José Luis López de Lacalle facts for kids

José Luis López de Lacalle Arnal (born in 1938 – died on May 7, 2000) was a Spanish journalist and a leader for workers' rights, known as a trade unionist. He wrote articles for the El Mundo newspaper. Sadly, he was killed by a group called ETA.

About José Luis López de Lacalle

José Luis López de Lacalle was born in 1938 in a town called Tolosa, in the Basque Country in Spain. This was during the Spanish Civil War. When he was young, he started working in a paper factory.

Even though he didn't go to school for a long time, he loved to read. He learned a lot by reading many books and talking with smart people from the Basque Country. He became friends with Enrique Múgica Herzog, who later became a government minister. Through this friend, José Luis joined the Communist Party of Spain in the late 1950s.

Standing Up for Rights

In 1966, during the time when Francisco Franco was the leader of Spain, José Luis was arrested. He was accused of being part of an "illegal group." He spent five years in a prison called Carabanchel Prison.

After Franco's rule ended and Spain became a democracy, José Luis became an important leader for workers. He helped workers' groups, called commissions, to talk about their rights. He also managed a factory that was run by its workers.

Later, he left the Communist Party and became closer to the Socialist Party. He tried to become a senator, which is a type of politician, but he didn't win. He always spoke out against Basque nationalism, which is a movement for the Basque Country to be independent. He also strongly opposed violence and terrorism, especially from the ETA group.

He stopped working early and started writing articles for the El Mundo newspaper.

In 1998, after ETA killed another person named Miguel Ángel Blanco, José Luis helped create a group called Foro Ermua. This group worked to stop terrorism.

Threats and His Death

José Luis López de Lacalle often said that people in the Basque Country, including regular citizens, politicians, and journalists, lived under the threat of terrorism. He himself received many threats. His house was even attacked with firebombs, called Molotov cocktails.

On May 7, 2000, in the morning, he was walking home after buying newspapers and having breakfast. Two members of ETA were waiting for him near his house. They shot and killed him.

His funeral was held on May 9 in a church in Andoain. About 2,000 people came to say goodbye.

Protests Against Violence

After José Luis's death, thousands of people protested against ETA. More than a hundred leaders of news companies signed a statement called "No nos callarán" (They will not shut us up). This statement strongly condemned the violence of ETA.

The next year, a group called Reporters Without Borders asked the European Parliament to make a rule against terrorism in the Basque Country. They said that ETA was threatening over 100 journalists.

Finding Those Responsible

On December 11, 2002, a person named José Ignacio Guridi Lasa was sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing José Luis. In 2009, another person named Javier García Gaztelu, also known as Txapote, was found guilty of ordering the killing. The same year, Asier Arzallus, who was also accused of being involved, was brought from France to Spain to face charges.

See also

In Spanish: José Luis López de Lacalle para niños