Manos Limpias
Encyclopedia
Manos Limpias is a fascist trade union
registered in Spain
. The group was inspired and founded in Madrid
in 1995 by the Spanish lawyer Miguel Bernad Remón, as an organization representing employees of the Spanish
public services
. The union has no institutional representation as of 2009. The group takes their name from the Mani Pulite
judiciary movement in Italy instigated by Antonio Di Pietro
. At present, the union has over 6,000 members, who financially contribute with an annual fee of 60 euros.
and Basque Country
, with some exceptions of cases against the centre-right Partido Popular
. The group has been often described by the left-leaning media as a far-right civil servants' organisation due to Mr. Bernad's past membership to the far right party Fuerza Nueva
during the early eighties.
’s requirement to disband Sozialista Abertzaleak the political wing of ETA
.
Manos Limpias has achieved some notoriety in the international press after filing a lawsuit against the controversial Spanish investigating judge Baltasar Garzón
. After the judiciary stopped Garzón from investigating war crime
s committed during the Spanish Civil War
for contravening the 1977 amnesty law and breaking the principle of 'irretroactivity
' of law (that is that an offender cannot be charged with a crime which was not proscribed
or was permitted by law at the time it was committed) , as the crimes under investigation were previous to 1940, whereas the concept of crimes against humanity was not implemented in International Law until 1945.
Manos Limpias accused Garzón of breaking the 1977 Amnesty
law, exceeding his competences as an investigating judge of the Audiencia Nacional and deliberately acting in an unjust and unfair manner (as in 1998 Garzón dismissed a similar indictment
against communist politician Santiago Carrillo, accused of crimes against humanity during the Spanish Civil War
, based on the principle of irretroactivity). In May 2009 the Supreme Court accepted Manos Limpias' lawsuit against Garzón for prevarication: his "blatant, deliberate, conscious and arrogant role" in "trespassing against the dead". The case is still in process as of February 2010, and Garzón may be disqualified as result.
at the time of the indictment Miguel Bernad claimed that, by admitting the latest action against Garzón, the Supreme Court had given a boost to its mission of battling against the current "deterioration in the rule of law". There had been some twenty previous attempts from Manos Limpias to incriminate Garzón, for various alleged offences including negligence or delay in the seizure of taverns used by ETA
militants, for contributing to the leading left-wing national newspaper El País, for contributing to a interview with former parliamentary president Felipe González
, for participating in a rally against the war in Iraq and for leaking the medical report of Augusto Pinochet
. Other Manos Limpias complaints include promotion of gay marriage in a popular children's TV puppet show.http://www.publico.es/espana/228480/manos/limpias/sindicato/ultra/denuncio/lunnis
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
registered in 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...
. The group was inspired and founded in Madrid
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...
in 1995 by the Spanish lawyer Miguel Bernad Remón, as an organization representing employees of 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...
public services
Public services
Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income...
. The union has no institutional representation as of 2009. The group takes their name from the Mani Pulite
Mani pulite
Mani pulite was a nationwide Italian judicial investigation into political corruption held in the 1990s. Mani pulite led to the demise of the so-called First Republic, resulting in the disappearance of many parties. Some politicians and industry leaders committed suicide after their crimes were...
judiciary movement in Italy instigated by Antonio Di Pietro
Antonio Di Pietro
Antonio Di Pietro is an Italian politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament, an Italian Senator, and Minister of the Prodi Government...
. At present, the union has over 6,000 members, who financially contribute with an annual fee of 60 euros.
Social and Political Objectives of Manos Limpias
Manos Limpias main goal is to defend the Constitutional Rule of law against corruption and separatist nationalism. Manos Limpias is independent from any party, and claims to have no ideological affiliation; however most of the lawsuits brought by them to court were consistently against the socialist left or against the nationalist right in CataloniaCatalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, with some exceptions of cases against the centre-right Partido Popular
Partido Popular
Partido Popular may refer to:* People's Party * People's Party * The original name of the Popular Socialist Party...
. The group has been often described by the left-leaning media as a far-right civil servants' organisation due to Mr. Bernad's past membership to the far right party Fuerza Nueva
Fuerza Nueva
New Force was the name of a succession of far-right political parties in Spain founded by Blas Piñar, the son of one of the defenders of the Alcázar of Toledo and director of the Institute of Hispanic Culture during the Francoist period...
during the early eighties.
Legal actions by of Manos Limpias
Manos Limpias has achieved some legal successes such as the conviction of contempt of court of the president of the Basque parliament, Juan Maria Atutxa, for disobeying the Supreme CourtSupreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
’s requirement to disband Sozialista Abertzaleak the political wing of 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...
.
Manos Limpias has achieved some notoriety in the international press after filing a lawsuit against the controversial Spanish investigating judge Baltasar Garzón
Baltasar Garzón
Baltasar Garzón Real is a Spanish jurist who served on Spain's central criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional. He was the examining magistrate of the Juzgado Central de Instrucción No...
. After the judiciary stopped Garzón from investigating war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s committed during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
for contravening the 1977 amnesty law and breaking the principle of 'irretroactivity
Retroactivity
Retroactivity in law is the application of a given norm to events that took place or began to produce legal effects, before the law was approved...
' of law (that is that an offender cannot be charged with a crime which was not proscribed
Proscription
Proscription is a term used for the public identification and official condemnation of enemies of the state. It is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a "decree of condemnation to death or banishment" and is a heavily politically charged word, frequently used to refer to state-approved...
or was permitted by law at the time it was committed) , as the crimes under investigation were previous to 1940, whereas the concept of crimes against humanity was not implemented in International Law until 1945.
Manos Limpias accused Garzón of breaking the 1977 Amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
law, exceeding his competences as an investigating judge of the Audiencia Nacional and deliberately acting in an unjust and unfair manner (as in 1998 Garzón dismissed a similar indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
against communist politician Santiago Carrillo, accused of crimes against humanity during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, based on the principle of irretroactivity). In May 2009 the Supreme Court accepted Manos Limpias' lawsuit against Garzón for prevarication: his "blatant, deliberate, conscious and arrogant role" in "trespassing against the dead". The case is still in process as of February 2010, and Garzón may be disqualified as result.
Defence of Conservative Principles espoused by Manos Limpias
In an interview with the Spanish Catholic radio Station COPECadena COPE
COPE, an acronym for Cadena de Ondas Populares Españolas is a private, right wing, commercial, Spanish radio network owned by a series of institutions within the Spanish Catholic Church...
at the time of the indictment Miguel Bernad claimed that, by admitting the latest action against Garzón, the Supreme Court had given a boost to its mission of battling against the current "deterioration in the rule of law". There had been some twenty previous attempts from Manos Limpias to incriminate Garzón, for various alleged offences including negligence or delay in the seizure of taverns used by 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...
militants, for contributing to the leading left-wing national newspaper El País, for contributing to a interview with former parliamentary president 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...
, for participating in a rally against the war in Iraq and for leaking the medical report of Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
. Other Manos Limpias complaints include promotion of gay marriage in a popular children's TV puppet show.http://www.publico.es/espana/228480/manos/limpias/sindicato/ultra/denuncio/lunnis