Youth Front
{{Short description|Neofrancoist militant group}}
{{About|the neofrancoist militant group|the youth wing of the neofascist Italian Social Movement|Youth Front (Italy)}}
{{Infobox militant organization
| name = Youth Front
| native_name = {{lang|es|Frente de la Juventud}} {{in lang|es}}
| native_name_lang =
| other_name =
| logo = Logo_del_Frente_de_la_Juventud.svg
| logo_size = 175px
| caption =
| dates = {{Start date|1978}}–{{End date|1982}}
| leader = {{ubl|José de las Heras Hurtado[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2016/06/11/actualidad/1465653382_594746.html La vida secreta de un fugitivo de Fuerza Nueva en Brasil.] El País, 12 JUN 2016 - 20:46 CEST.|Ernesto Milà|Juan Ignacio González[http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1980/12/13/013.html Until his murder in 1980.]}}
| motives = Opposition to democracy, social liberalism, peripheric nationalist movements, communism and anarchism
| area = Spain
| ideology = {{ubl|Neofascism|Anticommunism|Spanish ultranationalism|Francoism}}
| position = Far-right
| crimes = Bombings, murder, conspirating against the government.
| attacks =
| status = Inactive
| size = 100-300 (1978)
| revenue =
| financing =
| url =
}}
Youth Front ({{langx|es|Frente de la Juventud}}; FJ) was a Spanish political youth organization and far-right militant group, sometimes considered a terrorist organization.Rodríguez Jiménez, José Luis (1994). Reaccionarios y golpistas: la extrema derecha en España : del tardofranquismo a la consolidación de la democracia, 1967-1982. Editorial CSIC - CSIC Press. {{ISBN|9788400074425}}.González Sáez, Juan Manuel (2012). [https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/4052259.pdf «La violencia política de la extrema derecha durante la transición española (1975-1982)»]. Coetánea: III Congreso Internacional de Historia de Nuestro Tiempo. coord. por Carlos Navajas Zubeldía, Diego Iturriaga Barco. pp. 365-376. {{ISBN|978-84-695-5155-4}}.
History
FJ emerged as a 1978 split of New Force, the main neofrancoist party in Spain at the time. The split with the mainstream far-right happened for similar reasons with the previous split of the National Youth Front (FNJ) in 1977. The split happened due to the stagnation of the main far-right political forces and the frustration of new members of the security section - the sections C and Z - of Fuerza Joven (youth-wing of FN). FJ was founded by José de las Heras and Juan Ignacio González, and later joined by between 100 and 300 members during that year. FJ was opposed to the "parliamentary way" of Fuerza Nueva and FE-JONS, defending also the lack of utility of peaceful demonstrations, supporting the creation of paramilitary units to fight against "marxism".{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}
The Youth Front was based mainly in Madrid and Valladolid (while the FNJ was based in Barcelona).González Sáez, Juan Manuel (2012). «La violencia política de la extrema derecha durante la transición española (1975-1982)». Coetánea: III Congreso Internacional de Historia de Nuestro Tiempo. coord. por Carlos Navajas Zubeldía, Diego Iturriaga Barco. pp. 365-376. {{ISBN|978-84-695-5155-4}}. p. 372. FJ supported violence as a destabilizing element of system, and as its main political strategy.González Sáez, Juan Manuel (2012). «La violencia política de la extrema derecha durante la transición española (1975-1982)». Coetánea: III Congreso Internacional de Historia de Nuestro Tiempo. coord. por Carlos Navajas Zubeldía, Diego Iturriaga Barco. pp. 365-376. {{ISBN|978-84-695-5155-4}}. p. 374-375
One of the first actions of the group was taking part in the neofascist assault against the Law Faculty of the Complutense University of Madrid in 1979, along with members of Fuerza Joven and FE-JONS. There were at least 30 far-right militants involved in the assault, that resulted in 3 people from the Law Faculty with gunshot wounds.[http://elpais.com/diario/1979/01/27/madrid/286287857_850215.html Varios heridos, tres de ellos de bala en un asalto ultraderechista a la facultad de Derecho.] El País, 27 ENE 1979. On 29 April 1979, the group stabbed Andrés García, an 18 year old communist, at Goya Street. Andrés died due to the injuries.[http://elpais.com/diario/1979/05/01/madrid/294405854_850215.html Andrés García, asesinado el domingo, será enterrado esta tarde.] El País, 1 MAY 1979 On 14 July, FJ placed a Goma-2 explosive at the bar "El Parnasillo" (Malasaña), for allegedly being a place were anarchists and drug addicts congregated. One person died and 9 were injured.[http://elpais.com/diario/1984/01/12/sociedad/442710007_850215.html El fiscal pide 260 años de prisión para dos 'ultras' acusados de poner una bomba en Malasaña.] El País, 12 ENE 1984.
In 1980, the group gained new members after the self-dissolution of the National Youth Front.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} The most prominent of the new members was Ernesto Milà. At the end of the same year, Juan Ignacio González, the "national secretary" of the organization, was murdered. The murder was never solved, although there is some speculation that it was caused due to an internal feud between rival factions of the organization.[Grimaldos, Alfredo (2004). La sombra de Franco en la Transición. Madrid: Oberon. {{ISBN|8496052753}}.] His death caused a crisis in the organization.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}
Twenty-four members were arrested in the cities of Madrid and València on 26 January 1981, for various robberies carried out to fund the organization. Also in 1981, 16 members were arrested for various attacks in Valladolid, against the headquarters of the CNT, PSOE, Cervantes Cinema and the City Hall. FJ also killed Carlos Javier Idígoras Navarrete and Luis Arribas Santamaría (a beggar).[http://elpais.com/diario/1981/08/01/espana/365464803_850215.html Golpe policial a una peligrosa banda terrorista de extrema derecha causante de varios atentados y asesinatos.] El País, 1 AGO 1981. Later, in the same year, FJ also bombed the headquarters of the Communist Movement and various book shops.[http://elpais.com/diario/1984/01/17/sociedad/443142009_850215.html Busca y captura del jefe del Frente de la Juventud, que no comparecio en el juicio contra la banda 'ultra' que dirigía.] El País, 17 ENE 1984.
The group was finally dismantled by the Spanish police in 1982, after a demonstration commemorating the 23-F coup attempt. During the demonstration members of FJ threw molotov cocktails against the police.[http://elpais.com/diario/1982/02/27/espana/383612413_850215.html Detenidos siete miembros del Frente de la Juventud.] El País, 27 FEB 1982.
The historic leader of the group, José de las Heras Hurtado, was in search and seizure since 1984, after failing to appear in the El Parnasillo bombing trial. Newspaper El País found him in Brazil in 2016.[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2016/06/11/actualidad/1465653382_594746.html La vida secreta de un fugitivo de Fuerza Nueva en Brasil.] El País, 12 JUN 2016 - 20:46 CEST.