Ariane Gransac Has Died: An Intense, Rebellious, and Anarchist Life ---- Ariane Gransac died in Perpignan last Sunday, April 5, at the age of 84; the funeral service will be held on April 15 at the city's crematorium. ---- Rather than letting myself be overwhelmed by the sadness of her passing, I prefer to remember her youthful joy when I met her some sixty years ago, around 1966, after her courageous participation in the memorable kidnapping in Rome of Franco's ambassador to the Vatican.
Ariane was the daughter of a high-ranking executive in the perfume industry and could have been content to enjoy the privileges of a comfortable economic situation, but that didn't suit her rebellious temperament. She quickly became involved in anarchist circles in Paris, joining the Émile Henry group of the Anarchist Federation, while also frequenting, as an art enthusiast, libertarian cultural circles.
What distinguished her was undoubtedly her strong personality, a blend of sharp intelligence and a penchant for ingenious and biting irony, capable of disconcerting anyone, yet not incompatible with great kindness and a raw sensitivity. Ariane had a strong character, and therein lay part of her charm.
For more than ten years, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to the anti-Franco libertarian struggle, participating alongside Octavio Alberola in almost all the actions carried out by the Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth (FIJL), many under the name Groupe 1er Mai (May 1st Group).
After the successful kidnapping in Rome in 1966, she went to Madrid in October of the same year to plan another kidnapping that ultimately failed and resulted in several arrests. In solidarity with the prisoners, she participated in several direct actions carried out by the May 1st Group in London against Francoist representations. Then, in 1968, she went to Brussels to plan the kidnapping of Franco's ambassador to the Common Market, Alberto Ullastres, but she was arrested on February 8 before the operation could be completed.
In 1974, already acting independently of the FIJL (International Federation of Liberation Youth), but in solidarity with Puig Antich, she participated in the kidnapping of Baltasar Suárez, director of the Banca di Bilbao, in Paris; she was arrested on May 22 along with Alberola in Avignon.
After the dictator's death, she participated in the French libertarian movement and dedicated herself to preserving the memory of popular movements in Latin America, with a particular focus on Peru and Bolivia, where, through Liber Forti, she established links with the Bolivian Workers' Central.
Needless to say, this intense activity was always accompanied by a strong commitment to anarchist conceptions of the struggles against patriarchy, in line with the principles of Mujeres Libres.
After the death of her mother, whom she had been caring for in Paris, she settled permanently in Perpignan in 2007. But after a period of severe depression between 2013 and 2015, her cognitive decline worsened, and she was finally admitted to a nursing home in December 2022. Undoubtedly, after nearly four years in this situation, her death was a form of liberation for her.
Except for her last few years, Ariane had the audacity to live the life she had chosen to the fullest, always defying domination in the name of freedom. That is how we will remember her.
Tomás Ibáñez
http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4685
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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