Lucio Urtubia

Summary

Lucio Urtubia Jiménez (1931–2020[1]) was a Spanish anarchist known for his practice of expropriative anarchism through forgery. At times compared to Robin Hood,[2] Urtubia carried out bank robberies and forgeries throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In the words of Albert Boadella, "Lucio is a Quijote that did not fight against wind mills, but against a true giant".

Lucio Urtubia Jiménez
Urtubia in 2010
Born(1931-02-18)18 February 1931
Died18 July 2020(2020-07-18) (aged 89)
NationalitySpanish
Occupation(s)Forger, bricklayer
MovementAnarchism

He was one of the main participants in an action to raise funds for his political formation, based on a scam against the First National City Bank by forging traveler's checks with printing plates of which he was the author. Hundreds of counterfeit traveler's checks were distributed throughout Europe and several Latin American countries between January 1980 and December 1982. The so-called "money recovery operations", of which the City Bank scam was a part, were used to collect of funds destined to support those who struggled and needed it. Following the dismantling of the counterfeiting infrastructure, the French police were unable to recover the printing plates for the checks, forcing the City Bank and the French government to make a pact with Urtubia.

Urtubia died in his home city of Paris, France on 18 July 2020, aged 89.[1]

Legacy edit

The Basque filmmakers José María Goenaga [eu] and Aitor Arregi Galdos [es] created Lucio [ca], a 2007 documentary on Urtubia's life.[3]

The 2022 film Un hombre de acción (A Man of Action) was based on his life.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Fallece el navarro Lucio Urtubia, histórico militante anarquista" [Lucio Urtubia, Navarrese historical anarchist militant, dies]. Noticias de Navarra (in Spanish). 18 July 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  2. ^ Hoffert, Barbara (August 2001). "Rev. of Lucio: The Irreducible Anarchist". Library Journal. 126 (13): S76. ISSN 0363-0277. Gale A77703628. Billed as a modern-day Robin Hood--or, more appropriately, the ultimate Quixote--Lucio Urtubia was born in Cascante, Spain
  3. ^ "El histórico anarquista navarro Lucio Urtubia fallece a los 89 años en París". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). EFE. 18 July 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2021.

Further reading edit

  • Encinas, Javier (16 July 2021). "Cascante acoge este sábado el homenaje a Lucio Urtubia". Noticias de Navarra (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  • Thomas, Bernard (2001). Lucio, el anarquista irreductible. Barcelona: Ediciones B. ISBN 8466602674. OCLC 807607447.
  • "Lucio Urtubia, el poderós - Article d'Opinió d'Andreu Barnils". VilaWeb (in Catalan). Retrieved 21 February 2021.

External links edit

  • Official site for the film Lucio, featuring trailer
  • Lucio, The Good Bandit: Reflections of an Anarchist
  • Interview with Lucio Urtubia: Robbing banks is an honour for me (Euskara)
  • An anarchist in the Paris of the resistance (Spanish)