Latest news with #Francoist
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spain returns artwork seized during Civil War
MADRID (Reuters) -Spain on Thursday returned paintings belonging to a former Madrid mayor that were seized for their protection during the 1936-39 Civil War and never returned under Francisco Franco's dictatorship. The seven paintings had been kept in several museums throughout Spain, including the Prado Museum in Madrid, where the handover ceremony to the family of Pedro Rico, Madrid's mayor as the Civil War broke out, took place on Thursday evening. In 2022, the Prado published a list of artworks that had been seized during the war and set up a research project to track down their legitimate owners. The government has identified more than 6,000 items, including jewellery, ceramics and textiles, as well as some paintings, sculptures and furniture, which were safeguarded during the war by Republican forces fighting Franco's Nationalists and never returned by Francoist institutions when he came to power. "It's a very important moment of justice and reparation that the Spanish government is doing for their families," said Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun. The paintings returned to Rico's family nine decades later were mainly scenes of everyday life by 19th-century artists such as Eugenio Lucas and his son Lucas Villaamil. Francisca Rico said she was very moved by the restitution of the paintings belonging to her grandfather, who was mayor between 1931-1934 and then in 1936 and who died in exile in France. "(They're ) finally doing what should have been done long ago," she said.
Local Spain
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Why is Francoist symbolism still so visible across Spain?
From imposing neoclassical arches to quiet plazas named after regime loyalists, remnants of Franco's nearly four-decade rule are still etched into the public landscape. Even some bars and restaurants still display his image, celebrating the man whose regime executed, imprisoned and silenced dissenters during Spain's 1936-1939 civil war and the dictatorship that followed until his death in 1975. "There are more than 6,000 of these symbols still standing," said Eduardo España, co-founder of the website Deberia Desaparecer ("It Should Disappear"), created in 2022 to track what he calls illegal vestiges of the dictatorship. "It's incomprehensible that a democratic country would preserve such monuments," he added, calling the figure "staggering". Standing near Madrid's 50-metre (164-foot) tall Victory Arch, built in the 1950s to celebrate the victory of Franco's fascist-backed nationalists in the civil war, España points to what he sees as an unresolved trauma. "This isn't just a piece of architecture. It's a monument to repression," the 34-year-old said. The arch, located in a busy roundabout, is one of the most prominent symbols of the Franco regime still standing, along with the grandiose Valley of the Fallen, a vast underground basilica and mass burial complex for Franco's supporters killed in combat. The so-called Pyramid of the Italians, a mausoleum built between 1938 and 1939 in Burgos province to bury the remains of Italian soldiers who died during the Spanish Civil War. (Photo by CESAR MANSO / AFP) Franco's remains relocated After Franco's death, Spain underwent a transition to democracy. But a sweeping amnesty law passed by parliament in 1977 shielded both former regime officials and anti-Franco activists from prosecution. Many symbols of the dictatorship remained untouched. Efforts to reckon with the past have gained traction in recent decades. In 2007, then-Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero introduced the "Historical Memory Law", requiring public institutions to remove Francoist iconography from public spaces. That momentum gathered pace in 2018 when Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, also a Socialist, took office. The following year, his government exhumed Franco's remains from the Valley of the Fallen and relocated them to a more discreet family vault to prevent his tomb from becoming a shrine for far-right supporters. In 2022, a new "Democratic Memory Law" was introduced, to honour victims of the dictatorship and pressure local governments to eliminate regime symbols. Across Spain, change began to take hold. In the northwestern region of Galicia and the Canary Islands, crosses honouring Francoist soldiers have been removed. Under pressure from public prosecutors, the northern city of Santander renamed 18 streets tied to the regime. And in the southern city of Málaga, an inventory of Francoist symbols is underway. Spanish born Chinese man Chen Xianwei poses in front of his Franco-themed bar "Una grande libre" in Madrid. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP) 'Think for themselves' Not everyone agrees with this removal campaign. Among the best-known dissenters is Chen Xianwei, a Chinese immigrant who runs a bar in central Madrid named "Una, grande y libre" or "One, great and free" -- Franco's motto for Spain. "Governments shouldn't tell people what to think," said Chen, who moved to Spain in 1999. His establishment, filled with busts, flags and posters glorifying the dictator, stands as a controversial tribute to the past. The law is "manipulating history", Chen said. "People can think for themselves." Some historians, too, are uneasy with the push to erase symbols. They argue for a more nuanced, educational approach. "Covering up the remains of a painful past isn't the best way to process or understand it," said Daniel Rico, an art history professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and author of "Who's Afraid of Francisco Franco?" "Removing monuments as if we were children afraid of a coat of arms seems authoritarian," he said. Rico advocates contextualisation over erasure -- installing plaques that explain the history rather than scrubbing it from public view, for example. España disagrees, arguing that these symbols cause ongoing harm. "History should be taught in schools" and not in public spaces, he said. "If we stop teaching, that's when the memory of these events disappears."
France 24
23-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Franco symbols mark Spanish streets 50 years after dictator's death
From imposing neoclassical arches to quiet plazas named after regime loyalists, remnants of Franco's nearly four-decade rule are still etched into the public landscape. Even some bars and restaurants still display his image, celebrating the man whose regime executed, imprisoned and silenced dissenters during Spain's 1936-1939 civil war and the dictatorship that followed until his death in 1975. "There are more than 6,000 of these symbols still standing," said Eduardo Espana, co-founder of the website Deberia Desaparecer ("It Should Disappear"), created in 2022 to track what he calls illegal vestiges of the dictatorship. "It's incomprehensible that a democratic country would preserve such monuments," he added, calling the figure "staggering". Standing near Madrid's 50-metre (164-foot) tall Victory Arch, built in the 1950s to celebrate the victory of Franco's fascist-backed nationalists in the civil war, Espana points to what he sees as an unresolved trauma. "This isn't just a piece of architecture. It's a monument to repression," the 34-year-old said. The arch, located in a busy roundabout, is one of the most prominent symbols of the Franco regime still standing, along with the grandiose Valley of the Fallen, a vast underground basilica and mass burial complex for Franco's supporters killed in combat. Franco's remains relocated After Franco's death, Spain underwent a transition to democracy. But a sweeping amnesty law passed by parliament in 1977 shielded both former regime officials and anti-Franco activists from prosecution. Many symbols of the dictatorship remained untouched. Efforts to reckon with the past have gained traction in recent decades. In 2007, then-Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero introduced the "Historical Memory Law", requiring public institutions to remove Francoist iconography from public spaces. That momentum gathered pace in 2018 when Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, also a Socialist, took office. The following year, his government exhumed Franco's remains from the Valley of the Fallen and relocated them to a more discreet family vault to prevent his tomb from becoming a shrine for far-right supporters. In 2022, a new "Democratic Memory Law" was introduced, to honour victims of the dictatorship and pressure local governments to eliminate regime symbols. Across Spain, change began to take hold. In the northwestern region of Galicia and the Canary Islands, crosses honouring Francoist soldiers have been removed. Under pressure from public prosecutors, the northern city of Santander renamed 18 streets tied to the regime. And in the southern city of Malaga, an inventory of Francoist symbols is underway. 'Think for themselves' Not everyone agrees with this removal campaign. Among the best-known dissenters is Chen Xianwei, a Chinese immigrant who runs a bar in central Madrid named "Una, grande y libre" or "One, great and free" -- Franco's motto for Spain. "Governments shouldn't tell people what to think," said Chen, who moved to Spain in 1999. His establishment, filled with busts, flags and posters glorifying the dictator, stands as a controversial tribute to the past. The law is "manipulating history", Chen said. "People can think for themselves." Some historians, too, are uneasy with the push to erase symbols. They argue for a more nuanced, educational approach. "Covering up the remains of a painful past isn't the best way to process or understand it," said Daniel Rico, an art history professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and author of "Who's Afraid of Francisco Franco?" "Removing monuments as if we were children afraid of a coat of arms seems authoritarian," he said. Rico advocates contextualisation over erasure -- installing plaques that explain the history rather than scrubbing it from public view, for example. Espana disagrees, arguing that these symbols cause ongoing harm. "History should be taught in schools" and not in public spaces, he said.
SBS Australia
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
These gripping crime films bring the mystery and action
L-R: Blood Diamond, Crossing Over, Prison 77, Nothing Can't Be Undone by a Hotpot. Credit: SBS On Demand There is a fascination and natural curiosity in hearing stories about crime, as evidenced by the abundance of true crime podcasts that have popped up in recent years. Perhaps part of the reason is the instinctive human need to find a sense of justice and reason, the desire to see a resolution. This need is what makes the whodunnits, crime fiction and true crime even more appealing to audiences. This historical crime thriller is heavily inspired by the true events of the Spanish transition to democracy in the 1970s, focusing on the unfair treatment of inmates in Barcelona's Modelo Prison. We're immediately introduced to Manuel (Miguel Herrán), a young accountant who has been accused and imprisoned over his potential involvement in embezzlement. We watch as he comes to terms with his sentence, as he continuously endures a corrupt prison system fighting against him. And, in an effort to work with other inmates to gain amnesty against the authoritative figures in positions of power, he forms an unlikely friendship with an older inmate named José Pino (Javier Gutiérrez). Prison 77 gives audiences a perspective of the brutal horrors and unjust treatment of prisoners during the Francoist dictatorship. But more so, it sheds light on what it means to carry hope and fight for what is right and fair. Prison 77 is streaming at SBS On Demand. The need to belong and feel a part of a community is an incredibly relevant sentiment in this 2009 film. Exploring the different stories of immigrants across the United States post 9/11, we see their struggles in maintaining a legal status against a strict governing system. With a strong cast including Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd and New Zealand's Cliff Curtis (watch more of his great work, including The Piano , Whale Rider and Swift Street , here ), Crossing Over captures the desperate measures people are willing to undertake, and looks beyond the 'immigrant' status of these characters, honing in on their depth, drive, and humanity. Crossing Over is streaming at SBS On Demand until 31 July. The story of the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy is one that has been heard around the world for decades, sometimes with unfortunate media glamorising. But cinematic references to his confidante Bill Hagmaier, which strengthened during his imprisonment between 1984 and 1989, are far and few between. Based on the very real camaraderie between the pair, this film gives space to tell the story of FBI newcomer Hagmaier (Elijah Wood), and his work in using Bundy (Luke Kirby) as a case study in understanding the mind of killers. The film unexpectedly puts us directly in the shoes of Hagmaier, where viewers are made to sit with the same uncomfortable feelings and emotions he battles with, as the lines between sympathy, disgust, guilt and fascination are constantly blurred over this unexpected friendship with a killer. No Man of God is streaming at SBS On Demand. Loosely based on the horrific November 2015 Paris attacks, November is a suspenseful film that delves into the investigations and interventions following the initial attack, in a desperate attempt to capture the perpetrators. With this tragedy being only a decade ago, many people will still clearly remember hearing about it on the news and the urgency felt across the globe to find the people that committed the crime. With a cast led by Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin ,November brings us back into this state of mind and puts the audience right behind the wheel of the anti-terrorist police unit, slowly uncovering the gruesome plans and ugly truths in this tense thriller. November is streaming at SBS On Demand. Limehouse Golem is a classic whodunnit set in gothic Victorian London, where a series of mysterious murders have taken place in the small district of Limehouse. Based on the 1994 novel, Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem , the film sees Scotland Yard investigator John Kildare (Bill Nighy) chasing the murderer that the press has dubbed 'the Golem'. Then Elizabeth Cree (Olivia Cooke), a famous theatre star, is accused of poisoning her playwright husband John (Sam Reid), coincidentally on the same night as the latest Golem murder strikes the community. But did she do it? The beautifully crafted set design, Victorian-era costumes and phenomenal acting bring immediate intrigue. And if you are a fan of a Jack the Ripper and Penny Dreadful- esque murder mystery, you'll love the twist and turns this film takes. Limehouse Golem is streaming at SBS On Demand. Kidnapping, theft, potential murder: this offbeat Chinese film throws a wild mix of crime together, and it all starts with a game of mahjong. The film teeters on a line between a hilarious comedy, a heartfelt drama and an insane whodunit, where four strangers playing mahjong in a local opera theatre happen to find an unfathomable amount of cash and a dead body. Nothing Can't Be Undone by a Hotpot keeps you on your toes, with unexpected plot points that will have you guessing till the very end. Nothing Can't Be Undone by a Hotpot is streaming at SBS On Demand. Nothing Can't Be Undone by a HotPot Inspired by the events that transpired during the Sierra Leone Civil War in 1991 to 2002, Blood Diamond tells the story of a war-torn country, as the political unrest between government loyalists and rebel forces wreaks havoc among civilians. The film follows Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a fisherman separated from his family and forced to work in the diamond mines under a merciless totalitarian. But when he discovers a pink diamond, a Rhodesian mercenary named Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is quick to make a deal to help him find his family in exchange for the priceless diamond. Blood Diamond is streaming at SBS On Demand. Dive into the world of crime, with all the bad guys and all the action, in the CRIME MOVIES COLLECTION at SBS On Demand. Share this with family and friends SBS's award winning companion podcast. Join host Yumi Stynes for Seen, a new SBS podcast about cultural creatives who have risen to excellence despite a role-model vacuum.
Reuters
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
A button and a buckle: the memory of Franco's firing squads 85 years on
PATERNA, Spain, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Josefina Fortea, 92, was seven when her father Jose, a farm labourer, faced a firing squad sent by General Francisco Franco. While she hardly knew him, receiving his remains 85 years later has brought some comfort. The remains of 18 people executed by soldiers and buried in a mass grave during the years of repression that followed Spain's 1936-39 civil war were returned to their families as the country grapples with the legacy of his fascist dictatorship. "At least I have this" to remember him by, Fortea said, holding a box with belongings found next to Jose's bones such as a button and a belt buckle. She said she would re-inter his remains alongside those of her mother, fulfilling a promise she made to her before she died. The details of why her father was shot remain obscure, like the rationale for so many of the victims, with files lost, kept secret or destroyed, but he was identified as a sympathiser of the Republic and therefore an enemy of Franco's Nationalists. Sunday's ceremony at the cemetery in Valencia suburb Paterna featured urns draped in the tri-colour flag of the Second Spanish Republic that Franco overthrew. Several sources estimate that Spain has the world's second-highest number of forcibly disappeared people after Cambodia, although the oft-cited figure of at least 114,000 corpses in more than 2,500 common graves is disputed due to a lack of data. Archaeologists have so far exhumed the remains of some 1,500 out of the 2,238 people shot in Paterna by Francoist forces between 1939 and 1956 from dozens of mass graves. Those honoured on Sunday belonged to one labelled 114, commonly known as the "Grave of Culture" due to the presence of artists, writers and teachers among other workers, such as Fortea's father, who were buried there in 1940. They have retrieved the bones of 176 people from Grave 114, but have identified only 30 of them with DNA so far. The dig's co-director, Alex Calpe of the ArqueoAntro association, stressed the importance of raising awareness of what happened. "People who had some kind of political significance were singled out, tried without any democratic guarantees and murdered," he said. Many families asked to see their relatives' bones to better understand how they died, Calpe said. Carmen Contreras, 65, of nearby Godella held the skull of her grandfather Juan Manuel while Calpe showed her the bullet's entry point. Her brother Juan Carlos Contreras Vergara, 56, said it was important to learn lessons from the "savagery" of the past. "It is good to see what happened or what can happen if things are not handled with a little calm and moderation," he said.
