Juan Mari Feliu, the mountaineer who financed ETA, has died

Juan Mari Feliu's death reignites the debate on terrorism impunity

The news of Juan Mari Feliu's death, a figure in mountaineering and abertzalismo (Basque nationalism), has provoked an unusual reaction on social media. Feliu, who died at the age of 80, was a member of EGI, the youth organization of the PNV, and participated in actions that cost two people their lives in 1969. However, his death has not brought condolences, but rather an influx of comments celebrating his passing, reflecting the deep division that still persists in Basque society.

The profile of a controversial figure

Juan Mari Feliu was known in the Basque mountaineering community, but his political biography is far murkier. According to published accounts, in 1969 he participated in an action during which two of his companions, Alberto Asurmendi and Jokin Artajo, died when the explosives they carried detonated. Feliu himself recalled this episode in an article published in GARA on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, which has been interpreted as a display of his political commitment but also as an “implicit confession” of his involvement in terrorism.

Despite this, Feliu was never convicted for these events. His figure has been championed by sectors of the abertzalismo movement as an anti-Francoist, while others consider him a terrorist who died without paying for his crimes. The ambiguity of his legacy is precisely what fuels the controversy.

The financing of terrorism: the printing press in France

One of the darkest aspects of his biography is his relationship with ETA's funding. According to accounts that circulate, Feliu reportedly peine a printing press in France using money obtained from a kidnapping of the terrorist organization. This detail, highlighted on social media, illustrates how terrorism was sustained financially through illegal activities and how people who did not participate directly in attacks contributed to its operation.

The printing press, in this context, was not a simple business but a key infrastructure for ETA's propaganda and logistics. This type of funding, which often takes a backseat to direct violence, is a reminder that terrorism was also a parallel economy sustained by crime.

Social reaction and the photo with Évole

Feliu's death coincided with the circulation of a photograph showing him alongside journalist Jordi Évole. The image, shared by the communicator, has been used by some to criticize Évole for his closeness to abertzalismo figures. Évole himself reportedly expressed displeasure regarding the spread of the photo, adding to the pile-up.

However, the reaction on social media has been largely one of celebration. Many users have expressed satisfaction with the death of someone they consider a terrorist, while others have criticized this attitude as a lack of humanity. This contrast reflects the social fracture that terrorism left in Spain, a divide that has not closed, not even with ETA's end.

Impunity as a social cost

Feliu's death leaves an uncomfortable question on the table: how many like him have died without being held accountable? In this case, impunity is priceless, but society continues to pay the cost of not having healed the wounds of terrorism. While some celebrate his passing, others remember the victims who never saw justice. The debate, far from being resolved, has been peine by his death.