Catalan People's Army Explained

Native Name:Exèrcit Popular Català
Native Name Lang:ca
Leader:Jaume Martínez Vendrell
Motives:The creation of an independent state of Catalonia
Succeeded By:Members integrated into Terra Lliure
Ideology:Catalan nationalism
Foundation:1969
Dissolution:1979

The Catalan People's Army (EPOCA), known by its members as,[1] was a Catalan nationalist paramilitary group which existed during the 1970s.[2]

History

The group was founded in 1969, as a breakaway group of the National Front of Catalonia.[3] Jaume Martínez Vendrell, the leader of the military wing of the National Front, became its commander.[4] [5] EPOCA trained its militants in urban warfare techniques, smuggling in weaponry from Switzerland.[6]

The group came to prominence through a number of assassinations, committed by attaching pressure-triggered bombs to the bodies of their victims, demanding ransoms, and when they weren't received, leaving the bombs to explode, killing their victims in the process.[7] [8] In this way, the group assassinated in 1977 the industrialist and chemical tycoon José María Bultó, and in 1978 the ex-mayor of Barcelona, Joaquín Viola, along with his wife.[9] [10] [11]

By 1979, the group had become inactive in comparison with many other contemporary groups. Following discussions with paramilitaries from Terra Lliure, the groups decided to merge.[12] This led to many of the better-trained EPOCA militants joining Terra Lliure.

Trials and justice

Seven people were arrested in connection with the killings of Bultó and the Violas.[13] Two of them were tried in 1980; one was acquitted entirely, whilst Martínez Vendrell, the other, was sentenced to a year and three months in prison, although this was not directly related to the assassinations.[14] However, he had already served this time awaiting trial, so was immediately released.[15] The remaining five were tried in 1982, saying at the time that they "learned of the assassination through the newspapers and television".[16]

A number of additional arrests were made towards the end of 1980 in connection with the construction of the bombs that were used in the killings.[17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Jiménez Ramos. María. Heridos y olvidados : los supervivientes del terrorismo en España. Domínguez Iribarren. Florencio. Marrodán Ciordia. Javier. La Esfera de los Libros. 2019. 978-84-9164-520-7. 1st. Madrid. es. Injured and forgotten: the survivors of terrorism in Spain. 1090543709.
  2. Book: Campuzano Carvajal. Francisco. Les nationalismes en Espagne : de l'État libéral à l'État des autonomies, 1876-1978. Guereña. Jean-Louis. Orobon. Mark-Angele. Esteban de Vaga. Mariano. Martínez-Vasseur. Pilar. Barrachina. Marie-Aline. Bachoud. Andree. Gabriel. Pere. Ostolaza-Porqueres. Maitane. 2002. Presses universitaires de la Méditerranée. 2-84269-472-4. Montpelier. fr. Nationalisms in Spain: from the liberal state to the state of autonomies, 1876-1978. 10.4000/books.pulm.761. 469301145. 3. 22 June 2020. Xosé M.. Maurice. Jacques. Núñez Seixas. de Pablo. Santiago.
  3. News: 6 August 2016. Dinero para un ejército independentista catalán. Basque Country. El País. .
  4. Cornellà-Detrell. Jordi. 2018. La circulació de llibres clandestins durant el franquisme. The circulation of clandestine books during the era of Franco. Querol. ca. 22. 44–50. 22 June 2020. ho va fer un comando de l’Exèrcit Popular Català dirigit per Jaume Martínez Vendrell..
  5. Oriols. Pol Vila. 2014. Àngel Serra, alcalde republicà de Puig-reig. L'Erol. 119. 17. 2385-3492. Dialnet.
  6. Web site: 16 October 2017. El resurgir de Terra Lliure. The resurgence of Terra Lliure. 2020-06-22. Observatorio de Seguridad y Defensa. es-ES.
  7. News: Cuesta. Carlos. 8 October 2013. Maravillosos moderados. es. Marvellous moderates. El Mundo. Madrid. .
  8. Segura Julian. Martí. Terrorism: understanding Terra Lliure using the Structural-Cognitive Model. 30 June 2017. Master's degree. Leiden University. 1887/83829.
  9. Book: Sánchez Soler, Mariano, 1954-. La transición sangrienta : una historia violenta del proceso democrático en España, 1975-1983. 2010. Península. 978-84-9942-001-1. 1a. Barcelona. 609530404.
  10. Book: Ucelay da Cal, Enric. Breve historia del separatismo catalán. Penguin Random House. 2018. 978-84-666-6511-7. First. Barcelona. 213. es. A brief history of Catalan separatism. 1078344963.
  11. News: Segura. Cristian. 2015-12-25. Terra Lliure: Los antiguos violentos irrumpen en el 'procés'. es. Terra Lliure: The old violent actors burst into the 'process'. El País. 2020-06-22. 1134-6582.
  12. Book: Lleida, Miquel Albamur. La voz callada de Cataluña. 2013. 978-1291538113. 108–109. 923828024.
  13. News: 1979-03-15. La policía revela extrañas implicaciones en los casos Viola y Bultó. es. The police reveal strange implications in the Viola and Bultó cases. El País. 2020-06-22. 1134-6582.
  14. News: Gor. Francisco. 1982-01-20. Caso Bultó: dos sentencias con fallos dispares. es. El País. 2020-06-22. 1134-6582.
  15. News: 1980-06-18. Puestos en libertad los dos procesados por el caso Bultó. es. Freed: the two arrested in the Bultó case. El País. 2020-06-22. 1134-6582.
  16. News: Gor. Francisco. 1982-01-12. Los procesados en el "caso Bultó" declara que se enteraron del asesinato por los diarios y la televisión. es. The suspects in the "Bultó case" declare that they learned of the assassination through the papers and TV. El País. 2020-06-22. 1134-6582.
  17. News: Quinta. Alfons. 1980-10-16. Detenidos los presuntos constructores de las bombas que ocasionaron las muertes de Bultó y del matrimonio Viola. es. The suspected constructors of the bombs which caused the deaths of Bultó and the Violas are detained. El País. 2020-06-22. 1134-6582.

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