Hours after the exhumation of Francisco Franco, his grandson accuses the government of "wanting to manipulate the transfer"

Francis Franco, first grandson of the dictator and XI marquis de Villaverde, will go on Thursday in the helicopter He will proceed with the exhumation and transfer of his grandfather, Francisco Franco, former dictator of Spain, from the valley of the dead to the Sinorubian cemetery. From one side of the coffin will be found him and, on the other side, the Minister of Justice, Dolores Delgado, who will act as notary of the Kingdom who will attest to the act.

Did the family ask the government anything at the last minute? Have restrictions been imposed to prevent the conversion of the exhumation into a press circus, as the government says?

No, we had already been told no to everything, for what. They do not want their picture spoiled and they want to manipulate everything. They do not let the press enter the basilica, they will distribute the television image they want and me from the cover of the law I told them personally that for us there was no problem so that they were all the means they wanted. It's not that we like it, but if it has to be done, it's done. Why should the government monopolize the law? We will check cell phones.

But would not they have rejected the images of the coffin's exit from the grave?

We did not care.

Has the government asked for something now?

They wanted us to buy them the Sinorubian pantheon and told them that This is not where we want to bury it.

The executive argues that he offered the purchase because the family was confident that he could in the future run a party that wanted more exhumations and that would avoid this hypothesis.

That's right, but the problem is that we do not want to buy it and keep a site without security. If the government has at least, it has the obligation to keep it, even if it costs money to all the Spaniards, which seems to me a frivolity, but we could not profane. If it was ours, we had no way to put a security guard for life.

Does the family now have the feeling of defeat, especially after the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court in favor of exhumation?

When he began the meeting with the Secretary General of the Government Presidency, I told him that we knew that it was virtually impossible to fight a government and that he was the one who declared : "It is that we have the Official Journal". A small act of arrogance. As they said at the time, the exhumation works were going to cost 3,000 euros, they announced 11,000 last week and today 51,000. We'll see how much it costs. What I am is convinced that we could not win. When the Supreme Court decision was rendered, our lawyer was eliminated because he thought he was going to win. But I did not do it, I approached and said, "We won 10-0." And as I saw it very sunk, I said: "It was that it could not be won, it was already known." I was very clear that it was going to be lost because there is a political will to do it before the elections. Or do they sell that they took my grandfather, or that sells Pedro Sánchez even if he is desecrated to use the dead as a political weapon? They said it was not necessary to get a building permit because it was a minor job and You already see the cranes that become In the middle of the basilica, which is a monument of cultural interest, I do not know how the Community of Madrid is silent.

Why does the family say that she feels humiliated and outraged and thinks that this exhumation is not worthy?

How do you understand that the government does not let us put a flag on the coffin?

Because the victims of the dictatorship may seem like a privilege.

A privilege? Jesús Gil was buried with the flag of Atleti, the Etarras with the ikurriñas and the whole world with what he wants, and we have no right to wear the flag of the country. ;Spain. I do not understand it. People must be aggressive against us because the opposite is not politically correct. We can not be treated like the others, we have to go for ourselves. Who can bother you put a flag of Spain on the coffin?

Being that family that is and Franco a dictator could be interpreted as a provocation.

It's absurd, and is not it a provocation that terrorists be buried with an ikurriña?

Why does the family argue that she would not want to be an accomplice or participate in this process?

In a moment, we propose not to go. They made half a sentence, I wait to see if the supreme magistrates opt for higher instances of the judiciary.

Why does the family denounce that she feels particularly abandoned by the Church?

The church was the first to give up my grandfather. My grandfather received the Order of Christ, namely that there were only 12 people who had this merit, which was given by the pope. And the Jesuits gave him the letter of brotherhood of the Society of Jesus, which implies all the rights as s he was Jesuit. And now, the pastor of Serrano, who is the family church, where my mother and my grandfather went, this year did not allow us to celebrate Mass in commemoration of his death on 20-N, refused us permission, last year, the face had been sung in the sun …

And in this process of exhumation, how did the Church behave?

The Prior of the Valley, who was the repository of the remains of my grandfather, had to denounce this weekend that he could not access the basilica, theirs, which constitutes an illegality, a scandal. The church should protest, because it goes against the Vatican agreement, but they are silent and look away in a cowardly attitude.

The Francoist family does not understand that in a twenty-first century democracy, with a majority voting in favor of exhumation, with the unanimous support of the judiciary, can not a mausoleum be given a tribute to the figure? of a dictator?

All these arguments are the postulate of the PSOE. My grandfather had two enemies, masons and communists. The law of historical memory made by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, mason, was only creating reds and blues, independence and trade unionists. In the preamble, he says that it is for reconciliation and is a lie. It is a political weapon to achieve the goals of erasing the entire era of my grandfather. The reconciliation was made in Spain before Zapatero came to power. These are the people who want to divide. Associations of historical memory, obviously sprinkled with money, are like the CDR of Catalonia. This is political patronage. It has already been repaired. The soldiers of the Republic and even those of the international brigades and their children have already obtained all the rights. What else needed to be done?