Talk:Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación

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Had to correct: The groups were active from 1983 to 1987 committing 27 murders.

I am rather mystified by the last paragraph of the history section. It states " (the changed French policy)...settled a dangerous precedent, proving that the administration of a country member of EEC could shift their policy fulfilling demands of a terrorist group.". I assume the terrorist group referred to is the GAL, but did the GAL make demands requesting extradition of ETA members into Spain?. I cannot find any reference for this. Also I find the assertion that the change of policy by the French government was due to terrorist demands highly controversial and hard to support. Many factors influenced this change of policy, the GAL could be postulated as one of them, but by no means the only or more relevant one.

I think the paragraph should be eliminated or heavily edited.

Any comment about this proposed change would be appreciated.

80.36.158.120 10:56, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

I removed this sentence, more because it's a bit obscure. Tazmaniacs 18:10, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much for listening to my question. I think the change is justified but now the paragraph is a bit ackward as it is written. May I propose the following rewrite?:

"In the late 1980s, the French government adopted a harsher attitude towards Basque refugees, denying the status of political refugee to new applicants, and facilitating extraditions asked for by Spanish judges. This evolution weakened ETA's veterans. Some belive that this change in French policy was heavily influenced by the GAL's actions. On the other hand others are of the opinion that the GAL were a major factor in ensuring ETA's survival into the 1990s and beyond by helping them to preserve the image of Spain as an authoritarian state in war against the Basque people."

80.36.158.120 18:50, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

WP:Be bold. However, could it be better explained why "some believe that this change in French policy was influenced by the GAL's actions"? In what sense? Rather than having people murdered in France, they preferred handing them over to Spain? Tazmaniacs 18:58, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

The usual claim is that the GAL created a state of conflict in the French Vasque Country that had not existed before. ETA was very careful not to jeopardize its French sanctuary so no actions were allowed inside France, even tough according to ETA doctrine the French state is as much an invader as is the Spanish state. This situation of utter calm in the French Vasque provinces suited the French government just fine and they loathed to undertake any actions that could alter the status quo. The GAL changed this dynamic by creating a terrorist problem in the French Vasque Provinces that had not existed before and forced the French government to take action. You can find a clear example of this kind claim in the book "Infiltrados" by Jorge Cabezas where views very similar to those stated above are expressed by CNI (Centro Nacional de Inteligencia). this is well documented in the Spanish Wikipedia article.

80.36.158.120 19:22, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

All of this should be added in the article. (late response, but better than never...) Tazmaniacs 01:55, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chronology

Just added a chronology of attacks from the article in the Spanish Wikipedia. Please improve it as necessary. --Sugaar 14:25, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Convicted members: what about Galindo?

Guardia Civil commander (colonel?) Galindo was also convicted but I'm not sure if in the main GAL case or in a separate one. Could someone confirm and add him to the list. - I'm not sure about that, but I'm sure he had the rank of (brigade) general when convicted. I looked it up... in year 2000 he was sentenced to 71 years for the kidnapping and assassination (which happened 17 years earlier, in 1983!) of Lasa and Zabala. I have added him as general emilio rodriguez galindo (the rank he had when sentenced in 2000, not the rank he had years before - colonel).