A MURCIA region council has refused to withdraw an honour given to the dictator General Francisco Franco in 1973.
They argued that the award did not imply approval of his fascist regime.
Alcantarilla gave Franco a Gold Medal in December 1973- two years before his death.
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Minutes of the council meeting 56 years ago said that Franco was awarded the medal, ‘for his life consecrated to the good of the homeland and since all Spaniards feel an endearing devotion to the man who gave so many years of dedication to the country’.
The minutes continued: “With an authentic spirit of service, he achieved peace, unity and coexistence for all, saving us from dangers and achieving an era of well-being that was never known before.”
Alcantarilla council is run by the conservative Partido Popular(PP) and an independent councillor, Lara Hernandez, asked for the award to be withdrawn at last Thursday’s meeting of the authority.
The request was made under Spain’s Democratic Memory law which obliges public bodies to remove honours granted during the Franco dictatorship.
Hernandez said that stripping the medal from Franco was not an ideological or symbolic move, but a matter of following the law.
The PP’s municipal spokesperson, Luis Salinas, said that removing the award- the highest honour granted by Alcantarilla City Council- was not required under the law because the honour was not given to Franco to celebrate his regime.
“The law does not automatically order the withdrawal of all honours granted during the dictatorship, but if that honour today involves an exaltation of war or dictatorship,” Salinas stated.
“It is not enough to take into account who received the honour, but why they received it,” he continued.
Lara Hernandez responded: “I can’t imagine any German City Council that keeps a Gold Medal to Hitler and says that withdrawing it is reopening wounds.”
“I can’t imagine Italy doing the same with Mussolini. This does not happen in any serious democratic country, because democracy does not honour dictators.”
The PP majority ensured that Hernandez’s attempt failed with the ruling administration also backed by the far-right Vox party.
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