Fifty years since the death of Franco: the importance of not forgetting
Fifty years after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco and the start of the process to regain democratic freedoms. The city is organising various activities to remember and preserve the memory of what the Francoist repression meant in Barcelona, Catalonia and the Spanish state.
The actions planned aim to broaden knowledge of the past and the recognition of people who suffered repression for their political or ideological ideas during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975).
The thinking magazine Barcelona Metròpolis is devoting its latest dossier to this subject, with ‘Franco: The importance of not forgetting’, which talks about key aspects such as reviewing Francoism and analysing the reasons for the current surge in neo-fascism as an attractive ideological option among young people.
La Model, from centre of repression to memorial space
La Model, a prison that housed thousands of prisoners and political prisoners and where at least 24 people were executed by garrotte during the Francoist dictatorship, is organising various themed activities to commemorate the death of the dictator and the end of the Francoist repression.
The exhibition ‘Xirinacs 1975. The power of non-violence’ is being inaugurated on 29 November and pays homage to Lluís Maria Xirinacs. From 1975 to 1977, Xirinacs sat almost every day in front of La Model, where he had been a prisoner and had been on hunger strike, demanding amnesty for political prisoners. The exhibition highlights his radical commitment to non-violence and civil disobedience, and his role in the protests for democratic freedoms and the national rights of Catalonia.
All the activities to mark the 50th anniversary of Franco’s death can be found on the website of the Councillor’s Office for Democratic Memory.
