The Assembly of the United People (''APU'') ( Galician language: ''Assembleia do Povo Unido'') was a Galician political organization, with an independentist,

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

ideology. It was formed in 1989 from a split of the first Galician People's Front, and disappeared with its self-dissolution in 1995.

The birth of APU: political-ideological principles

The Assembly of the United People was born in June 1989 from a severe crisis in FPG, fractured into two fractions confronted within the Galician independence movement that coexist in the said FPG, the PCLN, the EGPGC ( Guerrilla Army of the Free Galician People, armed organization) the Comités Anti-repressivos (Anti-repressive Committees), the JUGA ( Juntas Galegas pola Amnistia) and MNG ( Galician Nationalist Women). On the 28 and 29 October 1989, the National Constituent Assembly of the APU was held in

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

. The assembly blamed the

Communist Party of National Liberation Communist Party of National Liberation (in Galician: ''Partido Comunista de Liberación Nacional'') was a separatist political party in Galicia, Spain. PCLN was founded on 25 July 1986 by the 22 March Communist Collective (''Colectivo Comunista 2 ...

for the split of the FPG and said that the majority of the front's membership supported them. The APU follows the classic model of the

national liberation movements National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in the

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

. That was reflected in the foundational political documents, that said "The revolutionary advancement as the sum of the political and military struggle", and that claims the validity of revolutionary violence to take the power, using examples like

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. The organization aspired to the creation of a "Popular Unity" or "National Liberation Front" agglutinating the ''Galician worker people'' and the popular classes: the industrial proletariat,

sailors A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

peasants A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

and petty bourgeoisie", standing as the indispensable principles to integrate this front, the ''understanding of the

armed struggle War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

in Galicia and the fundamental role of the

National Liberation Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...

process, the Total Amnesty'', understood as the freedom of the galician political prisoners and the ''development of a political, social and economic program in accord to the interests of the popular classes''. This unity for

national liberation Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...

as proposed by the APU had as potential partners the other

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

and

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

organizations existing in Galicia at the time: BNG, PSG-EG and the FPG, but this never took place. At the linguistic level, the APU advocated and practiced reintegracionism (defence of the

Galician-Portuguese Galician-Portuguese ( gl, galego-portugués or ', pt, galego-português or ), also known as Old Portuguese or as Medieval Galician when referring to the history of each modern language, was a West Iberian languages, West Iberian Romance languag ...

-Brazilian language unity) and used the Galician Association of Language standard.

History

The

JUGA ''Juga'' is a genus of freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Semisulcospiridae. These snails are native to the rivers of the northwestern United States and adjacent British Columbia. Sever ...

were their reference anti-repressive organization of reference and Galician Nationalist Women (MNG) were the

organization of reference. The party had some influence in the trade union field, through the INTG, integrated later in the Confederación Intersindical Galega. In 1990 APU conducted a campaign for the self-determination of Galicia. The following year, present municipal candidates in

Vigo Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Penins ...

and Ferrol, with the slogan ''O independentismo aos concelhos''. The election results were considered disappointing. There was also an extraordinary assembly in which the fall of the regimes of

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

was debated. In 1992, eleven militants of the APU were expelled from the INTG accused of supporting the armed struggle of the EGPGC. The following year, the party organized the III National Assembly and soon after launched the double campaign ''This is not Spain'' and ''Because Galiza is not Spain'', and promoted abstention to the general elections of that year. In October of the same year, the APU presented a list for the elections to the autonomous Galician Parliament and won 1,492 votes (0.10%). In 1994 and 1995 takes place, in two parts, the IV National Assembly. In the second assembly (February 1995) the dissolution of the organization is approved due to the poor electoral results, the lack of influence in the galician society and the end of the EGPGC's

Campaigns and political activities

In 1990 the organization conducted a campaign in favor of

self-determination The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...

of Galicia. Between 1989 and 1994, the APU called for demonstrations in the Day of the Galician Fatherland (July 25) in various ways. At 89, together with FPG, with the motto "Independence"; at 90, announces in conjunction with FPG, LCR, PCE (ML) and PCPG with the motto ''Autodeterminación, camiño da independencia''; at 91, alone, with the motto ''Em luita pola independência''; at 92, also alone, with the motto ''Adiante pola independência''; in 1993 again alone with the motto ''Porque a Galiza non é España... independência'' and in 1994 called for their last July 25 demonstration with the motto ''A Galiza sen medo berra independência!''. The APU edited 11 numbers of its national magazine, Povo Unido, publishing the first number in February 1990 and the last in July, 1994 In September 1993, also published a ''Draft for the Constitution of Galiza''.http://canleira.blogspot.com.es/2010/09/anteprojeto-de-constituicom-galega.html The proposed Galician constitution (in Galician language)

Electoral results

Local elections

Galician elections

Gallery

File:Apu-25071991.jpg, Demonstration in the 1991

Día Nacional de Galicia Dia Nacional de Galicia ("National Day of Galicia") is when the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain celebrates its national holiday. It falls on 25 July. It is also called ''Día da Patria Galega'' ("Day of the Galician Fatherland"), or si ...

. File:Apu92.jpg, Graffiti supporting the organization. File:Capa-apu.png, Document of the I National Assembly.

References

*Beramendi, J e Núñez Seixas, ''O Nacionalismo Galego'', Edicións

A Nosa Terra ''A Nosa Terra'' (in en, Our Land, italic=yes) was a Galician newspaper in Galician language, first founded in 1907 in A Coruña, Spain. It has been published in different periods. Periods 1907 - 1908 ''A Nosa Terra'', was a bilingual Span ...

, 1995. *Rios Bergantinhos, Noa. ''A esquerda independentista galega'' (1977-1995). Abrente Editora,

, 2002. *Several writers. ''Para umha Galiza independente. Ensaios, testemunhos, cronologia e documentaçom histórica do independentismo galego.'' Abrente Editora,

, 2000. {{Galician nationalism, state=collapsed 1989 establishments in Spain 1995 disestablishments in Spain Defunct nationalist parties in Spain Defunct socialist parties in Galicia (Spain) Feminism in Spain Feminist parties in Europe Galician nationalist parties Left-wing nationalist parties Political parties disestablished in 1995 Political parties established in 1989 Secessionist organizations in Europe