Imagine a democratic state where a transition from a dictatorship took place nearly forty years ago. The dictator took up the power after a coup d'État against a democratic government and almost three years of bloody civil war.
Then, imagine that the would-be dictator was Francisco Franco and had the aid of a clique formed by other right-wing and monarchist generals, alongside far-right politicians who sought the support of the clergy and the states of the Rome-Berlin Axis. He also counted on an Army Corps formed by African soldiers who served at the Spanish colonies in Northern Morocco. They were known because of their extreme brutality and lack of respect for their victims.
Furthermore, imagine that rebels' coalition brutally murdered thousands of innocent people through bombings against civilians as well as summary executions all along the territory they were conquering. For instance, Franco ordered the German Condor Legion to destroy the Basque city of Gernika through a terrible bombing, the same thing that Italian troops tried to do in Barcelona. Regarding African troops, they committed lots of violations and a huge slaughter of innocent people, including women, children and elderly people. They did not even hesitate to murder people when they were fleeing from the war.
Imagine that, once the dictatorship was institutionalized, the summary executions and the councils of war went on during the postwar. Everyone who had formed part of a trade union or a political party during the Republic was purged, sometimes according only to lawsuits filled because of disputes between neighbours of a village or town. However, authorities did not verify whether the accusations were true or false, so dozens of innocent people were disappeared, jailed and even killed. And the terror continued until the death of the dictator, nearly forty years later.
Finally, imagine that neither the author nor the accomplices of such attrocities were never put before a court to pay for their crimes. Instead, an amnesty law was approved in order to avoid any criminal case against them. Furthermore, praising the dictatorship is legal in Spain, to the extent that some politicians from the ruling People's Party and its youth organization have been photographed showing Francoist flags or making the fascist salutation. And this situation of impunity keeps on...
Then, imagine that the would-be dictator was Francisco Franco and had the aid of a clique formed by other right-wing and monarchist generals, alongside far-right politicians who sought the support of the clergy and the states of the Rome-Berlin Axis. He also counted on an Army Corps formed by African soldiers who served at the Spanish colonies in Northern Morocco. They were known because of their extreme brutality and lack of respect for their victims.
Furthermore, imagine that rebels' coalition brutally murdered thousands of innocent people through bombings against civilians as well as summary executions all along the territory they were conquering. For instance, Franco ordered the German Condor Legion to destroy the Basque city of Gernika through a terrible bombing, the same thing that Italian troops tried to do in Barcelona. Regarding African troops, they committed lots of violations and a huge slaughter of innocent people, including women, children and elderly people. They did not even hesitate to murder people when they were fleeing from the war.
Imagine that, once the dictatorship was institutionalized, the summary executions and the councils of war went on during the postwar. Everyone who had formed part of a trade union or a political party during the Republic was purged, sometimes according only to lawsuits filled because of disputes between neighbours of a village or town. However, authorities did not verify whether the accusations were true or false, so dozens of innocent people were disappeared, jailed and even killed. And the terror continued until the death of the dictator, nearly forty years later.
Finally, imagine that neither the author nor the accomplices of such attrocities were never put before a court to pay for their crimes. Instead, an amnesty law was approved in order to avoid any criminal case against them. Furthermore, praising the dictatorship is legal in Spain, to the extent that some politicians from the ruling People's Party and its youth organization have been photographed showing Francoist flags or making the fascist salutation. And this situation of impunity keeps on...
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