The Basque separatists believe they should be allowed to either develop a homeland in Spain or maintain separate culture and language. In 1939, Francisco Franco leader of the fascist forces campaigned against national identity, and the Basque region was joined with Spain. He banned the Basque language and expression of national culture. Priests were forbidden to make any references to the Basque region in religious sources, and parents were forced to give their children Spanish first names. In 1959, a group of middle and working class students traveled to meet the exiled government and didn’t like their passiveness to accommodate Spanish authority. The students wanted action in the Basque Homeland. They then formed a group, the ETA wanting to be a stronger advocate for cultural identity in Spain.
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The group didn’t start out with violence, their first attack’s involved spraying walls with graffiti. In 1961, they had a failed attempt of derailing a train due to not being able to do the operation without causing injuries or death. As with most terrorist groups the ETA had strong willed people and were not known for compromise. They had agreed to start a terrorist campaign, but could not agree on a single strategy. They split into a more militant group the ETA-M and broke away from the ETA in 1974.
The ETA alternated between violence and political action. They relied financially on robberies, kidnappings and “revolutionary taxes” which they extorted from businessmen. They continued in assassinations and car bombings to achieve their goals. In September 1998, ETA called a cease-fire, but it lasted only 14 months. The continued violence by the ETA in the start of the 21st century again led the Spanish government to attempt to suppress them, and in March 2006 the ETA announced a permanent
The group didn’t start out with violence, their first attack’s involved spraying walls with graffiti. In 1961, they had a failed attempt of derailing a train due to not being able to do the operation without causing injuries or death. As with most terrorist groups the ETA had strong willed people and were not known for compromise. They had agreed to start a terrorist campaign, but could not agree on a single strategy. They split into a more militant group the ETA-M and broke away from the ETA in 1974.
The ETA alternated between violence and political action. They relied financially on robberies, kidnappings and “revolutionary taxes” which they extorted from businessmen. They continued in assassinations and car bombings to achieve their goals. In September 1998, ETA called a cease-fire, but it lasted only 14 months. The continued violence by the ETA in the start of the 21st century again led the Spanish government to attempt to suppress them, and in March 2006 the ETA announced a permanent