Leonese Nationalist Parties (Spain)

Last modified: 2001-09-08 by santiago dotor
Keywords: spain | castile and leon | león | politics | nationalist | lion | conceyu xoven | irredentism | wheel (yellow) |
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• Nationalist Flag (Partido Regionalista del País Leonés, Grupo Autonomista Leonés, Unión del Pueblo Leonés)
• Partido del Bierzo (Bierzo Party)
• Conceyu Xoven

See also:

• Leon Province
• Castile and Leon (Spain)
• Spanish political parties and movements
• Spain

Partido Regionalista del País Leonés, Grupo Autonomista Leonés, Unión del Pueblo Leonés

by Antonio Gutiérrez

I seem to recall the main flag of the Leonese autonomists is white with a red lion.

Jaume Ollé, 28 March 1998

The exact design of the Leonese autonomist flag is as above in [es}cl-le.gif]. The flag has been used from the late 70's by some political groups -Partido Regionalista del País Leonés (PREPAL), Grupo Autonomista Leonés (GAL), Unión del Pueblo Leonés (UPL)- in their struggle for separate autonomy. The shade of purpure often varies, from darker (close to brown) to lighter (nearly pink, like the colour of the lions in the official Castile and Leon flag). The flag is today widely used, even in public (municipal) buildings in León and in the whole province.

Antonio Gutiérrez, 22 March 1999

Young Council

by António Martins

Conceyu Xoven demands the independence of the Leonese homeland, that includes not only parts of the Spanish Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, but also parts of northeastern Portugal. The flag they propose for this country is red with the leonese shield in the centre (white with red lion) surmounted by a crown. Their symbol, that may be their flag also, is a red field with a thin golden circle and a device within very similar to that of Lega Nord (Italy), also in gold. They have a webpage, written mainly in Leonese, and they are listed in the Homelands page.

Jorge Candeias, 30 March 1998

I believe it is not an important movement. The movement for the autonomy of León (out of Castilla y León) is well known, but Conceyu Xoven is unknown to me. Some Leonese claim also the union with the provinces of Zamora and Salamanca, and sometimes also with the provinces of Valladolid and Palencia, in a new autonomous community. I never heard about claims over Portugal.

Jaume Ollé, 4 April 1998

I presume the parts of Portugal they refer to are the Asturian-Leonese speaking areas, namely all of the municipality of Miranda do Douro, commune of Caçarelhos (neighbouring municipality of Vimioso), and Guadramil and Rio d'Onor, two villages of the Bragança municipality. Clearly an ethnic-linguistic approach to irredentism, with which I cannot totally disagree...

António Martins, 8 April 1998

If I recall correctly, it's larger, including the areas in Beira Alta between river Coa and the border with Spain that once (centuries ago) belonged to the Kingdom of León.

Jorge Candeias, 8 April 1998

We are Conceyu Xoven, a young nationalist organisation from Lleón, in Spain. You can see the flag of Conceyu Xoven here [similar to the Padanian "sun of the alps"].

Abel Pardo Fernández (General Secretary of Conceyu Xoven and City Councillor of León), 28 September 1998

I don't know the meaning of the [Conceyu Xoven] leonese nationalist flag but a similar symbol is used by several northern Spanish groups, as the Ensame Nacionalista Astur and the Cantabrian nationalist flag also has a similar device.

Jaume Ollé, 20 June 1999

I don't understand why this Conceyu Xoven keeps its irredentist claims over the once Leonese territory that was ceded to Portugal by Castile through the Alcañices Treaty in 12xx (after Leon was absorbed by Castile). That region, border north central Portugal (more or less the current municipalities of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Pinhel, Almeida, Guarda and Sabugal), has no Asturian-Leonese speakers (and perhaps never had, since back when the partition was made that was freshly conquered land, populated mainly by Arabic, Berber or Mozarab speakers); the only exception from "normal" Portuguese in the area (but slightly to the west) I can think of is a quite large community of crypto-jews that resisted the 17th century expellings. On the other hand, they don't seem to claim the Asturian/Leonese speaking parts of Portugal (the Mirandese dialect) listed above, which leads me to conclude that this particular movement may be lead by not well informed people... A distinction should be made between:

Leonese autonomists

Seeking the detachment of the provinces of Leon, Zamora and Salamanca from the autonomous region Castile and Leon (which should then change its name) to a separate autonomous region or to the neighbouring and linguistically related "mono-provincial" autonomous region Asturias.

Leonese irredentists

Seeking independence and restoration of the Kingdom in the the pre-Alcañices borders (including north central eastern Portugal).

Asturian-Leonese ethnists

Seeking autonomy and/or independence of a territory defined by current or recent majority of Asturian-Leonese speakers (including far northeastern Portugal but excluding Galician/Portuguese speaking regions in the west of Leon and Salamanca provinces).

António Martins, 23 June 1999