Thursday, March 17, 2005
Franco gets put on ice
Another dictator's statue falls, though in this case it is a while after his death.
Jax
The Madrid authorities have removed the city's last statue of former military ruler General Francisco Franco.
Jax
The Madrid authorities have removed the city's last statue of former military ruler General Francisco Franco.
Before dawn, to jeers and cheers from fascist and anti-fascist supporters, a crane lifted the statue of the general mounted on a horse from its plinth.
There had been no notice that the 1959 statue would be removed.
The Spanish public works ministry told national radio it was removed to enable building work in the area and because "most Madrid citizens didn't like it".
Some of the Franco supporters watching the removal in San Juan de la Cruz Square sang the Spanish fascist anthem Cara al Sol [Face to the Sun] - to insults from other bystanders.
Gaspar Llamazares, of the Izquierda Unida [United Left] party, welcomed the removal of the statue, which he described as an "anachronism". (link)
