General Franco's body exhumed in secret - Spain's 'socialists' have an history of exhuming people they do not like !
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Fascist salute for a former dictator: General Franco supporters chant as his exhumed remains are carried by his family from grandiose state mausoleum before heading to a 'discreet' tomb so he is no longer 'glorified'
- Francisco Franco's body was exhumed this morning from the Valley of the Fallen which he built near Madrid
- The former dictator's coffin was reburied in the family vault in Mingorrubio where his late wife is buried
- Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailed it as an 'act of reconciliation' for years of fascism
- Many of Franco's relatives - who have bitterly objected to the exhumation - helped to carry his coffin out
- 500 pro-Franco protesters chanted his name and gave fascist salutes as his body arrived at its new burial site
Supporters
of former dictator Francisco Franco threw fascist salutes on Thursday
as his body was exhumed from the grand mausoleum he had built as his
final resting place so it could be moved to a discreet family crypt.
Descendants
of the late strongman leader - who had bitterly opposed the exhumation -
gathered at the Basilica of the Valley of the Fallen in in San Lorenzo
del Escorial, near Madrid, around 11am as his remains were exhumed.
They
then helped to carry his coffin - covered in brown silk and draped with
a flag bearing the standard of Francisco Franco - to a waiting hearse.
From
there it was transported to a helicopter, which then flew the body to
Mingorrubio where it was be reburied in a family plot alongside his
wife.
Around 500 Franco supporters
gathered in Mingorrubio, throwing one-armed fascist salutes, chanting
'Viva Franco', and waving Francoist national flags while some wore
military regalia.
Exhumed: Relatives of former
Spanish dictator Francisco Franco carry his coffin out of the basilica
at the Valley of the Fallen near Madrid today as a long-awaited mission
to relocate his remains finally got underway today
The coffin was covered in brown
silk and draped with a flag bearing the Standard of Francisco Franco as
it was carried to a waiting hearse, and then on to a helicopter
Protest: Franco supporters make a
far-right salute outside the Mingorrubio cemetery, where the former
dictator is being reburied at a family vault 32 miles from the Valley of
the Fallen
A mean wearing aviator sunglasses
in echoes of Franco gives a fascist salute at the entrance to
the Mingorrubio cemetery where the former dictator's remains will be
reburied
Some 500 people gathered to protest
in support of Franco, chanting his name, waving Francoist national
flags and giving one-armed fascist salutes
A supporter of Francisco Franco gestures as people gather near Mingorrubio cemetery before his exhumation on Thursday
A man holding a flag that reads
'thank you Franco' appears to give a fascist salute in Mingorrubio,
where the dictator's remains are due to be reburied
A man waving a flag bearing the
symbol of the FET-JONS party, the only legal party under Franco's
regime. The symbol of yoked arrows dates back to the Catholic monarchy
of Ferdinand II and Isabella I, and was adopted by the fascists
Supporters carry memorabilia of the late General Franco in Mingorrubio as they wait for his body to arrive at the site
Pro-Franco
supporters wrapped in Spanish pre-constitutional flags gather at the
entrance of the Mingorrubio cemetery at El Pardo, north of Madrid
Prince Juan Carlos of Spain (left) with dictator General Francisco Franco (right) in 1975, shortly before the dictator's death
They
shouted insults against interim Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez,
who made relocating the remains a priority when he took government, as
the helicopter carrying Franco arrived.
Macarena
Martinez Bordiu, a distant relative of the dictator, said she felt
'outraged' with what was happening and accused the government of
'desecrating a tomb.'
Franco, who died
in 1975, ruled Spain with an iron fist after his Nationalists won the
bloody civil war of 1936-39 which he started.
His
authoritarian rule left Spain largely isolated from Europe and many saw
the monument as an affront to the hundreds of thousands of people who
died during the war.
Current Socialist
PM Pedro Sanchez has made the exhumation a priority since coming to
power in June 2018, saying Spain should not continue to 'glorify' the
former dictator.
'It is a great
victory for dignity, memory, justice and reparation - and thus for
Spanish democracy,' Sanchez said of the historic moment.
He
said in a televised address that the exhumation was a step towards
reconciliation, adding: 'Modern Spain is the product of forgiveness, but
it can't be the product of forgetfulness.'
Around
500,000 people were killed in the 1936-1939 Civil War between Franco's
nationalist rebels and left-wing Republicans. Many more were killed in
the ensuing four decades of dictatorship resulting from Franco's
victory.
Some Franco supporters wore
military regalia including a side cap bearing the insignia of Franco's
regime, along with badges and epaulettes featuring fascist insignia
A man holding a pre-constitutional Spanish flag gather outside Mingorrubio's cemetery, on the outskirts of Madrid
Supporters of late dictator Francisco Franco gather at the entrance to Mingorrubio cemetery before he was reburied here
Relocation: Franco's family carry
the coffin towards a hearse outside the mausoleum on the outskirts of
the Spanish capital today, in a closed-door operation which has divided
Spain
Franco's coffin bearing his own
personal standard - with the Royal Band of Castile across the centre,
separating the Pillars of Hercules, one topped with the imperial crown
and the other with the old royal crown, with banners reading 'plus
ultra'
Franco's coffin as it appeared on the day of his burial in 1975, draped with the national flag of Francoist Spain
Franco's body is paraded through
the streets of Madrid on the way to the Basilica of the Valley of the
Fallen, which he had built for himself using prison labour
Historic moment: Franco's grandson
(far right, also called Francisco Franco), who has accused the Socialist
government of exhuming the late dictator's body as an election ploy,
arrives with other relatives this morning
The
antagonism between the two sides remained during the transition to
democracy in the 1970s, resulting in deep divisions between right and
left.
'A public tribute to a dictator was more than an anachronism it was an affront to our democracy,' Sanchez said.
'Ending it was an obligation for the generations that did not grow up with the trauma of the Civil War and dictatorship.'
Who was Francisco Franco? Spain's former dictator known as 'El Caudillo' who ruled with an iron fist
Former Spanish dictator General
Francisco Franco (L) speaks from the balcony of Madrid's Royal Palace
next to the then Prince Juan Carlos of Spain
- Franco ruled Spain between 1939 and 1975, after he and other officers led a military insurrection against the Spanish democratic government in 1936, a move that started a three-year civil war.
- A staunch Catholic, he viewed the war and ensuing dictatorship as something of a religious crusade against anarchist, leftist and secular tendencies in Spain.
- His authoritarian rule, along with a profoundly conservative Catholic Church, ensured that Spain remained virtually isolated from political, industrial and cultural developments in Europe for nearly four decades.
- The country returned to democracy three years after his death but his legacy and his place in Spanish political history still sparks rancor and passion.
- For many years, thousands of people commemorated the anniversary of his Nov. 20, 1975 death in Madrid's central Plaza de Oriente esplanade and at the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum.
- Although the dictator's popularity has waned immensely, the exhumation has been criticized by Franco's relatives, Spain's three main right-wing parties and some members of the Catholic Church for opening old political wounds.
Franco, who died in 1975, ruled Spain with an iron fist after his Nationalists won the bloody civil war of 1936-39
His
critics have accused him of electioneering, with the closed-door
operation beginning today just over a fortnight before Spain goes to the
polls.
'I feel a great deal of rage
because they have used something as cowardly as digging up a corpse,
using a body as propaganda and political publicity to win a handful of
votes before an election,' said Franco's eldest grandson last night.
Macarena
Martinez Bordiu, a distant relative of the dictator, said she felt
'outraged' with what was happening and accused the government of
'desecrating a tomb.'
With media
banned from the event, only a select few people - Justice Minister
Dolores Delgado, a forensics expert, a priest and the 22 relatives -
were there to witness the exhumation get under way.
Cameras and mobile phones were banned from the ceremony to stop the exhumation itself being filmed.
A brief prayer was said after the coffin was exhumed, in line with a request from Franco's family.
The coffin was then carried out of the basilica by eight of the family members and placed into a hearse.
Fearing
disturbances, the government banned a demonstration against the
exhumation by Franco supporters at the Mingorrubio cemetery.
However,
some 400 people some waving Franco-era flags and symbols and chanting
'Viva Franco' nonetheless gathered near the cemetery while police looked
on.
'It's intensely symbolic for Spain,'
said political scientist Pablo Simon, 'because the (Franco) monument
has always been connected to those who miss the old regime.'
'Exhuming
the dictator's body suggests that the Valley of the Fallen's
significance could be reclaimed, a normal process within democracies
like ours,' Simon said.
The exhumation
has been in the pipeline since 2007 when the then-Socialist government
passed a 'historical memory law' which ordered Franco's remains not to
be 'exalted' in a public place.
The
law sought to make amends for the estimated 100,000 victims of the war
and the Franco era who are buried in unmarked graves, including
thousands at the Valley of the Fallen.
Spain's
parliament approved the exhumation in 2017, although the motion was
initially ignored by the then-conservative government.
But
Sanchez's Socialists have made it a priority since coming to power in
June 2018 and Spain's supreme court approved it last month after
dismissing a challenge from Franco's family.
Initially
scheduled for June 2018, the operation was delayed by more than a year
due to the string of legal challenges filed by the former leader's
descendants.
The government estimates the move will cost up to 63,000 euros ($70,000).
An El Mundo poll this month showed 43 per cent of Spaniards favoured the exhumation, while 32.5 per cent opposed it.
On Monday, government sources said some of the companies involved in the exhumation had received threats.
Ordered
by Franco in 1940 to celebrate his 'glorious crusade' against the
'godless' Republicans, construction of the Valley of the Fallen lasted
for almost 20 years.
Thousands of dead
Republicans were moved to the monument without their families' consent,
while the complex itself was partially built using the forced labour of
political prisoners.
General Secretary of the Prime
Minister's office Felix Bolanos (left), Caretaker Justice Minister
Dolores Delgado (centre) and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of
Presidency Antonio Hidalgo Lopez (right) watch the exhumation
The coffin of Spanish dictator
Francisco Franco is carried into a Super Puma helicopter for its
transportation to the Mingorrubio El Pardo cemetery
A helicopter carrying Franco's body
flies over a stone cross which tops the mausoleum where Franco's body
was laid to rest, as he is moved to a smaller burial plot
The
latter include 93-year-old retired historian Nicolas Sanchez-Albornoz.
'It was time. It was overdue,' he said in an interview on Wednesday.
Franco's grandson, also named Francisco Franco, arrives at the memorial near Madrid today
'We've
waited many decades for [Franco] to disappear from this monument, which
was the shame of Spain. All the dictators of Franco's ilk have vanished
from Europe - Hitler, Mussolini - and were not honoured with such
tombs.'
Since Franco's death in 1975,
many have objected to the former dictator being buried alongside the
victims of the war he started with an insurrection against the Spanish
government in 1936.
A staunch
Catholic, he viewed the war and ensuing dictatorship as something of a
religious crusade against anarchist, leftist and secular tendencies in
Spain.
Known as 'El Caudillo' (The
Leader), his regime left virtually isolated from political, industrial
and cultural developments in Europe for nearly four decades.
However, Franco's admirers saw him as a firm hand who fostered Spain's longest period of peace after centuries of turmoil.
Far-right
party Vox has capitalised on the frustrations of those supporting
Franco's legacy, performing better than many expected in national
elections in April.
But, as the next
election looms on 10 November, Simon said he believed the left could
exploit divisions over the exhumation within the moderate right-wing
parties, which abstained from the parliamentary vote on the issue.
'The
(conservative) Partido Popular prefers not to discuss (the exhumation)
because it could hurt their electoral interests,' he said.
'It
could spark a sort of cultural war between the PP and Vox, one of the
most disputed and porous frontiers in this election.'
Lawyer
of the Franco family Luis Felipe Utrera Molina and the Prior of the
Valle de los Caidos Basilica Santiago Cantera (left), arrive for the
exhumation of Franco's body. Right, Jaime Felipe Martínez-Bordiú,
Franco's grandson, carries a wreath with the message 'Your Family'
Overview: People gather on a hillside overlooking the grand mausoleum where Franco was buried until this morning
Preparing for the final journey:
Franco's coffin is lifted into the back of a hearse outside the Valley
of the Fallen memorial, where many of Franco's Republican opponents are
buried in unmarked graves
Pictured
left: Franco's grandson Jaime Martinez Bordiu and his partner Marta
Fernandez enter the basilica; right: the coffin is carried outside
today
Tight security: A police van at the
site where only a select few people were allowed in to witness the
exhumation and mobile phones and cameras were banned to stop the
operation being filmed
Supporters:
Some of Franco's admirers hold Spanish flags as they gather near the
Minogrrubio cemetery where the former dictator will be reburied in a
discreet family vault
The Valley of the Fallen - Franco's 'Glorious Crusade'
The Valle de los Caidos (The Valley of the Fallen), the state mausoleum where late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco is buried
Ordered
by Franco in 1940 to celebrate his 'glorious (Catholic) crusade'
against the 'godless' Republicans, construction of the Valley of the
Fallen lasted for almost 20 years.
Partly
built by the forced labour of political prisoners, the site is one of
Europe's largest mass graves, housing the remains of over 30,000 dead
from both sides of a civil war that was triggered by Franco's rebellion
against an elected Republican government.
Most
had fought for Franco but the monument also contains the bones of many
Republican opponents who were moved there from cemeteries and mass
graves across the country without their families being informed.
A
500-feet cross towers over the site which Franco dedicated to 'all the
fallen' of the conflict in what he called a gesture of reconciliation.
Since Franco was buried there after his death in 1975, flowers have been placed daily on his tomb.
Franco's
descendants have battled to stop the exhumation, or failing that, to
have his remains moved to a crypt at the Almudena cathedral in central
Madrid where his daughter is buried.
The
Francisco Franco Foundation, which defends the dictator's memory, had
called for supporters to protest outside the El Pardo cemetery on
Thursday, but the demonstration was banned by the local authorities.
NWN: The Spanish 'reds' have been screaming for this for decades. But of course they have a tradition of digging dead bodies up (and murdering people 'en masse' ) but todays controlled mass media will neglect to publish these facts. Dead nuns were dug up and displayed for ridicule right from the earliest part of the 20th Century, up till Franco won the Spanish Civil war in 1939 and brought peace and normality to Spain.
A number of priests were made Saints by the catholic church by the vatican in recent years, who had been murdered by the socialists/communists that ruled Spain during the 1930's in particular.
Well the 'reds' have moved Franco......................but a real 'fascist' still 'resides' at the Valle De Los Caidos . This man was murdered by those self same 'socialists' on 20th November 1936 in Alicante. He is/was, buried next to General Franco in the Valle De Los Caidos right up near the main altar.
His name ? Jose Antonio Primo De Rivera .
The Spanish Civil War still splits Spain...........and the 'left' are causing tensions in Spain by exhuming Franco. Hopefully in death, these two great patriots of Spain, might cause people to reject international socialism.And their spirit will arise. Arriba Espana !
1 comment:
"The plan, I think, is the old one of world dominion in a new form . . . Today
the scene is set for the third act, intended to complete the process. The money-
power and the revolutionary-power have been set up and given sham but symbolic
shapes ('Capitalism' or 'Communism') and sharply defined citadels ('America'
or 'Russia'). Suitably to alarm the mass-mind, the picture offered is that of
bleak and hopeless enmity and confrontation ...
Such is the spectacle publicly staged for the masses. But what if similar men,
with a common aim, secretly rule in both camps and propose to achieve their
ambition through the clash between those masses! I believe any diligent student
of our times will discover that this is the case."
Douglas Reed, "Far and Wide", 1951.
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