Operation Galaxia ( es, Operación Galaxia) was the codename given to the plan which preceded the
23-F attempted coup d'état in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. It was named Galaxia, because the officers who took part met in ''Cafetería Galaxia'' in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
(later known as Van Gogh Café, and as of 2019 is a Taco Bell), on 11 November 1978.
It was meant to take place on 17 November 1978, to stop the
Spanish transition to democracy
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
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Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
taking place at that time. That date was chosen because the King,
Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos I (;,
* ca, Joan Carles I,
* gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...
, would be away in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
. The three people in charge of the operation were
Guardia Civil
The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the a ...
Lieutenant-Colonel
Antonio Tejero
Antonio Tejero Molina (born 30 April 1932) is a Spanish former Lieutenant Colonel of the Guardia Civil, and the most prominent figure in the failed coup d'état against the newly democratic Spanish government on 23 February 1981.
Career
Tejer ...
, Major
Ricardo Saenz Ynestrillas
Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname.
People Given name
*Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...
, and another colonel, whose name has not been revealed.
An Infantry Captain of the Police, and an Infantry Commander of the Army were present at the conversation, and informed their superiors of the plot.
On 8 May 1980, the two main suspects, Tejero and Ynestrillas, were court-martialled, and on their way, they were cheered by crowds with nationalist flags, but also insulted, which showed the division of Spain at that time. The attorney general asked for six years for Tejero, and five for Ynestrillas, but they were only given seven months and a day and six months and a day respectively, the minimum sentence. Neither of them lost their military rank, and Ynestrillas was later promoted to Commander (major).
1981 attempt
Lieutenant-Colonel Tejero attempted another coup on 23 February 1981, in the middle of the voting by the deputies for the new Prime minister. He took over the Cabinet and lower house of Parliament with 200 men, holding 350 deputies hostage and announcing the constitution of a
military junta
A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...
. This became known as the
23-F coup.
References
*
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Attempted coups in Spain
1978 in Spain
20th century in Spain
1970s coups d'état and coup attempts