Campaign urges participation in referendum for democratic break with Franco’s Spain

Several large cities in Catalonia woke up this morning to find their streets filled with posters showing dictator Francisco Franco’s face on a black background, with the following phrase in Spanish: “Don’t vote. On October 1 say ‘No’ to the Republic”.

According to the campaign promoters, the initiative’s aim is to provoke debate and remind people of the origins of Spanish institutions on the 81st anniversary of General Franco’s coup. They argue that the best way to break with Francoism and to make the whole of Spain more democratic is by taking part in the October 1 referendum. “At first glance, many people actually thought it was a campaign by a far right organization,” said Badalona town councilor for ‘Guanyem Badalona’, José Téllez, one of the main promoters of the campaign.