Tino Brujos has been an activist for social issues, always involved in joining all movements fighting human rights violation and injustice anywhere in the world. Hence, his unexpected death on Monday not only left his family “in shock” but also extended to the numerous groups he had been committed to throughout his life.
He recently retired as a history teacher, at the age of 67, and remains fully committed to the struggle both in Cantabria, his homeland, and in Asturias, his chosen land.
Founder of social movements
Tino Brujos was also one of the founders of the Committee for Solidarity with Latin America (COSAL) in the early 1980s, one of the founders of Xente Gai Astur (Xega) in the 1990s, the current LGTBI+ movement in Asturias, and the Unitary and Autonomous Union of Teaching Workers (Suatea).
This educational trade union organization was deeply affected by his death, and yesterday dedicated an emotional tribute to their colleague on their website. In an article, they learned about the state of surprise and shock that his death caused among dozens of members of the social movements and associations in which Tino Brujos actively participated.
Defender of collective freedoms
His international commitment also led him to participate as an observer in the Kurdish territories, where he was arrested and later expelled from Türkiye. From Istanbul, on May 15, 2023, he himself explained to elDiario.es Asturias how he was unjustly accused of violating Turkey’s electoral law and, after being arrested, forced to leave the country.
More recently, he has been actively involved in mobilizing in support of the Palestinian people, and condemning the genocide suffered by this population.
An avid student of the Spanish Civil War and the Revolution of ’34, he combined his historical rigor with a militant practice in defense of public schools, public services, and collective freedoms.
Civil War researcher
An avid student of the Spanish Civil War, the Revolution of ’34, or the Marxist Unified Workers’ Party (POUM), Tino Brujos combined historical rigor with militant practices in defense of public schools, public services, and collective freedoms.
He had a passion for history, and began saving newspaper clippings following Augusto Pinochet’s coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende in 1973. He moved to Asturias to study for his degree and began to be a soldier in the Revolutionary Communist League at a very young age.
Your union point of view
He played a prominent role in the founding of COSAL, following the Sandinista Revolution that overthrew the Somoza family dictatorship in Nicaragua in 1979.
In September 2023, Tino Brujos became involved in a new trade union organization: Izquierda Sindical Asturiana (ISA). It is an acronym that represents his philosophy well, as it addresses the defense of workers’ rights from a social, feminist, inclusive, class-based and independent workers’ perspective.
Your caring spirit
One of the last public events in which he participated was a conference on the situation in Rojava (Kurdistan) organized by the La Ciudadana Cultural Association.
Among the countless friends and colleagues who yesterday paid tribute to the character of this tireless left-wing activist, we highlight as a final one the parting words dedicated to him by La Ciudadana that perfectly sum up who Tino Brujos was: “Rest in peace, Tino, partner. You have made solidarity the science of life.”
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