Mausoleum of dictator Francisco Franco
A number of soldiers in the Spanish army saluted in front of the tomb of a former dictator, sparked controversy in Spanish circles, prompting the army leadership to stop the captain responsible for them.
Soldiers were seen bowing in homage in front of a monument to former dictator Francisco Franco, where footage circulated on social media showed regarding 30 soldiers from one of the units bowing in homage in front of the dictator’s mausoleum in Valle de los Caidos.
The clip was posted on Telegram by the military’s pro-democracy group known as Citizens in Uniform. The soldiers, rifles in hand, leaned down the stairs in front of the church as a priest blessed them.
The video sparked widespread controversy as its content was widely condemned and several political parties demanded an explanation from Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles.
Under a 2007 law, Spain banned any gatherings outside the shrine. On Thursday, the ministry confirmed the dismissal of the unit’s captain within hours of the video’s appearance on social media, and an investigation was opened to find out the facts of the accident.
The opulent mausoleum was formerly Franco’s burial place and has always been revered by his far-right followers in Spain. In 2019, the socialist government exhumed Franco’s remains and transferred them to a cemetery north of Madrid. The move came following a protest by Franco’s victims and their descendants, who see the shrine as an affront to Spain’s standing as a modern democracy.
