The ETA, the Basque language acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna expression (which means "Basque Land and Freedom") was born in 1959. It was originally an offshoot of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), formed to fight against the dictatorship of Francisco Franco and gain the independence of the Basque provinces from the rest of Spain. In the struggle to achieve their goals appealed to armed violence against those who opposed him, and in some cases, terrorism. He rose to notoriety when, in December 1973, members of the group assassinated Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, Franco's political heir. The pounding of the guerrillas ETA claimed the lives of more than 500 dead. On several occasions, the ETA declared unilateral truce for the purpose of opening the dialogue with the Spanish democratic.
The guerrilla group is closely related to the autonomist party Herri Batasuna (HB), which has a large bank in the Basque Parliament. It is said that HB is the political wing of ETA.
In the heat of the struggle against Franco came Antifracistas Groups First of October (GRAPO), now dismantled by security forces. Terra Lliure operated in Catalonia, an autonomous organization in 1991, renounced armed struggle.