The Montejurra incidents, was a neo-fascist terrorist attack that took place on 9 May 1976, when two Carlist members were killed and another three seriously wounded by right-wing gunmen at the annual Carlist Party celebration that was held in Montejurra,

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

, Spain.

The incident

The Carlists, members of a counter-revolutionary monarchist movement that joined the alliance of Nationalists supporting Franco in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

(19361939), had split between their more traditional, counter-revolutionary,

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, Catholic, anti-capitalistic, anti-socialistic, pro-legitimate monarchist adherents and a new confederal, socialist, autogestionary movement. The left-wing part of the movement was the target of a violent incident organized by Franco's supporters, informally known as the ''

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

'', who still controlled the state apparatus. Ricardo García Pellejero and Aniano Jiménez Santo, two supporters of Carlist pretender Carlos-Hugo de Borbón-Parma, were murdered by far-right gunmen. At the time of the events, the British magazine ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'' speculated about possible government involvement in the events:

The region is so tightly policed that opposition parties find it difficult to hold even small private meetings. Yet somehow on a hilltop surrounded by civil guards, more than 50 gunmen could establish themselves for 24 hours, set up an ambush, open fire and make their getaway without attracting official attention."Spain; Necrophiliacs", ''The Economist'', The World; International Report; Pg. 50. May 22, 1976

Among the alleged perpetrators of the crime were Stefano Delle Chiaie, a neofascist Italian; and 15 former members of the '' Argentine Anticommunist Alliance'' (Triple A), including Rodolfo Almirón (who in 1983 was revealed to be chief of personal security for Manuel Fraga, Spain's Interior Minister). The public outcry at this report forced Fraga to dismiss Almirón. Jean Pierre Cherid, former member of the French OAS and then of the paramilitary Batallón Vasco Español and Spanish GAL death squads, was also present. The Spanish intelligence agency SECED brought far-right members to the Montejurra celebrations, while other extremist organizations, such as the '' Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey'', '' Fuerza Nueva'', and others contacted members of the Italian International Fascists and of the Triple A. Augusto Cauchi would be later involved in the 1980

Bologna massacre The Bologna massacre () was a Terrorism in Italy, terrorist bombing of the Bologna Centrale railway station in Bologna, Italy, on the morning of 2 August 1980, which killed 85 people and wounded over 200. Several members of the neo-fascist ter ...

, in which 85 people died in the bombing and more than 200 were wounded. There were some claims that the attack was organized with the help of Carlos-Hugo's younger brother, Sixto Enrique de Borbón. He opposed Carlos Hugo's alteration of Carlism from an ultra-traditionalist political movement into a socialist movement. It is commonly accepted that high-ranking Guardia Civil officials, as well as the SECED ( CESID's predecessor), supported the conspiracy (code-named ''Operación Reconquista''). Founded by Carrero Blanco, SECED was directed at the time by General Juan Valverde. According to some historians, funding was provided by Antonio María de Oriol de Urquijo, one of the leaders of the far-right Carlists. According to the memoirs of General Sáenz de Santa María, the conspiracy was organized in the office of General Juan Campano, the general director of the Guardia Civil. Sáenz de Santa María said Campano stated that Prime Minister Arias Navarro and Interior Minister Fraga approved the operation. Although the murders took place in close proximity to security forces, they did not arrest anyone nor seize any weapons. There was photographic evidence of one of the right-wing terrorists taking part in the shootings, but he was not brought to trial.

Consequences

Under pressure from the Carlist Party, the government indicted two Spanish citizens, José Luis Marín García Verde and Hermenegildo García Llorente, for murder. The government released them without trial as part of a blanket amnesty for political prisoners in March 1977. On 11 November 2003, after various failures, one of the Carlist Party's motions led to the Spanish high court ruling that the two dead Carlists were victims of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

. This enabled their families to claim compensation from the Spanish Government. On behalf of the victims, in January 2007 Spanish lawyer José Angel Pérez Nievas pressed charges against Rodolfo Almirón, the leader of Triple A, saying he should be tried for his alleged actions during the Montejurra events. He had been apprehended in Spain in December 2006, following an

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a jud ...

for charges of murder and an extradition request issued by a judge in Argentina."Denuncian que Almirón también participó en la ultraderecha española"
, '' Telam'' Argentine news agency, January 6, 2007 While Almirón was returned to Argentina, he suffered a stroke and was unable to represent himself at trial. It was suspended and he was kept in detention, dying in 2009.

References

External links

Crimenes de Montejurra 1976
*
Sixto Enrique de Borbón's statements on the events
*
''Informe Montejurra'' (1996 edition)

Montejurra mountain
{{Coord, 42, 37, 37, N, 2, 3, 24, W, display=title Carlism Deaths by firearm in Spain Conflicts in 1976 May 1976 in Europe Far-right terrorism in Spain 1976 disasters in Spain Terrorist incidents in Europe in 1976 Terrorist incidents in Spain in the 1970s 1970s in Navarre 1976 murders in Spain Neo-fascist terrorist incidents

The incident

Consequences

See also

References

Further reading

External links