Milícia Catalana
Former armed Spanish nationalist group (1985–1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Milícia Catalana (Spanish: Milicia Catalana, lit. 'Catalan Militia'; MC)[8] was a Spanish nationalist and Catholic armed group that operated between 1986 and the mid 90s in Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 24 August 1985,[6] the group was formed by Catholic priests affiliated with the Parroquia de San Félix Africano, who espoused the integralist teachings of Marcel Lefebvre, alongside notable figures from the Hermandad Sacerdotal Española.[8] The emergence of this group is due to the parallel emergence in Spain of other violent right-wing groups that attacked the democratic opposition and the growing independentist and/or socialist movements. The political wing of Milícia Catalana was the Catalan Patriotic Movement (MPC).
| Milícia Catalana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Other name | MC[2] |
Leaders | Juan Carlos Criado Guasch[3] Carlos Franciosud Araguas[4][5] |
| Founded | 24 August 1985[6] |
| Dates active |
|
| Country |  Spain |
| Newspaper | Combat (1990–1991) |
| Active regions | Catalonia |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right[7] |
| Status | Inactive |
| Part of | Catalan Patriotic Movement |
The main targets of the group were Catalan independence-related associations and independentist organizations, such as the Moviment de Defensa de la Terra, the most prominent extra-parliamentary political expression of the independence movement, and Terra Lliure, a far-left terrorist organization;[9] but Milícia Catalana also attacked clinics where abortions were practiced (in 1989, the Dexeus Clinic's façade was damaged by an explosion attributed to the organisation.[10]), LGBT locals and brothels.[11] Similarly, they sent threats and intimidated collectives of the alternative left and those who satirized Catholicism, like Els Joglars, a popular theater company. One of its most famous attacks was the fire near the Sanctuary of Montserrat in August 1986, burning 2,000 hectares, 75% of the mountain area, and leaving 1,000 people isolated in the sanctuary for a day.[12] The group was also opposed to other far-left non-Catalan armed groups, such as ETA and GRAPO.[13]
The group had relations with the Spanish police, denouncing pro-independence groups in collusion with the police and the Guardia Civil.[14] This was confirmed by the death of a policeman, and Milícia Catalana militant, while planting an explosive in 1989.[15] That the police gave Milícia Catalana information about the independentist movement[16] was confirmed by Juan Carlos Criado Guasch, one of the founders of the group, in 1989.[3]
Ideology
The ideology of Milícia Catalana was deeply rooted in Catholic integralism and Spanish unionism,[17] drawing significant inspiration from Marcel Lefebvre's teachings.[18][8] Their official stance was published on their Manifiesto Social (1989), where they outlined their objectives and unwavering commitment to their cause.[19] Within this manifesto, the group expressed opposition to bourgeois nationalism, separatism, the 1978 constitution and what they perceived as "amoralist, secularizing, and foreignizing currents".[20]
Their actions were strategically directed towards supporting an "armed struggle",[21] primarily targeting Catalan nationalist and separatist organizations, as well as bookstores associated with these movements.[22] Additionally, they singled out entities or individuals whom they saw as challenging or diverging from the established moral standards upheld by Catholic doctrine.[22] This led them to focus their activities on venues promoting Catalan nationalism, such as independentist gatherings, along with establishments like sex shops, gay bars and saunas, and abortion clinics, which they vehemently opposed on moral grounds.[23][24]