Commemorating the “Gudaris” of the Past to Legitimize the Violence of the Present

Abstract

On the basis of radical nationalists’ political tracts, this article proposes a socio-historical study on the misappropriation of the memorial ceremonies for the Bizkargi and the Albertia Eguna in the Basque Country. Through the detailed analysis of the contemporary history of the Basque Nationalist Action (ANV), and of the symbols of several images and tracts, it shows how radical nationalists try to change the original historical meaning of these popular celebrations, that is to say, the commemoration of the gudaris (“soldiers”) of the Spanish civil war, to legitimize violence and to pay tribute to ETA’s “martyrs”. The reinvention of the meaning of these ceremonies enables the radical nationalist movement to create and maintain its own memory and its founding myths. By replacing the fight of ETA’s current members in a supposed historical continuity with past gudaris, radical nationalists not only seek to legitimate their fight and the use of violence, but also try to maintain a fictitious generational link to reinforce the cohesion of their social groups and to recruit new militants.

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