Spanish flavour

I had another post ready to publish, but I read a news about a demonstration that will take place in Madrid next July 18. This demonstration has been legalized by Zapatero's socialist government. That would not be a problem if the main protagonists were not member of the Falange party (the fascist unique party that ruled Spain during Franco's dictatorship). Falange is still a legal party in Spain and this demonstration has a very clear slogan: "If we have to pass again, we will pass!". The meaning of this sentence (somehow you can read it as a death sentence also) is an apology of the Civil War from those who destroyed the Spanish democratic Republic in 1936. The date of the demonstration is not accidental: July 18 1936 is the official day of the begining of the Spanish Civil War with the coup d'etat made by the reactionary and ultra-catholic Spanish army, a day celebrated since then to 1975. The slogan is an answer to the war cry "They won't pass!" made by the democratic defenders of Madrid (republicans, socialists, and international volunteer brigades) against the fascist army (composed by the rebel Spanish army, Italian fascists, and nazi German forces) that intended to occupy the capital for two years (1937 - 1939). Yes, they passed in 1939. They won that war. But they say they will pass again even if that means a new war. As you can see, after 31 years of democracy in Spain, it is possible to claim for its destruction, it is possible to claim for a new armed civil conflict and it is possible to insult and spit at the memory of those who died defending democracy, but it is not possible to claim a democratic right like the independence of Catalonia.

Here they are, with their arms up and their fascist flags in the wind. Can you imagine a legal demonstration of a nazi party in Germany? Can you imagine any apology of World War II and nazism in Germany? Simply not because it is illegal and apologists can go to prison. Well, as I told you in a previous post, this is not Germany.




What all those democrats killed during the Spanish Civil War and during Franco's dictatorship would think if they saw what their descendents are doing? Spain spits at all the victims of the fascist cruel system, many of them Catalans who were killed and tortured just for being what they were: Catalans. While those who want to destroy democracy can express their hate in the streets, Catalan secessionists have been arrested and tortured (Spain has a long tradition of tortures according to Amnesty International reports) during all these years by the "democratic" Spain that has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights of Strasbourg (read an abstract of the sentence here in English). In a next post I will tell you about the pathetic story of a Catalan teenager called Èric Bertran who was treated as a dangerous terrorist.

Spain spoils fascists while torture and repress those who claim for the international right of independence. Spain a nation back... to the old 1930s. Spain was the only European country where fascism was not defeated after World War II. Spain is the only European country where fascism has been legal since 1933. And Spain is the only European country where a Foundation that praise general Franco and his fascist dictatorship has been subsidized by a "democratic" government.

Shame on Spain.