Editing ETA (separatist group) (section)

===Under democracy===
ETA performed their first [[car bomb]] assassination in [[Madrid]] in September 1985, resulting in one death (American citizen Eugene Kent Brown, employee of Johnson & Johnson) and sixteen injuries; the [[Plaza República Dominicana bombing]] in July 1986 killed 12 members of the Guardia Civil and injured 50; on 19 June 1987, the [[Hipercor bombing]] was an attack in a shopping centre in [[Barcelona]], killing 21 and injuring 45; in the last case, entire families were killed. The horror caused then was so striking that ETA felt compelled to issue a communiqué stating that they had given warning of the Hipercor bomb, but that the police had declined to evacuate the area. The police said that the warning came only a few minutes before the bomb exploded.<ref name="Eager">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l5tXm1V8lTIC&q=hipercor+bomb+1987&pg=PA147|title=From Freedom Fighters to Terrorists|author=Paige Whaley Eager|page=147|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7546-7225-8|access-date=5 August 2009}}</ref>

In 1986, {{lang|es|italic=no|[[Gesto por la Paz]]}} (known in English as Association for Peace in the Basque Country) was founded; they began to convene silent demonstrations in communities throughout the Basque Country the day after any violent killing, whether by ETA or by GAL. These were the first systematic demonstrations in the Basque Country against political violence. Also in 1986, in [[Ordizia]], ETA gunned down [[María Dolores Katarain]], known as "Yoyes", while she was walking with her infant son. Yoyes was a former member of ETA who had abandoned the armed struggle and rejoined civil society: they accused her of "desertion" because of her taking advantage of the Spanish reinsertion policy which granted amnesty to those prisoners who publicly renounced political violence (see below).

On 12 January 1988, all Basque political parties except ETA-affiliated [[Batasuna|Herri Batasuna]] signed the [[Ajuria-Enea pact]] with the intent of ending ETA's violence. Weeks later on 28 January, ETA announced a 60-day "ceasefire", later prolonged several times. Negotiations known as the {{lang|es|italic=no|[[Mesa de Argel]]}} ("[[Algiers]] Table") took place between the ETA representative [[Eugenio Etxebeste]] ("Antxon") and the then PSOE government of Spain, but no successful conclusion was reached, and ETA eventually resumed the use of violence.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

During this period, the Spanish government had a policy referred to as "[[reinsertion]]", under which imprisoned ETA members whom the government believed had genuinely abandoned violence could be freed and allowed to rejoin society.{{cn|date=April 2024}} Claiming a need to prevent ETA from coercively impeding this reinsertion, the PSOE government decided that imprisoned ETA members, who previously had all been imprisoned within the Basque Country, would instead be dispersed to prisons throughout Spain, some as far from their families as in the Salto del Negro prison in the [[Canary Islands]]. France has taken a similar approach.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

In the event, the only clear effect of this policy was to incite social protest, especially from nationalists and families of the prisoners, claiming cruelty of separating family members from the insurgents. Much of the protest against this policy runs under the slogan {{lang|eu|"Euskal Presoak – Euskal Herrira"}} ("Basque prisoners to the Basque Country"; by "Basque prisoners" only ETA members are meant). In almost any Spanish jail there is a group of ETA prisoners, as the number of ETA prisoners makes it difficult to disperse them.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

[[File: EPPK 2008.jpg|thumb|Banner in support of imprisoned ETA members, by [[Gestoras pro-Amnistía|{{lang|es|cat=no|Gestoras pro-Amnistía}}/{{lang|eu|cat=no|Amnistiaren Aldeko Batzordeak}}]] ("Pro-Amnesty Managing Assemblies", currently illegal)]]

''[[Gestoras pro Amnistía|{{lang|es|cat=no|Gestoras pro Amnistía}}/{{lang|eu|cat=no|Amnistiaren Aldeko Batzordeak}}]]'' ("Pro-Amnesty Managing Assemblies", currently illegal), later {{lang|eu|italic=yes|[[Askatasuna]]}} ("Freedom") and {{lang|eu|italic=yes|[[Senideak]]}} ("The Family Members"), provided support for prisoners and families. The [[Basque Government]] and several Nationalist town halls granted money on humanitarian reasons for relatives to visit prisoners. The long road trips have caused accidental deaths that are protested against by Nationalist Prisoner's Family supporters.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

During the ETA ceasefire of the late 1990s, the PSOE government brought the prisoners on the islands and in Africa back to the mainland.<!-- Is this Ceuta and Melilla? --><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-20 |title=ETA ten years on: The rise and fall of the Basque terror group |url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/10/20/eta-ten-years-on-the-key-moments-that-led-to-the-end-of-the-spanish-terror-group |access-date=2022-08-11 |website=euronews |language=en}}</ref> Since the end of the ceasefire, ETA prisoners have not been sent back to overseas prisons. Some Basque authorities have established grants for the expenses of visiting families.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

Another Spanish "counter-terrorist" law puts suspected terrorist cases under the central tribunal {{lang|es|[[Audiencia Nacional]]}} in [[Madrid]], due to the threats by the group over the Basque courts. Under Article 509 suspected terrorists are subject to being held incommunicado for up to thirteen days, during which they have no contact with the outside world other than through the court-appointed lawyer, including informing their family of their arrest, consultation with private lawyers or examination by a physician other than the [[coroner]]s. In comparison, the [[habeas corpus]] term for other suspects is three days.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2005-01-26 |title=Setting an Example? |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2005/01/26/setting-example/counter-terrorism-measures-spain |journal=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}</ref>

In 1992, ETA's three top leaders—"military" leader [[Francisco Mujika Garmendia]] ("Pakito"), political leader [[José Luis Alvarez Santacristina]] ("Txelis") and logistical leader [[José María Arregi Erostarbe]] ("Fiti"), often referred to collectively as the "cúpula" of ETA or as the Artapalo collective<ref>[http://www.informativos.telecinco.es/dn_16360.htm Informativos Telecinco.com – Internacional – Trece muertos y más de cincuenta heridos en dos atentados suicidas en Bangladesh]. Informativos.telecinco.es. Retrieved on 30 January 2011.</ref>—were arrested in the northern Basque town of [[Bidart]], which led to changes in ETA's leadership and direction.

After a two-month truce, ETA adopted even more radical positions. The principal consequence of the change appears to have been the creation of the "[[Y Groups]]", formed by young militants of ETA parallel groups (generally [[minor (law)|minors]]), dedicated to so-called {{lang|eu|"kale borroka"}}—street struggle—and whose activities included burning buses, street lamps, benches, [[Automatic teller machine|ATMs]], and garbage containers, and throwing [[Molotov cocktail]]s.{{cn|date=April 2024}} The appearance of these groups was attributed by many to the supposed weakness of ETA, which obliged them to resort to minors to maintain or augment their impact on society after arrests of leading militants, including the "cupola". ETA also began to menace leaders of other parties besides rival Basque nationalist parties.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

In 1995, the armed group again launched a peace proposal. The so-called "Democratic Alternative" replaced the earlier [[Koordinadora Abertzale Sozialista|KAS]] Alternative as a minimum proposal for the establishment of Euskal Herria.{{cn|date=April 2024}} The Democratic Alternative offered the cessation of all armed ETA activity if the Spanish government would recognize the Basque people as having sovereignty over Basque territory, the right to [[self-determination]], and that it freed all ETA members in prison. The Spanish government ultimately rejected this peace offer as it would go against the [[Spanish Constitution of 1978]]. Changing the constitution was not considered.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

Also in 1995 was a failed ETA car bombing attempt directed against [[José María Aznar]], a conservative politician who was the leader of the then-opposition [[People's Party (Spain)|{{lang|es|italic=no|cat=no|Partido Popular}}]] (PP) and was shortly after elected to the presidency of the government; there was also an abortive attempt in [[Mallorca]] on the life of King [[Juan Carlos I of Spain|Juan Carlos&nbsp;I]]. Still, the act with the largest social impact came the following year. On 10 July 1997, PP council member [[Miguel Ángel Blanco]] was kidnapped in the Basque town of [[Ermua]], with the separatist group threatening to assassinate him unless the Spanish government met ETA's demand of starting to bring all ETA's inmates to prisons of the Basque Country within two days after the kidnapping.

This demand was not met by the Spanish government and after three days Miguel Ángel Blanco was found shot dead when the deadline expired. More than six million people took out to the streets to demand his liberation, with massive demonstrations occurring as much in the Basque regions as elsewhere in Spain, chanting cries of "Assassins" and "Basques yes, ETA no". This response came to be known as the "Spirit of Ermua".

Later acts of violence included the 6 November 2001 car bomb in Madrid which injured 65 people, and attacks on [[Association football|football]] stadiums and tourist destinations throughout Spain.

The [[11 September 2001 attacks]] in the US appeared to have dealt a hard blow to ETA, owing to the worldwide toughening of "anti-terrorist" measures (such as the freezing of bank accounts), the increase in international policy coordination, and the end of the toleration some countries had, up until then, extended to ETA. Additionally, in 2002 the Basque nationalist youth movement, ''Jarrai'', was outlawed and the law of parties was changed outlawing Herri Batasuna, the "political arm" of ETA (although even before the change in law, Batasuna had been largely paralysed and under judicial investigation by judge [[Baltasar Garzón]]).{{cn|date=April 2024}}

With ever-increasing frequency, attempted ETA actions were frustrated by Spanish security forces.

On 24 December 2003, in San Sebastián and in [[Hernani, Spain|Hernani]], National Police arrested two ETA members who had left dynamite in a railroad car prepared to explode in [[Chamartín Station]] in Madrid. On 1 March 2004, in a place between [[Alcalá de Henares]] and [[Madrid]], a light truck with 536&nbsp;kg of explosives was discovered by the Guardia Civil.

ETA was initially blamed for the [[2004 Madrid train bombings|2004 Madrid bombings]] by the outgoing government<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL16484708|title=ANALYSIS-Spain's PM down but not out after ETA bomb|first=Jason|last=Webb|date=16 January 2007|work=Reuters  }}</ref> and large sections of the press.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/not_in_website/syndication/monitoring/media_reports/3505422.stm |title=Spain papers point finger at Eta |work=BBC News |date=12 March 2004 |access-date=30 January 2011}}</ref> However, the group denied responsibility and [[Islamic fundamentalists]] from Morocco were eventually convicted. The judicial investigation currently states that there is no relationship between ETA and the Madrid bombings.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Abend |first1=Lisa |title=Madrid Verdicts: Was Justice Done? |url=https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1678415,00.html |access-date=29 April 2023 |magazine=Time |date=31 October 2007}}</ref>

====2006 ceasefire declaration and subsequent discontinuation====
{{Main|ETA's 2006 ceasefire declaration|2006 Madrid Barajas International Airport bombing}}
[[File:Atentado de ETA en el aeropuerto de Madrid Barajas4.jpg|thumb|Barajas Airport parking lot after the bomb]]

In the context of negotiation with the Spanish government, ETA declared what it described as a "truce" several times since its creation.

On 22 March 2006, ETA sent a DVD message to the Basque Network [[Euskal Irrati-Telebista]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.eitb24.com/portal/eitb24/noticia/en/politics/effective-on-march-24-eta-cease-fire?itemId=D20829&cl=%2Feitb24%2Fpolitica&idioma=en |title=ETA cease-fire |work=eitb24 |date=23 March 2006}}</ref> and the journals ''[[Gara (newspaper)|Gara]]''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://gara.net/idatzia/20060323/art156940.php |title=ETA declara un alto el fuego permanente para impulsar un proceso democrático |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525203939/http://www.gara.net/idatzia/20060323/art156940.php |archive-date=25 May 2006 |trans-title=ETA declares a permanent ceasefire to give impetus to a democratic process |work=Gara |date=3 March 2006}} (article in Spanish, text of announcement in Basque, Spanish and French.</ref> and ''[[Berria]]'' with a communiqué from the group announcing what it called a "permanent ceasefire" that was broadcast over Spanish TV.

Talks with the group were then officially opened by Spanish ''Presidente del Gobierno'' [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]].

These took place all over 2006, not free from incidents such as an ETA cell stealing some 300 handguns, ammunition and spare parts in France in October 2006.<ref>{{cite news |language=es |url=http://www.gara.net/idatzia/20061025/art186010.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211023635/http://www.gara.net/idatzia/20061025/art186010.php |archive-date=11 February 2007 |title=La Policía sospecha que fue ETA Quien robó interlayer 350 pistols en Nimes |trans-title=Police suspect that it was ETA who stole 350 guns yesterday in Nîmes |work=Gara |date=25 October 2006 }}</ref> or a series of warnings made by ETA such as the one of 23 September, when masked ETA militants declared that the group would "keep taking up arms" until achieving "independence and socialism in the Basque country",<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2006/09/24/espana/1159091695.html |title=Mensaje de ETA en el día del Guerrero Vasco |website=El Mundo |date=24 September 2006}}</ref> which were regarded by some as a way to increase pressure on the talks, by others as a tactic to reinforce ETA's position in the negotiations.

Finally, on [[2006 Madrid Barajas International Airport bombing|30 December 2006 ETA detonated a van bomb]] after three confusing warning calls, in a parking building at the [[Madrid]] Barajas international airport. The explosion caused the collapse of the building and killed two Ecuadorian immigrants who were napping inside their cars in the parking building.<ref>{{cite news |language=es
|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/ETA/cargo/bomba/Barajas/200/kilos/explosivo/elpepuesp/20061230elpepunac_1/Tes |title=ETA cargó la bomba de Barajas con al menos 200 kilos de explosivo |work=El País |date=30 December 2006}}</ref> At 6:00&nbsp;pm, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero released a statement stating that the "peace process" had been discontinued.<ref>{{cite news |language=es |url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Zapatero/He/ordenado/suspender/todas/iniciativas/desarrollar/dialogo/ETA/elpepuesp/20061230elpepunac_4/Tes |title=Zapatero: 'He ordenado suspender Todas las iniciativas para desarrollar el diálogo con ETA' |work=El País |date=30 December 2006}}</ref>