Milícia Catalana Explained

Milícia Catalana
Other Name:MC
Foundation:24 August 1985[1]
Leader:Juan Carlos Criado Guasch[2]
Carlos Franciosud Araguas[3] [4]
Motives:Defense of the Catholic religion and the unity of Spain.[5]
Area:Catalonia, Spain
Ideology:
Position:Far-right[6]
Newspaper:Combat
Status:Inactive
Opponents: TLL
ETA
GRAPO

Milícia Catalana (Spanish; Castilian: Milicia Catalana|lit=Catalan Militia; MC)[7] was a Spanish nationalist and Catholic armed group that operated between 1986 and the mid 90s in Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 24 August 1985, the group was formed by Catholic priests affiliated with the Parroquia de San Félix Africano, who espoused the integralist teachings of Marcel Lefebvre, alongside notable figures from the Hermandad Sacerdotal Española. The emergence of this group is due to the parallel emergence in Spain of other violent right-wing groups that attacked the democratic opposition and the growing independentist and/or socialist movements. The political wing of Milícia Catalana was the Catalan Patriotic Movement (MPC).

The main targets of the group were Catalan independence-related associations and independentist organizations, such as the Moviment de Defensa de la Terra, the most prominent extra-parliamentary political expression of the independence movement, and Terra Lliure, a far-left terrorist organization; but Milícia Catalana also attacked clinics where abortions were practiced (in 1989, the Dexeus Clinic façade was damaged by an explosion attributed to the band.[8]), LGBT locals and brothels.[9] Similarly, they sent threats and intimidated collectives of the alternative left and those who satirized with Catholicism, like Els Joglars, a popular theater company. One of its most famous attacks was the provocated fire near the Sanctuary of Montserrat in August 1986, burning 2,000 hectares, the 75% of the mountain area, and leaving 1,000 people isolated in the sanctuary for a day.[10] The group was also opposed to other far-left non-Catalan armed groups, such as ETA and GRAPO.[11]

The group had some relations with the Spanish police, denouncing independentist groups a phenomenon of collusion with the police and the Guardia Civil.[12] This was confirmed by the death of a policeman, and Milícia Catalana militant, while manipulating an explosive in 1989,[13] the fact that the police gave Milícia Catalana information about the independentist movement[14] and was confirmed by Juan Carlos Criado Guasch, one of the founders of the group, in 1989.

Ideology

The ideology of Milícia Catalana was deeply rooted in Catholic integralism and Spanish unionism,[15] drawing significant inspiration from Marcel Lefebvre's teachings. Their official stance was published on their Manifiesto Social (1989), where they outlined their objectives and unwavering commitment to their cause.[16] Within this manifesto, the group expressed opposition to bourgeois nationalism, separatism, the 1978 constitution and what they perceived as "amoralist, secularizing, and foreignizing currents".[17]

Their actions were strategically directed towards supporting an "armed struggle",[18] primarily targeting Catalan nationalist and separatist organizations, as well as bookstores associated with these movements. Additionally, they singled out entities or individuals whom they saw as challenging or diverging from the established moral standards upheld by Catholic doctrine. This led them to focus their activities on venues promoting Catalan nationalism, such as independentist gatherings, along with establishments like sex shops, gay bars and saunas, and abortion clinics, which they vehemently opposed on moral grounds.[19]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. News: Quinto Aniversario de la Fundación de Milicia Catalana . Combat . 2 . Milícia Catalana . 1991 . Catalonia . 1 . Spanish.
  2. News: Sales . Ferran . El general del grupo 'ultra' Milicia Catalana asegura que pactó con la policía . 5 May 2024 . . Ediciones El País, S.L. . 3 December 1989 . sales . Madrid . Spanish.
  3. Web site: ESPAÑA | El Supremo confirma la pena al responsible del grupo ultra Milicia Catalana . Elmundo.es . 2015-08-25.
  4. Web site: L'alcaldable de PxC a Badalona és un històric antiindependentista condemnat a 8 anys i mig de presó . directe!Cat . 24 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210618023750/https://directe.larepublica.cat/noticia/147712/l-alcaldable-de-pxc-de-badalona-es-un-historic-ultradreta-antiindependentista-condemnat-a- . 18 June 2021.
  5. News: Prieto . Joaquín . Sales . Ferran . El grupo 'ultra' Bases Autónomas anuncia nuevas acciones "contra el régimen" . 6 May 2024 . . Ediciones El País, S.L. . 10 December 1989 . Madrid . Spanish.
  6. News: El fiscal pide 22 años de prisión para dos miembros de Milicia Catalana . 5 May 2024 . . Ediciones El País, S.L. . 1 August 1988 . Spanish.
  7. Book: Sánchez . Mariano . La larga marcha ultra: Desde la muerte de Franco a Vox (1975-2022) . 13 October 2022 . Roca Editorial . Spain . 978-84-19283-32-0 . Spanish.
  8. Web site: Edición del domingo, 05 noviembre 1989, página 18 - Hemeroteca - Lavanguardia.es . Hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com . 2015-08-25. es.
  9. Web site: El fiscal pide 22 años de prisión para dos miembros de Milicia Catalana | Edición impresa | EL PAÍS . Elpais.com . 2015-08-25.
  10. http://elpais.com/diario/1986/08/19/espana/524786421_850215.html Un incendio provocado aislo a mil personas en Montserrat.
  11. News: El Creciente Apoyo Social a Milicia Catalana, Causa de Preocupación del Gobierno. 28 April 2024 . Combat . 1 . Milícia Catalana . 1990 . Catalonia . Spanish . 4.
  12. La Veu. June 2004.
  13. Web site: Muere un policía en Barcelona al manipular un explosivo en su casa | Edición impresa | EL PAÍS . Elpais.com . 2015-08-25.
  14. Web site: Milicia Catalana tenía información muy reservada sobre independentistas catalanes | Edición impresa | EL PAÍS . Elpais.com . 1986-07-26 . 2015-08-25.
  15. News: Borràs . Jordi . Diccionari de l'extrema dreta a Catalunya, de la A a la Z . 30 April 2024 . Crític . 31 May 2016.
  16. News: 1989. Un Año Cerrado con un Balance Militar muy Positivo. 4 May 2024 . Combat . 1 . Milícia Catalana . 1990 . Catalonia . Spanish . 5.
  17. Web site: Milicia Catalana . enciclopedia.cat . Enciclopèdia.cat . 4 May 2024.
  18. News: La Lucha Armada: Un Factor a Considerar. 4 May 2024 . Combat . 1 . Milícia Catalana . 1990 . Catalonia . Spanish . 1.
  19. News: Cantarero . Joan . Los Mossos vinculan al neonazi Frías con herederos de la banda Milicia Catalana . 4 May 2024 . . 19 June 2015 . Madrid . Spanish.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Milícia Catalana".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.