Andoáin, ETA's laboratory of terror: 93 attacks in a decade until the murder of Pagazaurtundua

UNDER RECORD

• LEYRE CHURCHES

  @Leyre_Iglesias

  Madrid

Updated Monday, February 6, 2023-01:33

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In Andoáin, a town of 15,000 inhabitants 15 kilometers from San Sebastián, in inland Guipúzcoa, ETA deployed all the forms of its strategy of "socialization of suffering".

It was, according to the historian

, one of the places where the terrorist group tested its laboratory of terror, because those who were indicated -in general, constitutionalist citizens and, to a lesser extent, moderate nationalists opposed to terrorism- suffered real persecution, so br

utal as durable over time.

One of the most persecuted was

, head of the Local Police, assassinated by ETA in a bar on February 8, 2003. According to the data from the exhibition

-which will start this Wednesday at the Memorial Center for Victims of Terrorism in Vitoria, when the 20th anniversary of the crime is commemorated-, only setting the counter from 1990 until the attack against Pagaza, the world of the left

perpetrated

in Andoáin: buses and cars burned, ATMs set on fire, graffiti against socialist councilors and

, attacks on

to houses...

Joxan Rekondo

, former mayor of Hernani (Pagaza's hometown), from the old Eusko Alkartasuna, firm in the battle against terrorism, has called it "torment on a large scale."

ETA and its tentacles - the so-called Basque National Liberation Movement (MLNV) - were present in every look, in every bad gesture;

Anyone could write down your moves.

The trail of terror against Joseba Pagazaurtundua was a sample of that torment.

On February 25, 1995, his car was burned.

Eight other vehicles parked next to his were damaged.

An anonymous caller assumed the attack, accusing the socialist militant of being involved "in the strategy of oppression."

On October 13, 1996, his car was set on fire again.

On March 11, 2001, three Molotov cocktails were thrown at the policeman's house, where he lived with his wife and his two children.

On September 11, 2001, the day the world watched in horror at the suicide bombings against the Twin Towers, local terrorism -radical nationalist, deeply close- once again burned Pagaza's car.

It was "in homage to Asier and Iñaki", according to an anonymous statement.

.

In those years of lead, ETA also assassinated in Andoáin the columnist for EL MUNDO and a close friend of Pagaza

, in 2000, and the retired civil guard

, in 1993. A photo portrays the policeman attending to Villafañe in the street, whom ETA planted a sticky bomb and who, despite attempts to save his life, ended up dying.

In addition, at least four were injured.

and a retired couple, for being neighbors of a socialist councilor who was the victim of an attack.

Induain, eta murders

SURVIVORS

Raúl López Romo has studied in depth the ecosystem of hate in Andoáin.

He details it in the book

(Editorial Comares, 2019), coordinated by Antonio Rivera.

According to his analysis, in the municipal minutes of the City Council the refusal of the councilors is reflected again and again

to reject the attacks and attacks against their own neighbors, always resorting to the theory of "conflict": if ETA attacked, it was because of its condition as a victim of the Spanish State.

When they killed Pagaza, the councilor of Euskal Herritarrok

said: "It seems to us more necessary (sic) than ever, in this unfortunate political context, the political responsibility of all. We can only overcome this situation of conflict with a true democracy and with a scenario of peace for our people through dialogue ".

The testimonies of some of the harassed -those who survived- collected by the historian are shocking.

Vanessa Velez

She was a PP councilor in Andoáin between 1999 and 2003. She had joined in 1995, after the murder of Gregorio Ordóñez.

When she joined the City Council, she was 21 years old.

"Before the strong offensive began, those of us from Nuevas Generaciones went out together a lot. (...) We stopped doing all that. We couldn't get together anymore. I had to stop going to class at the university. I studied on my own with the notes I got. I remember that the Econometrics teacher, who was 'from the Movement', came out in the exam to ask my escort who I was with. When they killed [Fernando] Buesa, they told me I couldn't keep going to school. university, that they could not guarantee my safety because it was an obvious routine (...) [On another occasion] Posters appeared in Andoáin with the telephone numbers of various councilors (...). We changed numbers,

The body of José Luis López de Lacalle, covered with a sheet, next to a pool of blood, his umbrella and the newspapers he had just bought, after being assassinated by ETA on May 7, 2000.

JUSTY GARCIA/ÍÑIGO IBÁÑEZ

Estanis Amuchastegui

He was a socialist councilor, deputy mayor and finally mayor of Andoáin between 2009 and 2011. «First, in 1997, they were wrong: they burned the neighbor's car instead of me.

Then they painted me 'we'll catch you' and told me they weren't going to be wrong again.

[In March 1999] I had another attack with cocktails on the balcony and that same night my car was set on fire.

They also set fire to my daughter's car [Aitziber, in September 2000] because they said she was the daughter of a socialist leader.

Also, once I asked my bodyguards to please walk to have a drink with the friends of Euskadiko Ezkerra on December 31 [of 2002].

They left the car next to my house for 10 or 20 minutes and during that time they burned it.

The control they had was tremendous.

In 2003 the strongest attack came.

My little daughter [Nerea] was alone, studying.

We had closed the balcony because they had already attacked us before.

But she went out to smoke a cigarette and left the window a little open.

Nothing was missing to be poured a couple of cocktails.

They vandalized the house and almost burned it down inside."

THE 93 ATTACKS IN ANDOÁIN, FROM 1990 TO THE MURDER OF PAGAZA

1.

Stoned a bus (06/26/1990)

Menacing graffiti on banks (06/26/1990)

Incendiary devices against a work (12/24/1990)

An artifact explodes in the BCH (02/16/1992)

Explosive device in an ETB repeater (05/13/1992)

Three telephone booths destroyed (05/27/1992)

A Provincial Council car set on fire (08/09/1993)

Shattered the moons of the BCH (08/09/1993)

Molotov cocktail against the train stop (08/09/1993)

Burnt down a car

(09/12/1993)

A bus burned down (09/26/1993)

Broken the moons of the BCH (09/26/1993)

Molotov cocktail against the Renfe station (03/29/1994)

Wrecked a car

(11/19/1994)

Attack on bank offices (11/19/1994)

Stoned an Ertzaintza patrol (12/19/1994)

Attack on bank offices (12/19/1994)

A Provincial Council vehicle set on fire (12/19/1994)

Attack on various businesses (03/24/1995)

A vehicle set on fire (05/03/1995)

Two 'ertzainas' stoned (1/07/1995)

A motorcycle burned down (08/28/1995)

Attack against street furniture (08/28/1995)

Attack against the PSE headquarters (11/28/1995)

Burnt down a car

(12/30/1995)

Attack on the PNV headquarters (03/27/1996)

Attack on the PNV headquarters (03/28/1996)

A bus burned down (2/04/1996)

Artifact against a car

(04/12/1996)

Two cars set on fire (06/09/1996)

Attack against two bank offices (09/21/1996)

ETB repeater set on fire (09/27/1996)

Attack against bank offices (11/21/1996)

Bomb in local company (11/25/1996)

Molotov cocktail against the Kutxa (11/30/1996)

Molotov cocktails against the Renfe station (01/18/1997)

Stones against the Renfe station (01/23/1997)

Attack against bank offices (02/1/1997)

Attack against ATMs (02/07/1997)

The car of a PNV militant was set on fire (02/09/1997)

The train stop burned down (02/10/1997)

Attack against the business of a PNV mayor (7/03/1997)

Burnt down a car

(03/27/1997)

BBV headquarters burned down (04/09/1997)

Ataque contra cabinas telefónicas (25/04/1997)

Cócteles molotov contra la Kutxa (25/04/1997)

Ataque contra cabinas telefónicas (3/05/1997)

Incendiado un cajero automático (3/07/1997)

Incendiado un vehículo (25/07/1997)

Incendiada una oficina de Caja Laboral (7/08/1997)

Incendiada una vivienda particular (7/08/1997)

Ataque contra una oficina de la Kutxa (28/09/1997)

Incendiados la furgoneta particular y el coche oficial del dirigente del PNV Joseba Egibar (17/11/1997)

Cócteles molotov contra la vivienda de un

(1/01/1998)

Incendiado el coche de un edil del PNV (10/01/1998)

Ataque con piedras y botellas contra una patrulla de la Ertzaintza (23/06/1998)

Incendiados varios coches (29/06/1998)

Cócteles molotov contra el coche y la vivienda de un edil del PSE (28/03/1999)

Cócteles molotov contra la vivienda de un edil del PSE (5/01/2000)

Daños en la catenaria (27/01/2000)

Cócteles molotov contra la vivienda del periodista José Luis López de Lacalle (27/02/2000)

Incendio varios contenedores (2/05/2000)

Incendiado el coche de un militar (1/07/2000)

Incendiado el vehículo de la hija de un edil del PSE (3/09/2000)

Ataque contra el Banco Santander (12/11/2000)

Incendiado el coche de un

(23/12/2000)

Incendiado el coche de una testigo protegida(30/12/2000)

Ataque contra la estación de Renfe (25/02/2001)

Ataque contra una oficina del Banco Santander (17/03/2001)

Incendiado el coche de la escolta de un edil del PSE (12/08/2001)

Ataque contra la línea de tren (26/09/2001)

Ataque contra una vivienda (1/11/2001)

Incendiado el concesionario de Citroën (1/11/2001)

Incendiada la puerta de la vivienda de un concejal del PSE (9/02/2002)

Ataque contra el apeadero del tren (2/03/2002)

Carteles con amenazas de muerte contra concejales

Incendiado el coche de la mujer de un edil del PSE (25/04/2002)

Amenaza en la vivienda de un concejal del PSE (27/06/2002)

Atacado el monolito de López de Lacalle (17/07/2002)

Cócteles molotov contra un furgón de la Ertzaintza (28/09/2002)

Artefacto en el coche del director de Caja Laboral (15/10/2002)

Artefacto contra el coche de una testigo protegida (26/10/2002)

Device in the car of a PNV councilor (10/30/2002)

Graffiti with death threats against councilors (10/31/2002)

Burnt down the car of the bodyguards of a PSE councilor (12/31/2002)

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