Guillem Agulló i Salvador (1974 in

Burjassot Burjassot (; ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain. Museums The Museum of Geology at the University of Valencia is located on calle Doctor Moliner. It has several collections of geological and ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

– 11 April 1993 in

Montanejos Montanejos is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community. It belongs to the ''comarca'' of Alto Mijares Alto Mijares (; ) is a ''comarca'' in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain ...

, Castellón) was a

Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

and independence activist who was assassinated on 11 April 1993, by the

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

Pedro Cuevas, in

. Agulló was a member of the leftist and independence organization Maulets and of

Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP) are anti-racist skinheads who oppose white power skinheads, neo-fascists and other political racists, particularly if they identify themselves as skinheads. SHARPs claim to reclaim the original multicul ...

(SHARP). His assassination, along with the , is a very famous case in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, where Agulló has become a symbol of anti-fascism and

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

. The slogan "" ( Catalan for 'Guillem Agulló, not forgotten, no forgiveness') has become a popular anti-fascist slogan.

Attack

On the morning of 11 April 1993, Guillem Agulló was in Montanejos, when they were attacked by a group of young fascists shouting "

Sieg Heil The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...

" and "Viva España" and one of them stabbed him in the heart, causing his death. The attackers left singing the Spanish fascist anthem "

Cara al Sol (English: Facing the Sun) is the anthem of the Falange Española de las JONS. The lyrics were written in December 1935 and are usually credited to the leader of the Falange, José Antonio Primo de Rivera. The music was composed by Juan Tellerí ...

". The assassination was perpetrated by the fascist group "Komando Marchalenes IV Reich", named in honor of the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

, which was composed of Pedro Cuevas (the material perpetrator of the assassination), Gerardo Mora, Juan Manuel Sánchez, José Cuñat, and Francisco Garcia. Family members and left-wing and pro-independence organizations denounced that the motive for the crime had been political, since the young people who intervened in the murder were known for their Spanish and fascist ideology and that they also knew of the anti-fascist ideology of Agulló.

Trial

The only condemned person was Cuevas, who was condemned to 14 years in prison. The other members were dismissed. Cuevas left prison 4 years after for "good conduct".

After the trial

In 2005, Cuevas was

arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...

ed during "Operación Panzer" for being a member of the

neo-nazism Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

group Frente Antisistema (FAS). The

Guardia Civil The Civil Guard (; ) is one of the two national law enforcement agencies of Spain. As a national gendarmerie, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the authority of both the Ministry of the Interior and the Minis ...

found 40 bracelets with

Nazi swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

s, one knife with Nazi symbols, and

brass knuckles Brass knuckles (also referred to as brass knucks, knuckledusters, iron fist and paperweight, among other names) are a melee weapon used primarily in Hand to hand combat, hand-to-hand combat. They are fitted and designed to be worn around the kn ...

. In 2007, Pedro Cuevas was a candidate for the

municipal elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct var ...

for Alianza Nacional (a

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

party) in Chiva, where he only earned 23 votes.

Legacy and political significance

Guillem Agulló has become a symbol of anti-fascism and anti-racism in Spain. Multiple homages have happened. Several demonstrations commemorate the anniversaries of his assassination. Several streets have been named after him: in

Vic Vic, vic or VIC may refer to: People and fictional characters * Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name * V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper Places * Vic, Spain, a town and ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Vilassar de Dalt Vilassar de Dalt () is a village in Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona and the Comarques of Catalonia, ''comarca'' of Maresme. The name comes from the Roman name ''Villa Azari'', later changed to ''Vilassar''. In the 20th century, it s ...

and

. The

Corts Valencianes The Corts Valencianes (), commonly known as ''Les Corts'' (), are the main legislative body of the Generalitat Valenciana and therefore of the Valencian Community. The main location of the Corts is in the Palace of the Borgias in Valencia, Spain ...

created the Guillem Agulló Prize to commemorate «the prominent people and initiatives in the fight against

xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

, and

hate crime Hate crime (also known as bias crime) in criminal law involves a standard offence (such as an assault, murder) with an added element of bias against a victim (individual or group of individuals) because of their physical appearance or perceived ...

s». In 2019 the

Senate of Spain The Senate () is the upper house of the , which along with the Congress of Deputies – the lower chamber – comprises the Parliament of the Kingdom of Spain. The Senate meets in the Palace of the Senate in Madrid. The presiding officer of the ...

approved the creation of the Guillem Agulló fund to help the families of victims of hate crimes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assassination of Guillem Agullo Hate crimes in Europe Assassinations in Spain Neo-Nazism in Spain Anti-Catalanism