Francisco Ascaso

Francisco Ascaso Abadía (1 April 1901 – 20 July 1936) was an Aragonese carpenter and prominent anarcho-syndicalist figure in Spain.

Ascaso lived a life of crime and violence being involved in the deaths of multiple high-profile government officials and as a result frequently detained. By the time of the Spanish Civil War, he had created and been involved in numerous anarchist operations and organizations alongside his close friend Buenaventura Durruti. He was killed during the civil war. Ascaso was the cousin of Joaquín Ascaso, the President of the Regional Defence Council of Aragon.

Anarchism

In 1922 or 1923, Ascaso would meet Juan Garcia Oliver and Buenaventura Durruti, and soon form the Los Solidarios in response to ongoing attacks on leaders of the labour movement and the assassination of Salvador Seguí. The group would become involved in the deaths of many prominent leaders of the time such as Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato. Upon arriving they were imprisoned on suspected drug trafficking. Ascaso and Durruti would go onto support the Revolutionary Committee in France at the time as a way of "organizing a revolutionary center in France". Upon being arrested Ascaso alongside Durruti and Jover Cortes were informed that they would be handed over to the Argentina government.

During the Spanish Civil War, while living in Barcelona, Ascaso would form the Antifascist Militias Committee. Ascaso was one of the 500 to die in the assault of Atarazanas barracks. Ascaso was buried in Montjuïc Cemetery alongside Durruti.

Legacy He was remembered as a "saint" of anarchist movement and as a hero of the Catalan proletariat.

Personal life Ascaso's was the brother of fellow anarchists Alejandro Ascaso Alejandro was born on 17 October 1889. Domingo was killed in Barcelona during the 1937 May Riots. He also had a sister named Maria. In 1927 he started a relationship with Berthe Fabert. In 1924 Ascaso settled in Paris and worked in a plumbing factory which aggravated his respiratory problems.

Gallery