Haramboure and a young girl Nagore Otegui are injured.
- February 17: Assassination of Christophe Matxikote and Catherine Brion. They had no connection with ETA. Not claimed by GAL.
- 1987:
- July 24: Assassination of Juan Carlos García Goena, again unconnected with ETA. The attack was not claimed by GAL. The arrested mercenaries, who performed it, accused GAL of ordering it.
Convicted GAL members
The actual attacks were carried by members of the Spanish Policía Nacional or, most frequently, by Portuguese or French mercenariesMercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
.
The convicted members of GAL's leadership are:
- José Barrionuevo Peña, Homeland minister in PSOE's cabinets from 1982-88.
- Rafael Vera, director for the Security of the State.
- Ricardo García Damborenea, secretary general of PSE-PSOE in Biscay.
- Francisco Álvarez, Antiterrorist Fight Czar.
- Miguel Planchuelo, chief for the Police Information Brigade of Bilbao.
- José Amedo Fouce, police chief.
- Julián Sancristóbal, gobernador civil (delegate of the Spanish government) in Biscay.
- General (then Colonel) Enrique Rodríguez Galindo, chief of the Guardia Civil headquarters at Intxaurrondo
Similar groups
- Anti-Terrorismo ETA (ATE)
- Batallón Vasco EspañolBatallón Vasco EspañolThe Batallón Vasco Español was a Spanish Basque right-wing paramilitary group active from 1975 to 1981, primarily in French Basque Country.The BVE employed violence mainly against Basque separatist groups....
(BVE) - Grupos Armados Españoles (GAE)
Members of Batasuna
Batasuna
Batasuna was a Basque nationalist political party based mainly in Spain, where it was outlawed in 2003, after a court ruling declared proven that the party was financing ETA with public money. Batasuna is included in the "European Union list of terrorist persons and organizations" as a component...
gave the name "Green GAL" to a group of the Guardia Civil (who wear green uniforms) based on the Intxaurrondo barracks in San Sebastián, because Batasuna
Batasuna
Batasuna was a Basque nationalist political party based mainly in Spain, where it was outlawed in 2003, after a court ruling declared proven that the party was financing ETA with public money. Batasuna is included in the "European Union list of terrorist persons and organizations" as a component...
allege that they would attack ETA members illegally.
See also
- Henri CurielHenri CurielHenri Curiel was a left-wing political activist. Born in Egypt, Curiel led the communist Democratic Movement for National Liberation until he was expelled from the country in 1950. Settling in France, Curiel aided the Algerian Front de Libération Nationale and other national liberation causes...
, allegedly killed by Jean-Pierre Maïone-LibaudeJean-Pierre Maïone-LibaudeJean-Pierre Maïone-Libaude was a French veteran of the Algerian War , former member of the OAS' Delta commando, a nationalist terrorist group. He then became the informant of police officer Lucien Aimé-Blanc, former vice chief of staff of the Antigang brigade and of the Narcotics brigade...
on behalf of the GAL - Pierre GoldmanPierre GoldmanPierre Goldman, was a French left-wing intellectual who was convicted of several robberies and mysteriously assassinated. It has been suspected that the Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación death squad was involved in his murder...
, killed by Jean-Pierre Maïone-LibaudeJean-Pierre Maïone-LibaudeJean-Pierre Maïone-Libaude was a French veteran of the Algerian War , former member of the OAS' Delta commando, a nationalist terrorist group. He then became the informant of police officer Lucien Aimé-Blanc, former vice chief of staff of the Antigang brigade and of the Narcotics brigade... - Stefano Delle ChiaieStefano Delle ChiaieStefano Delle Chiaie is a neofascist Italian activist . He went on to become a wanted man worldwide, suspect to be involved in Italy's strategy of tension, but was acquitted. He was a friend of Licio Gelli, grandmaster of P2 masonic lodge...
, Italian neofascist - Jean Pierre CheridJean Pierre CheridJean-Pierre Cherid was a far right French activist and later mercenary of Moroccan descent. A former French paratrooper, he first became a member of the Organisation de l'armée secrète during the Algerian War .Afterwards, Cherid appeared in Spain in 1976...
, former Organisation de l'armée secrète member, Batallón Vasco EspañolBatallón Vasco EspañolThe Batallón Vasco Español was a Spanish Basque right-wing paramilitary group active from 1975 to 1981, primarily in French Basque Country.The BVE employed violence mainly against Basque separatist groups....
and GAL
Books
- Dirty War, Clean Hands -- ETA, the GAL and Spanish Democracy by Paddy Woodworth - ISBN 0-300-09750-6