Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa

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The Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa ( CEDADE Spanish for: Spanish Circle of Friends of Europe ) was a right-wing Spanish organization founded in 1966 . The CEDADE is described as the most influential and active European neo-Nazi organization of its time. In 1993 the CEDADE was officially dissolved.

Founding phase in dictatorial Spain under General Franco (1966-1970)

The 1960s in Spain were marked by the decline in importance of the fascist parties. It was in this environment that the CEDADE was formed, a new association based on the organizational principles of the NSDAP . In 1966 the organization was founded by Ángel Ricote, inspired by Otto Skorzeny , also a founding member, ostensibly as an association to honor Richard Wagner , and was taken over shortly afterwards by Pedro Aparicio. The CEDADE took up anti-Semitic ideologies, to the spread and establishment of which it contributed significantly in Spain. The association initially operated as a cultural association, which propagated vegetarianism , abstinence, non-smoking and nature conservation. Under this guise, his main concern was the training of functionaries based on the declared "model of the NSDAP". The CEDADE advocates a “Europe of the white race” and sees itself in the fight against the “ Auschwitz lie ”. It falls back on conspiracy theories around a "Jewish world domination". The CEDADE gained popularity in Spain through marches, demonstrations and journalistic propaganda. For example, the 10th Congress of the Far-Right European New Order (ENO) was organized by CEDADE in Barcelona in 1969 . Finally, the activities of the CEDADE were also critically observed by Franco supporters and in some cases their propaganda was made more difficult. The CEDADE received official support from the Spanish secret service Servicio Central de Documentación . The organization was mainly led by some older Spanish military supporters and exiles from other European countries, especially from Germany, Romania and Croatia. She received financial support from some Falangist organizations.

Consolidation phase (1970–1974)

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In 1970 Jorge Mota took over the presidency of CEDADE. Mota was able to expand the influence of the organization. He oriented the organization more closely to neo-Nazi ideologies and operated the exclusion of members with differing views. At that time, CEDADE had around 500 to 600 members and opened offices in several Spanish cities. New financial support was obtained from the Arab side ( Haj Amin al-Husseini ).

At that time, the CEDADE served as a model for founding other militant right-wing extremist groups in Spain.

The CEDADE under the sign of the change to democracy in Spain (1975–1978)

After Franco's death, democratization processes began in Spain. However, there was no reappraisal and discussion of the Franco dictatorship and right-wing extremist tendencies in Spanish society. The CEDADE was also able to continue to exercise its political influence. In particular, the fact that neo-Nazi propaganda was not criminalized in Spain benefited the CEDADE.

Decline and dissolution (1978–1993)

In 1978 Pedro Varela Geiss took over the chairmanship of CEDADE. Above all, he expanded the publishing activity, which provided propaganda material for all of Europe. The magazine of the same name served as a contact exchange and mail order business for right-wing extremists across Europe. The German neo-Nazi Erhard Kemper was one of their “correspondents” . 1979 registered the CEDADE as a political party under the name Partido Europeo Nacional Revolucionario ("European National Revolutionary Party"). However, a desired democratic takeover strategy was not very successful. At the end of the 1980s, publication activity gradually declined. Activities that denied the Holocaust ( Holocaust denial ) increased sharply. Some CEDADE members (including Javier Rovira-Llor) were convicted in 1987 of a joint assassination attempt that resulted in death on the Frenchman Robert Caplane . In 1989, on the 100th birthday of Adolf Hitler , the CEDADE organized a Nazi parade in Madrid . In 1992 CEDADE hosted an international meeting of neo-Nazi youth groups. Manfred Roeder was invited as a training speaker. At the “Congress on Freedom of Expression” organized by CEDADE in the same year, invited “experts” such as Gerd Honsik , Ernst Zündel , Thies Christophersen , Gaston-Armand Amaudruz (Switzerland), Léon Degrelle , the Argentine Horacio Punset and again Manfred Roeder denied the Holocaust .

In 1993 the CEDADE was officially dissolved, at its peak it had around 2500 members.

Activities after the dissolution

The former members continued their activities u. a. at the Partido Popular , in the Proyecto IES (Instituto de Estudios Sociales, Políticos y Económicos) in Madrid and in the Democracia Nacional .

Pedro Varela now runs the Nothung printing company and Europa bookstore in Barcelona, ​​which specialize in writings by Holocaust deniers. In 1996, over 7,000 right-wing extremist works, mainly in German, were confiscated from the bookstore and Varela's apartment. From there, close contacts were maintained with other right-wing extremist groups such as the Faisceaux Nationalistes Européens in France, the Portuguese Ordem Nova and corresponding groups in Ecuador , Uruguay and Bolivia .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c José L. Rodríguez Jiménez: Antisemitism and the Extreme Right in Spain (1962-1997) ( Memento of September 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) , in: Analysis of Current Trends in Antisemitism, 1999, No. 15.
  2. ^ Martin A. Lee, The Beast Reawakens , Warner Books, 1997, p. 186

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