Spanish Circle of Friends of Europe Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CEDADE |
| Leader | Ángel Ricote[1] Pedro Aparicio[1] Pedro Varela Geiss[2] |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Dissolved | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Barcelona |
| Ideology | Neo-Nazism |
| Party flag | |
TheSpanish Circle of Friends of Europe (Spanish:Círculo Español de Amigos de Europa;CEDADE) was a Spanishneo-Nazi group that concerned itself with co-ordinating international activity and publishing.
The group began life in 1966, underFrancisco Franco'srule, ostensibly as a society for the appreciation ofRichard Wagner but before long it had taken on a neo-Nazi dimension, influenced by the likes ofOtto Skorzeny, who was a founding member.[3] CountingLéon Degrelle among its leading members, the Circle became a study group and publishing house for materials relating toNazism andHolocaust denial, with a remit towards closer cooperation across Europe.[3] Initially led by Ángel Ricote, the group looked towardsItalian fascism for inspiration, but under Pedro Aparicio it moved towards a Nazi position.[4]
CEDADE, whose headquarters were located inBarcelona,[5] established a branch inMadrid in 1973. The group had 2,500 Spanish members by 1985, with smaller groups also active elsewhere.[6] Among those associated with the group was Klaus Georg Barbie, the son ofKlaus Barbie, who was revealed byEl País to have worked closely with CEDADE whilst living in Barcelona between 1965 and 1978.[7] Internationally CEDADE also maintained close links to the likes ofMark Fredriksen,[8]Bela Ewald Althans,[8]Povl Riis-Knudsen,Salvador Borrego,Wilfred von Oven,Pekka Siitoin[9] andRichard Edmonds.[4] Secretary Jordi Mota also established links between CEDADE and Klaus Barbie, with whom Mota was on friendly terms.[10]
Taking a European outlook, it set up groups inFrance, as well as inLatin America and registered as apolitical party in 1979 under the name ofPartido Europeo Nacional Revolucionario (European National Revolutionary Party), although this initiative was not pursued.[4] As a publishing house, however, CEDADE continued to grow and was soon publishing for a number of movements inAustria andGermany. Using the nameEdiciones Wotan for this initiative, it published works by the likes of Degrelle andFrancis Parker Yockey and collaborated closely with theLiberty Lobby in theUnited States.[3]
Financial difficulties forced a major scaling down in activities around 1989–90, although the group hosted an international centenary celebration ofAdolf Hitler'sbirthday in 1989.[4] The problems inherent in the movement persisted and they were officially dissolved in October 1993.[4] Members drifted away into various movements, with only Project IES representing a serious attempt at refoundation. This group was ultimately merged into a far-right party,National Democracy.[4]