Antonio García Barón
Encyclopedia
Antonio García Barón was described by the BBC as the last surviving member of the Durruti Column
, an anarchist
militia in the Spanish Civil War
.
After the Civil War he was in France early in the Second World War and was present at the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, before being captured and sent by the Nazis to Mauthausen
concentration camp. Whilst at the camp, he met Himmler
, "I told (him) when he visited the Mauthausen quarry on 27 April 1941, what a great couple the (Nazis) made with the Church. He replied that it was true, but that after the war I would see all the cardinals with the Pope marching there, pointing at the chimney of the crematorium.".
After the liberation of Mauthausen, he lived in Paris
for a time, as a stateless person. He moved to Bolivia
in the 1950s on the advice of his friend Gaston Leval
, seeking a place without priests. He moved to the village of San Buenaventura
on the Quiquibey River
, then later moved 60 km further into the jungle to set up an anarchist community. For the first 5 years there was only himself and his Bolivian wife Irma, later their 4 children. Some 30 nomadic Indians joined them.
Antonio García Barón was reported to have died on 17 November 2008. An obituary appeared in the February issue of the CNT
's newspaper and was reported online.
Durruti Column
The Durruti Column was the largest anarchist column formed during the Spanish Civil War . During the first months of the war it has come to be the most recognized and popular military organisations fighting at the republican side...
, an anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
militia in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
After the Civil War he was in France early in the Second World War and was present at the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, before being captured and sent by the Nazis to Mauthausen
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
concentration camp. Whilst at the camp, he met Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, "I told (him) when he visited the Mauthausen quarry on 27 April 1941, what a great couple the (Nazis) made with the Church. He replied that it was true, but that after the war I would see all the cardinals with the Pope marching there, pointing at the chimney of the crematorium.".
After the liberation of Mauthausen, he lived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for a time, as a stateless person. He moved to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in the 1950s on the advice of his friend Gaston Leval
Gaston Leval
Gaston Leval was an anarcho-syndicalist, combatant and historian of the Spanish Revolution....
, seeking a place without priests. He moved to the village of San Buenaventura
San Buenaventura
San Buenaventura is a town and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila.It is located at , in the state's central region .There were 19,986 inhabitants in 2000.-External links:*...
on the Quiquibey River
Quiquibey River
The Quiquibey River is a river in the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands in the north of Bolivia. The Quiquibey River joins the Beni River south of Rurrenabaque . The river is the border between the departments of Beni and La Paz....
, then later moved 60 km further into the jungle to set up an anarchist community. For the first 5 years there was only himself and his Bolivian wife Irma, later their 4 children. Some 30 nomadic Indians joined them.
Antonio García Barón was reported to have died on 17 November 2008. An obituary appeared in the February issue of the CNT
Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions affiliated with the International Workers Association . When working with the latter group it is also known as CNT-AIT...
's newspaper and was reported online.