CEDADE (from the initials of ''Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa'' or 'Spanish Circle of Friends of Europe') was a Spanish
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 ...
group that concerned itself with co-ordinating international activity and publishing.
History
The group began life in 1966, under
Franco's rule, ostensibly as a society for the appreciation of
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
but before long it had taken on a neo-Nazi dimension, influenced by the likes of
Otto Skorzeny, who was a founding member.
[ Martin A. Lee, '' The Beast Reawakens'', Warner Books, 1997, p. 186] Counting
Léon Degrelle among its leading members, the Circle became a study group and publishing house for materials relating to
Nazism and
Holocaust denial, with a remit towards closer co-operation across
Europe.
Initially led by Ángel Ricote, the group looked towards
Italian fascism for inspiration, but under Pedro Aparicio it moved towards a Nazi position.
[José L. Rodríguez Jiménez]
Antisemitism and the Extreme Right in Spain (1962–1997)
CEDADE, whose headquarters were located in
Barcelona, established a branch in
Madrid in 1973. The group had 2,500 Spanish members by 1985, with smaller groups also active elsewhere. Among those associated with the group was Klaus Georg Barbie, the son of
Klaus Barbie, who was revealed by ''
El País
''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...
'' to have worked closely with CEDADE whilst living in Barcelona between 1965 and 1978. Internationally CEDADE also maintained close links to the likes of
Mark Fredriksen Mark Fredriksen (18 November 1936 – 25 August 2011) was a French extreme right figure and the founder, in 1966, of the neo-Nazi '' Fédération d'action nationaliste et européenne''.
Biography
Fredriksen co-edited ''Notre Europe'', which was ...
,
[Lee, ''The Beast Reawakens'', p. 202] Bela Ewald Althans,
,
Salvador Borrego,
Wilfred von Oven and
Richard Edmonds.
Secretary Jordi Mota also established links between CEDADE and
Klaus Barbie, with whom Mota was on friendly terms.
[Magnus Linklater, Isabel Hilton & Neal Ascherson, ''The Fourth Reich: Klaus Barbie and the Neo-Fascist Connection'', Hodder & Stoughton, 1984, p. 227]
Taking a European outlook, it set up groups in
France, as well as in
Latin America and registered as a
political party in 1979 under the name of ''Partido Europeo Nacional Revolucionario'' (European National Revolutionary Party), although this initiative was not pursued.
As a publishing house, however, CEDADE continued to grow and was soon publishing for a number of movements in
Austria and
Germany. Using the name ''Ediciones Wotan'' for this initiative, it published works by the likes of Degrelle and
Francis Parker Yockey and collaborated closely with the
Liberty Lobby in the
United States.
Financial difficulties forced a major scaling down in activities around 1989-90 however, although the group did host an international centenary celebration of
Hitler's birthday in 1989.
The problems inherent in the movement did not go away however and they were officially dissolved in October 1993.
Members drifted away into various movements, with only Project IES representing a serious attempt at refoundation. This group was ultimately merged into a far right party,
National Democracy.
References
{{Authority control
Neo-Nazi organizations
Neo-Nazism in Spain
Organisations based in Barcelona
Far-right politics in Catalonia