Antonio Tejero Molina

Antonio Tejero Molina (born in 1932, with Alhaurín el Grande, Málaga) is a former colonel of the Spanish Civil guard, nostalgic of the pro-Franco mode. It was one of the principal organizers of the attempt at Coup d'etat of the February 23rd 1981, known in Spain under the name of 23-F.

Biography

Before the coup d'etat

It engaged in the Guardia Civil in 1951 and had the command of the province Basque of Guipúzcoa, but had to ask its transfer towards another area after its public statements against the Basque flag Ikurriña. Its life comprises some episodes pro-putschistes.

The coup d'etat

In 1979, Tejero already had been judged for a first coup attempt of State, known under the name of Opération Galaxia and had bailed out 7 months of prison.

It was in station of captain-general of the 3rd military region, until the attempt of the putsch which was going to make it famous: the Coup d'etat of the 23F (1981) (February 23rd 1981), during which it took by storm the Congrès of the deputies to the head of two hundred civil guards. The goal of this Putsch was to make rock the Spanish democracy towards a return to the dictatorial mode which it had left 6 years earlier. The failure of the putsch made it possible to give credit and popularity with the king Juan Carlos, who, by this event acquired a democratic legitimacy that it could hope for, after the democratic transition which it had initiated since 1975, date of died of the dictator Franco.

Lawsuit

Tejero will be condemned to 30 years of prison. Imprisoned with the prison of Alcalá de Henares, it profited from an open mode as of 1993, and was released under the mode of the parole in 1996. Since, it shares its time between Madrid and its native province of Malaga, where it contributes episodically to a local daily, Melilla Hoy .

See too

Spanish Democratic transition
Coup d'etat of the 23F (1981)

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