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The possible reburial of the bones of dictator Francisco Franco, who died in 1975, sparked a heated debate in Spain about the treatment of the past. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a socialist, had announced shortly after his arrival in June as one of the first official acts to remove the corpse from the monumental "Valley of the Fallen" in the Sierra de Guadarrama near Madrid. Rebirth was decided by Parliament even before the Socialists came to power, but it was never implemented. Now, Sánchez wanted to bring him on stage in July. But not only the old supporters of Franco, but also the circles of the church defend themselves. Similarly, the consent of survivors is excluded. They are in any case in trouble with the government, which wants to deny them their honorary titles.
Especially, Santiago Cantera, the abbot of the Benedictine order, who watches over the religious sites in the "Valley of the Fallen", turns his back on him. The prior said that reburial pursues the goal of "taking revenge on the past". An appointment in front of the Senate in Madrid, it broke out. According to a report from the newspaper eldiario.es, it is only the Congregation of Solesmes, the Benedictine Congregation of Paris, on which depends the monastery in the "Valley of the Fallen" – or the Pope.
In fact, overstepping his will is huge Collective grave
The abbot accuses the Socialists of what they also claim many rights and conservatives: they wanted to impose a remedy history for the defeat of the republic in the Civil War (1936-1939) and subsequent oppression. Part of the repression Franco after the victory was, among other things, the construction of this monumental and dark memorial with all the insignia of fascism. It has the longest basilica in the world with a huge granite cross on top. Many war losers worked hard as forced laborers, and an unknown number died there.
More than 30,000 civilian victims were buried there, in fact a huge mass grave in which both the faithful and the Republicans live. but anonymous. When Franco died in 1975, the government of the transitional prime minister, Carlos Arias Navarro, decided that the dictator should also be in the "Valley of the Dead". The young king Juan Carlos accepted.
Here are the bones of Franco: The mausoleum of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. (Photo: Keystone)
There are different versions of the last wish of the deceased. Franco's daughter, Carmen, reportedly told Arias Navarro that her father had not made any wishes in this regard. However, there are sources that claim that Franco wanted to be buried in a family grave near his home, the Pardo Palace.
Tourist Destination
What should happen to the site if the remains of Franco are actually transferred? to be open. We are talking about a documentation center on the Franconian dictatorship and the civil war. Socialists say that they wanted to take away the aura of the place of pilgrimage for the place. In fact, the number of true Francoist sentimentals in Spain is manageable, there is no party to represent them, worthy of mention, no Spanish wishing comfort await this past. But groups of incorrigible Falangists like to go to the anniversary of Franco's death in November to raise their arms and hum the "Cara al sol" anthem. The news of the possible relocation brought him to the scene only last week, causing a tumult among tourists.
In fact, the Valley of the Fallen, despite its low artistic value, is on the road map with masses of travelers. It is near the grave of another great Spanish dictator and mass murderer, Philip II, the Escorial. Many 400,000 tourists a year take their selfies in front of Franco's granite cross. The socialists want to quickly put an end to the obsession. "A country turned towards the future must be at peace with its past," says Pedro Sánchez. No democracy can "afford to have monuments praising a dictatorship". In fact, with a fascist monument of this kind, Spain is pretty much alone among Western democracies.
(Süddeutsche Zeitung)
created: 21.07.2018, 20:19
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