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The Altsasu case: terrorism without terrorists

A bar fight that took place in Altsasu (Navarre1) in the early hours of 15 October 2016 marked several days in the news agenda of practically all media in the Spanish Kingdom. According to the first news of the most relevant Spanish newspapers, a couple of police men known as Civil Guards and their partners had been attacked (El Mundo, 15 October 2016) by about 50 people linked to the Basque radical left-wing nationalism. This information was fundamentally supported by the Spanish Government delegation in Navarre who also reported that two of the aggressors had been arrested. Hours later, the initial “aggression” transformed into “a beating with punches and kicks between insults and threats” (ABC, 16 October 2016), “ambush” (Navarra.com, 15 October 2016) or “bashing” (Diario de Navarra, 16 October 2016). The Asociación Pro Guardia Civil (Pro Civil Guard Association) claimed that those aggressors were “pseudo terrorists” who acted “in a herd, like hyenas” (El País, 16 October 2016). The Sunday editorial of Diario de Navarra, a conservative medium of great diffusion in Navarre, was the hardest (Agirrezabal, Intxusta 2018): “The seriousness of what happened is qualified by the fact that the established radicalism in the area has been taking part in similar acts for a long time. And in one way or another, attacks of all kinds continue to take place against anyone who does not bend to the dictatorship of Basque radical left-wing nationalism” (16 October 2016). A tweet from the former president of the Spanish government, Mariano Rajoy, definitely elevated the case from a local to a state level: “A hug and all our encouragement from me to the Civil Guard of Alsasua after the brutal aggression suffered by two of its members. There will be no impunity. MR”. Indeed, there was no impunity. Less than a month later, following a complaint of “terrorism in connection with a hate crime” by the association of victims of terrorism COVITE (The Basque Association of Victims of Terrorism) in the National Court, 8 young people were arrested as part of Operation Ausiki (Naiz, 14 November 2016) and charged with “terrorism” five years after Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA)’s decision to abandon its armed campaign.

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