Bombings, shootings, kidnappings: A look at 60 years of ETA

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Basque separatist group ETA – whose campaign of shootings and bombings left more than 800 people dead over five decades – has completely disbanded, it was announced on Wednesday.

Here is a look at the group’s origins, its actions and people's expectations for the road ahead.

What is ETA?

ETA – which stands for Euskadi ta Askatasuna, meaning Basque Homeland and Freedom – was founded in 1959. Its stated goal was the establishment of an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southwestern France.

But its methods were far from peaceful. Over the next few decades, the group carried out bombings, shootings and kidnappings, leaving upwards of 850 people dead, according to various sources.

A million Barcelona protesters wave portraits of Miguel Blanco and chant "Basques, yes! ETA, no!" in central Barcelona, Spain, July 14, 1997. /VCG Photo

Targets included politicians and police officers but also civilians and anyone who opposed ETA.

This created a climate of terror as car bombs went off in public places and anti-independence activists were silenced.

ETA also carried out kidnappings to finance its activities. According to a study by the University of the Basque Country in Leioa, northern Spain, 86 people – many of them business owners – were held for ransom by ETA or other groups close to it. The group raised some 38.5 million euros (46 million US dollars) this way, the study said.

Europe’s last armed insurgency

In one of ETA’s worst attacks, 21 people were killed when a car bomb exploded in a parking garage under a crowded shopping center in Barcelona in 1987.

In 1997, the kidnapping and eventual murder of Miguel Angel Blanco, a 29-year-old councilor who was shot twice in the back of the head, shocked Spain.

This marked a turning point for ETA as hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets, crying “That’s enough.”

Protesters march behind a banner during a rally in support of ETA prisoners in Bilbao, Spain, April 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

In 2011, ETA eventually declared a ceasefire and in April 2017, it began surrendering its weapons.

On Wednesday, Spanish online newspaper El Diario published a letter dated April 16 in which the group announced: “ETA has completely dissolved all of its structures and declared an end to its political initiative.”

“ETA has decided to declare its historical cycle and functions terminated, putting an end to its journey,” it added.

This marks the end of western Europe’s last major armed insurgency.

'No impunity'

Reactions to the announcement on Wednesday were mixed.

Miguel, a 51-year-old butcher in San Sebastian, a northern Spanish seaside resort that was seriously hit by ETA, told AFP news agency: “This is very good news for everyone because… we have suffered a lot of terrorism for many years, and without justification.”

“It's something we all wanted to happen, a big part of the population. It was something destined to happen for a long time now,” another San Sebastian resident, Oscar Arias, told the Associated Press (AP).

Graffiti depicts the logo of Basque separatist armed group ETA and an ETA activist's head in the northern Basque village of Llodio, Spain, March 23, 2010. /VCG Photo

The Spanish government nevertheless insisted that ETA would not be rewarded for its decision.

“They will not obtain a thing for making a declaration they call a dissolution,” Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said.

Government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo added that Madrid would continue to investigate crimes attributed to ETA and prosecute the culprits.

“They should know that they will need to pay for their guilt and there will be no impunity. Before and after this statement, they will be pursued wherever they are,” he said.

Families of victims meanwhile said they were still waiting for an apology.

“This is not the end of ETA we wanted,” regretted Consuelo Ordonez, head of the victims' association Covite.

Catalan regional government leader Carles Puigdemont (R) and Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido (L) attend a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of ETA's attack against the Hipercor supermarket in Barcelona, Spain, June 19, 2017. /VCG Photo

Last month, ETA put out a statement apologizing for harming civilians during its campaign of terror but drew anger for its apparent effort to differentiate between victims “who didn't have a direct participation in the conflict” and those who did, such as police officers.

What now?

ETA was expected to make a declaration about ending its operations on Thursday. A peace conference is also due to take place in southwestern France on Friday, with former Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern and former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams also due to attend.

But some remain skeptical that ETA’s announcement will make any difference.

“They say they gave up their weapons. They probably have some hidden to use again later,” 90-year-old Francisco Mejilla told AP.

ETA seemed to confirm this stance in its letter published on Wednesday, saying it would continue its push for Basque independence.

“The conflict did not start with ETA and it does not finish with the end of ETA's journey,” it said.

(With input from the wires)

(Top picture: Three ETA militants dressed in black shirts with white hoods over their heads and black berets make a declaration in an undisclosed location in this file photo grabbed on Gara.net on October 20, 2011. /VCG Photo)

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