Montejurra

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Montejurra in Spanish and Jurramendi in Basque are the names of a mountain in Navarre (Spain) region. Each year, it hosts a Carlista celebration, in remembrance of a 1873 battle during the Third Carlist War. In 2004, about 1 000 persons were present.

1 1976 massacre
2 Consequences
3 References
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] 1976 massacre

On May 9, 1976, a year after Francisco Franco's death, the Carlist party was victim of a violent incident organized by Franco's supporters, who still controlled the state apparatus. Ricardo García Pellejero and Aniano Jiménez Santo, two supporters of Carlist pretendant Carlos-Hugo de Borbón-Parma, were gunned down by far-right gunmen, among whom Gladio operative Stefano Delle Chiaie (Gladio was NATO's anticommunist stay-behind network) and fifteen former members of the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance (Triple A), including Rodolfo Almirón, who later became Manuel Fraga's chief of personal security ^[1]. Jean Pierre Cherid, former member of the French OAS and then of the GAL death squad, was also present ^[2] ^[3]. The Spanish intelligence agency CESED brought far-right members to the Montejurra celebrations, while other extremist organizations such as the Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey (Christ King Guerrillas), Fuerza Nueva and others contacted members of the Italian International Fascists and of the Triple A. Augusto Canchi was also there.

This attack was organized with the help of Carlos-Hugo's brother, Sixto Enrique de Borbón, a fascist opposed to the Carlist break with Franco (1965-67) and to the leftist Titoist turn taken by Carlos-Hugo's movement. Against this, Sixto had headed a far-right split.

According to General Sáenz de Santamaría, Sixto had obtained the secret services' help in order to overthrow his brother's faction during the Montejurra celebrations:

"The operation received the code-name "operation Reconquista". Contacts were established with organisms such as the SECED (CESID's predecessor), the Guardia Civil and Sixto's Carlist allies, José Arturo Márquez de Prado, Antonio María de Oriol, Urquijo, and General Campano, who was at that time Guardia Civil's head. Founded by Carrero Blanco, CESED was directed at this moment by general Juan Valverde. The meetings were coordinated by Minister Manuel Fraga himself." ^[4]

Those crimes were executed before Interior Minister Manuel Fraga's security forces, without the gunmen being arrested neither their weapons seized.

[edit] Consequences

At the demand of the Carlist Party, José Luis Marín García Verde and Hermenegildo García Llorente were later accused of murder, before being amnestied, without any judgment.

On November 11, 2003, after various failures, one of the Carlist Party's motions led to the recognition by the Audiencia Nacional, a Spanish high court, of the two dead Carlists as victims of terrorism, allowing their families' indemnization ^[5].

In the name of the Partido Carlista de Euskalherria-EKA (victims of the Montejurra events), Spanish lawyer José Angel Pérez Nievas demanded in January 2007 that Argentine leader of the Triple A, Rodolfo Almirón, arrested in December 2006, be presented before the Spanish justice for his implications in the Montejurra crimes ^[6].