Octavio Alberola: The anarchist flame that did not go out!
Octavio Alberola Suriñach
(Alaior, Menorca, 1928 – 24 July 2025)
Born into a deeply anarchist and rationalist family – his father was a professor at the Modern School of Ferrer Guardia and a cultural worker in Aragon – Octavio lived through the horrors of the Civil War and exile, traveling to France and Mexico from the age of 10. It was during that exile that he absorbed anarchist ideas, forged his character and decided to devote his entire life to the emancipation of humanity.
An engineer and physicist trained at UNAM, he joined the Juventudes Libertarias and the CNT; he participated in the 26 de Julio Movement in Cuba and defined his life with a watchword: “The revolution does not serve to satisfy revenge but to set an example”. His struggle led him to found, as a representative of the FIJL, the clandestine group Internal Defense (1961-1965), the last libertarian attempt at armed struggle against the Franco regime, which organized actions against Francoism, including the failed assassination of Franco and other attacks. In the mid-1960s, he founded the Grupo Primero de Mayo (1966-1974). He was arrested in Belgium (1968) and France (1974), spending about a year and a half behind bars for his unwavering commitment. After Franco’s death, he continued his militancy: he collaborated with CGT in Spain, COJRA in France, Radio Libertaire and various initiatives to redeem memory, such as the review of Franco’s trials and support for libertarians in Cuba.
In the intimate-documentary biography “The Weight of the Stars”, Ottavio reveals his capacity for ethical reflection, his firm rejection of authoritarianism and his continuous willingness to revise and renew his convictions from a humanistic perspective.
His life is testimony of a thought in action, of a rebellion with conscience, of armed struggle. His voice, until the end of 96 years, was a voice of dignity and hope.
Epitaph:
Here lies Ottavio Alberola,
seed of righteousness sown in adversity,
fire of thought that illuminates the path of the people,
fury against the oppressor, tenderness for the oppressed.
His life was a song to responsible freedom,
a perennial example of struggle for humanity.
May his memory inspire our capacity for action,
that his integrity is a banner in times of despair,
that his gaze committed to the common good
guide us in building a more just world.
