| Apr 8, 1990 |
Eight French Basques are arrested in connection with ETA terrorist attacks in Spain, thus revealing the connection between the French Basques and the ETA. Throughout the period covered in this chronology, the French government engages in a series of crackdowns on ETA terrorists. The ETA focuses its activities in Spain. |
| Apr 15, 1990 |
Police use tear gas to break up a crowd of 1,500 Basques after nationalists set fire to French and Spanish flags near the southwestern town of Bayonne after the annual national celebration of the Basque national day. |
| Aug 20, 1990 |
A caller claiming to represent the IK tells a Paris news agency that 163 kilos (370 pounds) of explosives will go off in the French region if jailed IK leader Philippe Bidart is not released. The caller also claims responsibility for a bombing the previous weekend. |
| Nov 9, 1990 |
Inspector Dufourg of the Renseignements Generaux (RG), appearing on a French television program, confirms that the RG had contacted ETA leader Txomin in order to exert pressure on the IK to declare a truce in violence. |
| 1991 |
The IK claims responsibility for 47 different attacks, 15 of them failing. Police are concerned by evidence that the IK is recruiting its third generation of militants, most of whom were previously unknown to the authorities. |
| Jan 11, 1991 |
The IK claims responsibility for a string of bomb attacks on tourist sites and estate agencies in southwest France. |
| Feb 14 - 15, 1991 |
Two bombs explode and 2 are diffused in France's Basque region a day after a French court rules that a Spanish Basque should be extradited to Spain. |
| Mar 4, 1991 |
IK leader Bidet and 6 suspected Basque guerillas are jailed on charges of belonging to a criminal organization. |
| Mar 30, 1991 |
Two suspected IK bombs explode in southwestern France. |
| Sep 6, 1991 |
A bomb explodes in the southwestern town of Bayonne. |
| Oct 21, 1991 |
Suspected IK terrorists blow up a bank in Bayonne. |
| Oct 22, 1991 |
A Basque separatist is sentenced to 4 years in jail for a bombing last February. Following his sentence he is barred from entering the Basque region of France for 2 years. |
| 1992 |
Basque nationalist receive 8% of the vote in regional elections in the Basque region. |
| Jan 24, 1992 |
Seven French Basques, including a priest, and 3 Spanish Basques are arrested and charged with criminal association with a terrorist organization. |
| Apr 19, 1992 |
French police diffuse 2 bombs in government buildings in southwestern France. The IK claims responsibility for the attack. |
| Jun 10, 1992 |
Amnesty International "adopts" 3 French Basques who have been jailed for refusing to serve in the French army. |
| Nov 2, 1992 |
IK leader Bidart goes on trial for murder along with 5 other Basques accused of complicity in the murder of 2 French policemen 10 years ago. Bidet is eventually convicted and jailed for life. |
| Nov 11, 1992 |
Suspected Basque guerillas carry out 2 bomb attacks in southwestern France after IK leader Bidet is sentenced to life imprisonment. |
| Dec 1, 1992 |
Police detain 4 people in connection with last month's bombings. |
| Dec 26, 1992 |
250 French Basques set off fireworks and play drums outside of La Sante prison in Paris to protest against the imprisonment of Basque separatists. |
| Jan 13, 1993 |
The IK claims responsibility for their first bomb attack in Paris. |
| Jan 15, 1993 |
Basque separatists bomb an electric facility in southwestern France. |
| Apr 10, 1993 |
French police arrest 7 IK leaders. |
| Apr 26, 1993 |
Eleven Frenchmen and 4 Spaniards go on trial for association with a terrorist organization. |
| May 1, 1993 |
A gas pipeline between France and Spain is bombed by the IK. |
| May 14, 1993 |
French police find 2 suspected IK arms caches. |
| Jun 5, 1993 |
Three suspected IK members are arrested. About 2,000 people march through Bayonne to demand the release of Basque separatists. |
| Jun 9, 1993 |
IK leader Bidet receives a second life sentence for the murder of a policeman 6 years ago. |
| Jul 27, 1993 |
A suspected IK bomb explodes in southwestern France. |
| Aug 23, 1993 |
Suspected IK terrorists seize several million francs (several hundred thousand dollars) from the safe of a transport company. |
| Nov 20, 1993 |
A suspected IK bomb damages a train near the French-Spanish border. |
| Dec 2, 1993 |
A suspected IK bomb damages a post office near the French-Spanish border. |
| Dec 24, 1993 |
French President Francois Mitterrand pardons a crippled IK terrorist for humanitarian reasons. |
| Dec 26, 1993 |
About 500 Basques demonstrate outside 2 prisons to show their solidarity with Basque prisoners. |
| Mar 29, 1994 |
A suspected IK bomb destroys a fuel truck on a French army base in southwestern France. |
| Apr 1, 1994 |
A suspected IK bomb blows up an army barrack in southwestern France. |
| May 18, 1994 |
A suspected IK bomb damages a police station in the southwestern town of Bidart. |
| Aug 27, 1994 |
A suspected IK bomb explodes at a French customs post on the Spanish border in southwestern France. |
| Sep 17, 1994 |
About 100 Basques protest against France's policy against an independent Basque state during a speaking engagement by President Mitterrand in Bayonne. |
| Oct 8, 1994 |
A suspected IK bomb explodes at a customs post on the French-Spanish border in southwestern France. |
| Oct 21, 1994 |
Three presumed IK members are convicted of criminal conspiracy and arms violations. |
| Nov 30, 1994 |
The French National Assembly thrown out a bid to turn the Basque portion of France, which is currently administratively joined with another French region, into a separate province. |
| Feb 26, 1995 |
Masked youths clash with police overnight after Basque nationalist demonstrators hold a protest in Bayonne. |
| Apr 1995 |
The Iparretarrak (IK) explodes a bomb in the town of Orolon-Sainte-Marie. |
| May 6, 1995 |
About 2,000 Basques rally in Paris to call for autonomy for their homeland and amnesty for Basque prisoners in French jails. |
| May 9, 1995 |
A group of 20 Spanish Basque exiles defy French orders to stay away from French Basque country and seek refuge in a cathedral there. |
| May 20, 1995 |
Suspected Basque nationalists explode a bomb in a southwestern French town. |
| Aug 1 - 30, 1995 |
At least 17 Basque separatists are arrested in France in a plot to kill Spanish King Juan Carlos. |
| Oct 2, 1995 |
A Spanish newspaper reports that the Spanish government financed or bribed a network of French police to collaborate in illegal killings of Basque separatists in southern France during the 1980s in what has become known as Spain's "dirty war" against the Basques. The French government denies the allegations. |
| Nov 8, 1995 |
Dozens of relatives of Spanish Basque prisoners and refugees in France begin a 24 hour fast to protest a forthcoming trial of suspected ETA members. (The ETA is the Spanish Basque resistance group.) |
| Nov 13, 1995 |
81 people suspected of collaborating with the Spanish Basque ETA rebel organization go on trial in France. About 30 people demonstrate outside the court. |
| Jun 1 - Oct 31, 1996 |
Three bombs go off in Bordeaux over the course of four months. Police blame the attack on the IK, but have no proof. |
| Aug 3, 1996 |
Over 500 Spanish and French Basque nationalists riot in Bayonne, burning the French flag and breaking windows, to protest police violence in the capture of three suspected members of the ETA.(Agence France Presse 8/3/96) |
| Dec 28, 1996 |
French Police arrest 170 Basque demonstrators, who had planned to rally outside the Palace of Justice and the Pont Neuf in support of jailed Basque nationalists (Deutsche Press Agentur 12/28/96) |
| Jun 21, 1997 |
A Paris court decides to jail 4 Basque militants accused of carrying out a wave of terrorist attacks in Northern Spain. Over 100 people, mostly family members and former prisoners, demonstrate to protest. (Agence France Presse 6/21/97) |
| Nov 6, 1997 |
French police arrest three suspected members of the ETA in the town of La Rochelle. (Deutsche Press Agentur 11/6/97) |
| Mar 21, 1998 |
Spanish police near the town of Seville arrest five members of the ETA, including two French nationals found driving a van loaded with 528 pounds of explosives, grenades, and a revolver. (Agence France Presse 3/21/98) |
| Sep 1998 |
The ETA declares an indefinite cease-fire. |
| Mar 1 - Apr 30, 1999 |
French police uncover two separate shipments totaling over 800 pounds of explosives, chemicals and a few arms in Southern France. The cache was believed to be part of a large purchase of over a half million dollars made by the Spanish ETA. In separate actions, police also arrested Javier Arizcuren Ruiz, the ETA's suspected military leader, and five other members of the ETA. (Agence France Presse 3/11/99 and 4/6/99 and 4/9/99) |
| Feb 11 - 11, 2005 |
Five Basque militants were arrested near the Spanish border by French police upon suspicion of attempting to blow up Alain Ducasse’s restaurant in 2003. They were members of the French Basque Iparrettarak militant movement and were later released after questioning. (“Five arrested after attempt to bomb star French chef's restaurant.” Agence France Presse. 8 Feb. 2005.)
|
| Dec 10 - 10, 2005 |
Several hundred French Basque protested demanding the release of Phillipe Bidart, leader of the Basque nationalist Iparretarrak organization. Bidart has been in prison since 1988 for the murder of three French police officers. (“Hundreds demonstrate for freeing of Basque militant leader.” Agence France Presse. 10 Dec. 2005.) |
