Catalan president warns 'threat of fascism is real' in memorial for Puig Antich

Catalan president Pere Aragonès has stressed the importance of remembering Salvador Puig Antich, a 25-year-old militant anarchist executed by Francoism in 1974, "with a contemporary perspective".

Speaking at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Antich's execution, Aragonès emphasized the urgent need to address "the rise of the far right, populism and xenophobia."

"The threat of fascism is real," he said, adding: "We must protect ourselves against the risks of an increasingly open sociological Francoism."

Aragonès said that Puig Antich was "one of the great symbols" of the anti-Franco struggle and stressed the importance of remembering "the whole generation that fought for freedom and democracy".

"[The execution of Puig Antich] is an illustration of our past and a projection of our future," he added. 

Puig Antich: the last person executed in La Model

On March 2, 1974, Puig Antich was executed by garrote, a device used to strangle a victim, and is now remembered as the last person executed in Barcelona's La Model prison, one of the city's most notorious and iconic sites, which was closed in 2017.

Puig Antich's death made him an icon for Catalan independence supporters, and he has become the subject of books, plays and films, as well as the inspiration for major Catalan artists.

In 2018, the Catalan News Agency (ACN) spoke with Puig Antich's sisters, Imma and Carme, in the very building where he was executed.