Youth Front

This article is about the neofrancoist militant group. For the youth wing of the neofascist Italian Social Movement, see Youth Front (Italy).
Youth Front
Frente de la Juventud (in Spanish)
Leader
Dates of operation1978 (1978)–1982 (1982)
MotivesOpposition to democracy, social liberalism, peripheric nationalist movements, communism and anarchism
Active regionsSpain
Ideology
Political positionFar-right
Major actionsBombings, murder, conspirating against the government.
StatusInactive
Size100-300 (1978)

Youth Front (Spanish: Frente de la Juventud, FJ) was a Spanish political youth organization and far-right militant group, sometimes considered a terrorist organization.[3][4]

History

FJ emerged as a 1978 split of Fuerza Nueva, the main neofrancoist party in Spain at the time. The split with the mainstream far-right happened for similar reasons with the previous split of the National Youth Front (FNJ) in 1977. The split happened due to the stagnation of the main far-right political forces and the frustration of new members of the security section - the sections C and Z - of Fuerza Joven (youth-wing of FN). FJ was founded by José de las Heras and Juan Ignacio González, and later joined by between 100 and 300 members during that year. FJ was opposed to the "parliamentary way" of Fuerza Nueva and FE-JONS, defending also the lack of utility of peaceful demonstrations, supporting the creation of paramilitary units to fight against "marxism".

The Youth Front was based mainly in Madrid and Valladolid (while the FNJ was based in Barcelona).[5] FJ supported violence as a destabilizing element of system, and as its main political strategy.[6]

One of the first actions of the group was taking part in the neofascist assault against the Law Faculty of the Complutense University of Madrid in 1979, along with members of Fuerza Joven and FE-JONS. There were at least 30 far-right militants involved in the assault, that resulted in 3 people from the Law Faculty with gunshot wounds.[7] On 29 April 1979, the group stabbed Andrés García, an 18 year old communist, at Goya Street. Andrés died due to the injuries.[8] On 14 July of the same year FJ placed a Goma-2 explosive at the bar "El Parnasillo" (Malasaña), for allegedly being a place were anarchists and drug addicts congregated. One person died and 9 were injured.[9]

In 1980, the group gained new members after the self-dissolution of the National Youth Front. The most prominent of the new members was Ernesto Milà. At the end of the same year, Juan Ignacio González, the "national secretary" of the organization, was murdered. The murder was never solved, although there is some speculation that it was caused due to an internal feud between rival factions of the organization.[10] His death caused a crisis in the organization.

Twenty-four members were arrested in the cities of Madrid and València on 26 January 1981, for various robberies carried out to fund the organization. Also in 1981, 16 members were arrested for various attacks in Valladolid, against the headquarters of the CNT, PSOE, Cervantes Cinema and the City Hall. FJ also killed Carlos Javier Idígoras Navarrete and Luis Arribas Santamaría (a beggar).[11] Later, in the same year, FJ also bombed the headquarters of the Communist Movement and various book shops.[12]

The group was finally dismantled by the Spanish police in 1982, after a demonstration commemorating the 23-F coup attempt. During the demonstration members of FJ threw molotov cocktails against the police.[13]

The historic leader of the group, José de las Heras Hurtado, was in search and seizure since 1984, after failing to appear in the El Parnasillo bombing trial. Newspaper El País found him in Brazil in 2016.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ La vida secreta de un fugitivo de Fuerza Nueva en Brasil. El País, 12 JUN 2016 - 20:46 CEST.
  2. ^ Until his murder in 1980.
  3. ^ Rodríguez Jiménez, José Luis (1994). Reaccionarios y golpistas: la extrema derecha en España : del tardofranquismo a la consolidación de la democracia, 1967-1982. Editorial CSIC - CSIC Press. ISBN 9788400074425.
  4. ^ González Sáez, Juan Manuel (2012). «La violencia política de la extrema derecha durante la transición española (1975-1982)». Coetánea: III Congreso Internacional de Historia de Nuestro Tiempo. coord. por Carlos Navajas Zubeldía, Diego Iturriaga Barco. pp. 365-376. ISBN 978-84-695-5155-4.
  5. ^ González Sáez, Juan Manuel (2012). «La violencia política de la extrema derecha durante la transición española (1975-1982)». Coetánea: III Congreso Internacional de Historia de Nuestro Tiempo. coord. por Carlos Navajas Zubeldía, Diego Iturriaga Barco. pp. 365-376. ISBN 978-84-695-5155-4. p. 372.
  6. ^ González Sáez, Juan Manuel (2012). «La violencia política de la extrema derecha durante la transición española (1975-1982)». Coetánea: III Congreso Internacional de Historia de Nuestro Tiempo. coord. por Carlos Navajas Zubeldía, Diego Iturriaga Barco. pp. 365-376. ISBN 978-84-695-5155-4. p. 374-375
  7. ^ Varios heridos, tres de ellos de bala en un asalto ultraderechista a la facultad de Derecho. El País, 27 ENE 1979.
  8. ^ Andrés García, asesinado el domingo, será enterrado esta tarde. El País, 1 MAY 1979
  9. ^ El fiscal pide 260 años de prisión para dos 'ultras' acusados de poner una bomba en Malasaña. El País, 12 ENE 1984.
  10. ^ [Grimaldos, Alfredo (2004). La sombra de Franco en la Transición. Madrid: Oberon. ISBN 8496052753.]
  11. ^ Golpe policial a una peligrosa banda terrorista de extrema derecha causante de varios atentados y asesinatos. El País, 1 AGO 1981.
  12. ^ Busca y captura del jefe del Frente de la Juventud, que no comparecio en el juicio contra la banda 'ultra' que dirigía. El País, 17 ENE 1984.
  13. ^ Detenidos siete miembros del Frente de la Juventud. El País, 27 FEB 1982.
  14. ^ La vida secreta de un fugitivo de Fuerza Nueva en Brasil. El País, 12 JUN 2016 - 20:46 CEST.