Milícia Catalana

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Milícia Catalana
Also known asMC[1]
LeaderJuan Carlos Criado Guasch[2]
Carlos Franciosud Araguas[3][4]
Foundation24 August 1985[5]
Dates of operation
  • 1985–1986
  • 1989–1991
MotivesDefense of the Catholic religion and the unity of Spain.[6]
NewspaperCombat (1990–1991)
Active regionsCatalonia, Spain
Ideology
Political positionFar-right[7]
StatusInactive
Part ofCatalan Patriotic Movement
Opponents TLL
ETA
GRAPO

Milícia Catalana (Spanish: Milicia Catalana, lit. 'Catalan Militia'; MC)[8] was a Spanish nationalist and Catholic armed group that operated between 1986 and the mid 90s in Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 24 August 1985,[5] 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.[8] 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;[9] 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.[10]), LGBT locals and brothels.[11] 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.[12] The group was also opposed to other far-left non-Catalan armed groups, such as ETA and GRAPO.[13]

The group had some relations with the Spanish police, denouncing independentist groups a phenomenon of collusion with the police and the Guardia Civil.[14] This was confirmed by the death of a policeman, and Milícia Catalana militant, while manipulating an explosive in 1989,[15] the fact that the police gave Milícia Catalana information about the independentist movement[16] and was confirmed by Juan Carlos Criado Guasch, one of the founders of the group, in 1989.[2]

Ideology[edit]

The ideology of Milícia Catalana was deeply rooted in Catholic integralism and Spanish unionism,[17] drawing significant inspiration from Marcel Lefebvre's teachings.[8] Their official stance was published on their Manifiesto Social (1989), where they outlined their objectives and unwavering commitment to their cause.[18] Within this manifesto, the group expressed opposition to bourgeois nationalism, separatism, the 1978 constitution and what they perceived as "amoralist, secularizing, and foreignizing currents".[19]

Their actions were strategically directed towards supporting an "armed struggle",[20] primarily targeting Catalan nationalist and separatist organizations, as well as bookstores associated with these movements.[21] Additionally, they singled out entities or individuals whom they saw as challenging or diverging from the established moral standards upheld by Catholic doctrine.[21] 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.[22][23]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sánchez Soler, Mariano (2010). "Compendio de Siglas". La transición sangrienta: una historia violenta del proceso democrático en España, 1975-1983 (in Spanish). Spain: Península. ISBN 978-84-9942-001-1.
  2. ^ a b Sales, Ferran (3 December 1989). "El general del grupo 'ultra' Milicia Catalana asegura que pactó con la policía". El País (in Spanish). Madrid: Ediciones El País, S.L. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ^ "ESPAÑA | El Supremo confirma la pena al responsible del grupo ultra Milicia Catalana". Elmundo.es. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  4. ^ "L'alcaldable de PxC a Badalona és un històric antiindependentista condemnat a 8 anys i mig de presó". directe!Cat. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Quinto Aniversario de la Fundación de Milicia Catalana". Combat (in Spanish). No. 2. Catalonia: Milícia Catalana. 1991. p. 1.
  6. ^ Prieto, Joaquín; Sales, Ferran (10 December 1989). "El grupo 'ultra' Bases Autónomas anuncia nuevas acciones "contra el régimen"". El País (in Spanish). Madrid: Ediciones El País, S.L. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  7. ^ "El fiscal pide 22 años de prisión para dos miembros de Milicia Catalana". El País (in Spanish). Ediciones El País, S.L. 1 August 1988. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Sánchez, Mariano (13 October 2022). La larga marcha ultra: Desde la muerte de Franco a Vox (1975-2022) (in Spanish). Spain: Roca Editorial.
  9. ^ Santacatalina, Enric. "Terra Lliure". L’independentisme armat i violent a Catalunya (1965-1995). El repte de les fonts orals (PDF). Catalonia: Institut Nárcis Monturiol. p. 10. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Edición del domingo, 05 noviembre 1989, página 18 - Hemeroteca - Lavanguardia.es" (in Spanish). Hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  11. ^ "El fiscal pide 22 años de prisión para dos miembros de Milicia Catalana | Edición impresa | EL PAÍS". Elpais.com. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  12. ^ Un incendio provocado aislo a mil personas en Montserrat. El País. XAVIER DOMENECH Manresa 19 AGO 1986.
  13. ^ "El Creciente Apoyo Social a Milicia Catalana, Causa de Preocupación del Gobierno". Combat (in Spanish). No. 1. Catalonia: Milícia Catalana. 1990. p. 4. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  14. ^ La Veu. June 2004.
  15. ^ "Muere un policía en Barcelona al manipular un explosivo en su casa | Edición impresa | EL PAÍS". Elpais.com. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  16. ^ "Milicia Catalana tenía información muy reservada sobre independentistas catalanes | Edición impresa | EL PAÍS". Elpais.com. 1986-07-26. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  17. ^ Borràs, Jordi (31 May 2016). "Diccionari de l'extrema dreta a Catalunya, de la A a la Z". Crític. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  18. ^ "1989. Un Año Cerrado con un Balance Militar muy Positivo". Combat (in Spanish). No. 1. Catalonia: Milícia Catalana. 1990. p. 5. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Milicia Catalana". enciclopedia.cat. Enciclopèdia.cat. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  20. ^ "La Lucha Armada: Un Factor a Considerar". Combat (in Spanish). No. 1. Catalonia: Milícia Catalana. 1990. p. 1. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  21. ^ a b Casals, Xavier (2007). Ultracatalunya. L’extrema dreta a Catalunya: de l’emergència del búnker al rebuig de les mesquites (1966-2006). Barcelona: L’esfera dels llibres.
  22. ^ Cantarero, Joan (19 June 2015). "Los Mossos vinculan al neonazi Frías con herederos de la banda Milicia Catalana". Público (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  23. ^ Esteban Fernández, Nacho (2023). Por rojos y maricones: homofobia y transfobia en el Partido Popular y el resto de la derecha española (Primeraición ed.). Barcelona: Egales. ISBN 978-84-19728-03-6.


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