GAL (paramilitary group)
| Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación | |
|---|---|
| Antiterrorist Liberation Groups (English) | |
| Leader(s) |
José Barrionuevo Enrique Rodríguez Galindo Señor X Rafael Vera José Amedo Fouce Ricardo García Damborenea Julián Sancristóbal |
| Dates of operation | October 15, 1983–1987 |
| Motives | Elimination of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna. Opposing Basque independence. |
| Active region(s) |
 France Spain
|
| Ideology |
Spanish unionism Spanish nationalism |
| Notable attacks |
Monbar Hotel attack Killing of Lasa and Zabala |
| Status | Inactive |
| Size | Dozens of members |
GAL (an acronym for Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación, "Antiterrorist Liberation Groups") were death squads established illegally by officials of the Spanish government to fight ETA, the principal Basque separatist militant group. They were active from 1983 until 1987, under Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)-led governments. It was proven at trial that they were financed by important officials within the Spanish Interior Ministry. The Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo played an important role in revealing the plot when it ran a comprehensive series of articles on the matter.
GAL operated mainly in the portion of the Basque country on the French side of the Spanish-French border, but kidnappings and tortures were also performed at various places in Spain. The victims (at least 27 dead and 26 injured) were either members of ETA or Basque nationalist activists, but some victims were not known to have links to ETA or political violence at all. The GAL was active from 1983 until 1987, a period often referred to as La guerra sucia ("the ") in Spanish history.
The GAL did not have a coherent ideology. Its sole purpose was to attack ETA members and Basque nationalist targets, even at random, to spread confusion and put pressure on the French government. In this regard, the actual perpetrators were never militants, per se, and certainly not militants in the political sense. Rather they were mercenaries.
When the whole operation came to an end, in addition to GAL operatives, a few Spanish policemen and government officials were also convicted. The scandalous revelations eventually led to terms in prison. For instance, the Interior Minister, José Barrionuevo, and his associate Rafael Vera, were convicted of the kidnapping of Segundo Marey, and General Galindo and the civil governor of Gipuzkoa, Julen Elgorriaga, were found guilty of the murder of Joxe Antonio Lasa and Joxe Ignacio Zabala in October 1983 [1]. General Galindo, condemned to a 75-year prison sentence, served only 4, and was released on "mental health" grounds.
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