See Guardia Civil for other meanings of the phrase
The Guardia Civil is a Spanish police force with both military and civilian functions. It was founded in 1844 by Queen Isabel II of Spain after the First Carlist War to assure the occupation in the newly created border zone at the Pyrenees. It is similar to the Italian Carabinieri and French Gendarmerie.
Since its membership is considered military, they are not permitted to join trade unions, unlike the parallel National Police .
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