In Spain, clock is ticking for Franco's exhumation

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It was a campaign promise of Spain's Socialist PM Pedro Sanchez: former dictator Francisco Franco would be exhumed from the mausoleum where he's buried. The Valley of the Fallen, a monument to the glory of Francoism built by political prisoners, had deeply divided Spaniards. In September, Spain's Supreme Court gave its green light to the exhumation process. Now the government has little time left to honour its promise before a new self-imposed deadline of October 25. The clock is ticking and Francoists are making their anger heard. Our correspondents report.

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[josephdudley]

europe has basically fallen, being fined for expressing how you feel or waving a flag???

[sansan]

Right wing also deserves freedom of speech

[thelordofgifts]

Clock is ticking for journalist’s tombing

[colambu]

What i like abt Franco is that he saved Spain from communism and being obliterated by the Axis/Allies. If i remember correctly, all of Europe at the time had one of those two fates, Franco chose his own. He is a God of diplomacy and tactics

[BumfightkrewAmerica]

Hitler would have ruled Spain
However Franco knew how to prevent that. I see him as a hero . Viva Franco 🇪🇸

[christianc]

after seeing a lot of liberal takes on franco, I'm starting to think that "anti-francoism" might actually be a cover for "anti-catholicism"

[evnejg]

It is easier to fool the people than to convince them they've been fooled.

[Owsianka]

The logic: You fight in a civil war and lose, you're shocked that you end up facing hardships when the opposition wins, you're still alive long enough after those hardships to appeal to the modern existing sympathetic government to remove a shrine to the victor's of that civil war, so you attempt to take a small victory from your previous defeat. I have my own opinions on ideology and history, but to remove history from your country is to remove your countries soul. The attempt to remove events and structures built during those events from your eyesight will not remove them from your memory, or knowledge of historical events. I'm not Spanish; therefore, I would not cast an official vote on what Spaniards decide to do with their national monuments. I would only argue that no matter your stance you should not destroy physical or mental aspects of your peoples history as it is a slippery slope. If the tables were turned what would your opposition destroy that you hold dear? Destruction, and exhumation are not signs of reconciliation. They're the breeding ground for renewed conflict.

[Peter-ukpt]

Hopefully Spain's communist, er "socialist", govt. will be out by the end of the year.

[edstar]

5:00 Because they would of been better off under bolshevik communism right?

[alex]

That’s not a dark period, that was a period of light

[Zekor]

How dare you mention Salazar next to Hitler and Mussolini? Salazar was a great man.

As for Franco's body's replacement, it is disrespectful. He truly was a controversial figure, but he did a lot of good for Spain as well, and his body should be left alone to rest in peace.

[matthewforbes]

This just in, generalissimo Francisco Franco is still deceased.

[alexstefan]

Socialist gouverment, I heard enough.

Spania! Uno!
Spania! Grande!
Spania! Libere!

Greetings from Romania.

[starman]

Seems like some people are still butthurt because their side lost the Civil War. 😂

[RickSigma]

Franco was a great man who among many other good things protected the catholic clergy, this is super disrespectful. Greetings from Sweden

[carlosanderson]

No matter how right you are there will always be people that disagree.

[yeshua]

Franco was authoritarian, but not a fascist. The Spanish should be grateful.

[patrickvernon]

Why are moving his body?!?! This is outrageous!

[Ghastly_Grinner]

Exhibit A why The People should always be armed When the Mob is incharge the minority is pushed around.