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FRANÇO

Fascists salute Franco on 41st anniversary of his death

Sunday marked the 41st anniversary of the death of General Francisco Franco and far right supporters nostalgic for the dictatorship took to the streets.

Fascists salute Franco on 41st anniversary of his death
Facist salutes to honour Franco. Photo: AFP

Around 200 people gathered for a demonstration in Madrid’s Plaza Oriente on Sunday morning where they raised their right arms in the fascist salute and sang the anthem Cara del Sol.


Photo: AFP

The demo was organised by far-right groups including Fuerza Nueva, The Spanish Catholic Movement and the Falange.

Protestors brandishing placards with slogans such as “Make Spain Great Again” –  a reference to Donald Trump’s campaign cry – and the old Spanish flag of the dictatorship with its crest and imposing eagle.

During the demonstration a group of men set upon a homeless protestor who held up a sign daubed with the words “Franco asesino”.

Lagarder Danciu, who describes himself as a gay, homeless, Romanian protestor, was beaten to the ground where he was kicked repeatedly and hit around the head until police intervened.

The incident was caught on camera and later posted as video on the Lagarder Activista twitter account.

Masses organized by the Francisco Franco Foundation were held in at least a dozen churches across Spain to honour the dictator who ruled Spain with an iron visit for 36 years after the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39.

The weekend also saw a march organized by the Falange that began Saturday night in Calle Genova and ended at theValley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caídos), the basilica carved out of the living rock on a hillside 50kms west of Madrid.

The memorial topped by a 500ft high granite cross is home to the tomb of Franco and that of Jose Antonio Prima de Rivera, the founder of the fascist Spanish Falange party, as well as the remains of thousands of Republican supporters killed by Francoist forces whose corpses were added in order to fill the huge crypt.


The Valley of the Fallen, where Francisco Franco is buried. Photo: Philippe Desmazes / AFP.

On Saturday, the site also played stage to a rally by those demanding that it be converted into a memorial site for the anti-fascist struggle during the civil war.

Historical Memory Associations all staged a demonstration in the centre of Madrid calling for authorities to finally withdraw all public symbols and names honouring those associated with the Franco regime from public places.

Spain continues to struggle to come to terms with the Spanish Civil War and the ensuing dictatorship which ended with Franco’s death in 1975.

Relatives of those who were killed or disappeared during Spain's dark, recent past have long asked the government to start exhuming and recovering victims' remains, a task which is currently undertaken by volunteer groups.

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