Batallón Vasco Español

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The Batallón Vasco Español (Spanish for Basque Spanish Battalion) was a Spanish right-wing paramilitary group active from 1975 to 1981, primarily in Iparralde, the French Northern part of the Basque country.

The BVE employed violence mainly against Basque terrorist radical groups.

With the change of government in Madrid, from the post-Francoist center-right UCD to the center-left PSOE in 1982, the BVE vanished and was replaced by the GAL.

[edit] Attacks attributed to the BVE

This list may be incomplete, because many of their attacks were never reivindicated. Aditionally the acronyms BVE and others (Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey, Anti Terrorismo ETA, Primera Línea de Fuerza Nueva, Grupos Armados Españoles, Alianza Apóstolica Anticomunista and, later, GAL and GANE) seem to have been indistinctly used by the same Spanish nationalist networks capriciously.

August 2, 1977: Killing of Juan J. Lopetegui Carrasco (ETA militant) in Anglet (Labourd). Reivindicated.
February 2, 1978: Killing of Yolanda González Martín (Basque student and member of the Socialist Party of the Workers, PST) in Madrid. Reivindicated. Members of the extreme right party Fuerza Nueva were arrested for this case, including a policeman.
December 21 1978: Killing of José Miguel Beñarán, "Argala" (ETA militant who participated to the assassination of Luis Carrero Blanco in 1973), in Anglet. Carlos Gastón, member of the BVE was accused for this crime. Former OAS member Jean Pierre Cherid took part in it.
May 12, 1979: Killing of policeman Peru Lañarraga Juaristi (alleged ETA collaborator)in Bayonne (Labourd).
June 25 1979: Killing of Enrique Gomez Alvarez (alleged ETA militant) in Bayonne.
June 28 1979: Killing of F. Martín Eizaguirre and Aurelio Fernández (alleged GRAPO militants) in Paris (France).
September 28, 1979: Killing of Tomás Alba Irazusta, municipal councillor by Herri Batasuna, in his hometown of Astigarraga (Guipuscoa).
February 2, 1980: Killing of Jesús Mª Zubikaray Badiola, member of Euskadiko Ezkerra, in Hernani (Guipuscoa).
April 19 1980: Killing of Felipe Zagarna Ormazábal, member of Herri Batasuna in Hernani. Reivindicated.
May 8 1980: Killing of María José Bravo del Valle (student without known political relation) in Donostia (Guipuscoa).
August 30 1980: Killing of Angel Etxaniz Olabarria, member of Herri Batasuna, in Ondarroa (Biscay).
September 7 1980: Killing of Miguel Mª Arbelaiz and Luis Mª Elizondo (HB members) in Hernani.
November 14 1980: Killing of Esperanza Arana and Joaquín Alfonso Etxeberria (ETA members) in Caracas (Venezuela).
November 14 1980: Killing of Joaquií Antimasbere Escoz (with no known political connection) in Hernani.
November 23 1980: machine-gun attack against the Bar Hendayais in Hendaye. José Camio and Jean Pierre Aramendi (both without known political conncetions) were killed. Other 10 people resulted injured.
December 30 1980: Killing of José Martín Sagardia Zaldua (ETA member) in Biarritz (Labourd).
March 3, 1981: Killing of Francisco Javier Ansa Cincunegui, HB member, in Andoain (Guipuscoa).