Francisco Ascaso

Francisco Ascaso Abadía (Almudevar, April 1st, 1901 - Barcelona, July 20th, 1936) is militant a Anarchist-trade unionist Spanish member of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT).

Anarchistic engagement and action groups direct

Francisco Ascaso is born on April 1st, 1901 in Almuvedar, a commune of the Province of Huesca in Aragon. Left to Saragossa to work, it will be baker then waiter. There, it integrates the CNT and becomes member the group of direct action named Los Justicieros ( the Dispensers of justice ).

In August 1922 it leaves Saragossa for Barcelona where it joined Los Solidarios ( Interdependent the ), another action group direct in which take part also Durruti, Antonio Ortiz, García Oliver and Gregorio Jover. With this group it takes part in actions counter the Pistolero S (henchmen of Spanish employers which assassinated trade unionists) like with several attacks of banks.

June 4th, 1923, in reprisals of the assassination of the leader anarchist-trade unionist El Salvador Seguí by Pistoleros , Francisco Ascaso and other members of the groups Los Solidarios assassinate one of the principal financial supports of the Pistoleros : the Soldevila cardinal.

The exile

The repression which follows this assassination as well as the come to power of the Primo de Rivera dictator push Francisco Ascaso to be exiled in France in company of Durruti and García Oliver. France it leaves with Durruti for Cuba then for Argentina. In Argentina they take part in a series of steering in company of Argentinian anarchists.

Poursuivis by the police force they decide to turn over clandestinely to France.

Shown to prepare an attack against the king Alphonse XIII which must come in official visit to Paris, Francisco Ascaso is stopped by the French authorities with Durutti and Gregorio Jover on June 25th, 1926.

Of the news of their arrest Spain and Argentina required their extradition. Their extradition (which would have meant delivered to an unquestionable death) was avoided only by the action of French anarchists, in particular Louis Lecoin which mobilizes the opinion. Finally judged with bets on October 17th, 1926 they are condemned to a sorrow of prison.

Released in July 1927, expelled and prohibited stay in Swiss France, , Belgium and in other European countries. Francisco Ascaso decides to remain clandestinely in France.

The return in Spain

Francisco Ascaso will remain in exile until in 1931 Spanish monarchy is reversed and the Second Republic proclaimed. Francisco Ascaso then decides to turn over in Espagne.

Returned in Barcelona it founds the group Nosotros , a group more radical than FAI. It continues to take share with anarchistic agitations. In 1932 it is stopped and off-set in Africa then in Canaries.

Having found freedom it becomes in 1934 general secretary of the Committee regional of the CNT of Catalogne. He also collaborates starting from this date in the anarchistic newspaper Solidaridad Obrera.

July 17th, 1936 part of the Spanish army based in Morocco rebels against the Republic: it is the beginning of the civil war in Spain. With the advertisement of the coup attempt of State the population of Barcelona raises and attacks the barracks.

It is there that Francisco Ascaso, which takes part in the insurrection, finds death on July 20th, 1936 at the time of the attack of the barracks of Atarazanas.

Carlo Rosselli, Camillo Berneri and Mario Angeloni pays homage to him by creating an Italian section which bears its name.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Biography of Francisco Ascao (in Spanish)
  • Francisco Ascao in the writings of Antoine Gimenez

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