Catalonia to commemorate 80th anniversary of Spanish Civil War

Barcelona (CNA).- The Catalan Government presented this Friday the commemorative events which will be organised to celebrate the 80^th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The events will start on the 18^th of July, the same day the war started, at ‘Palau de la Música’, one of the most symbolic cultural institutions in Catalonia. The commemoration will focus on the Battle of Ebro, the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and also on the refugee camp at Argeles, France. According to Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency, Raül Romeva, the aim of the Government is to fight against “the institutionalisation of forgetfulness”, a situation which he considered “dishonest and unfair not only for the victims of the war but also for the present and future generations”.

Romeva presented the commemorative programme at Barcelona’s ‘Plaça de Sant Felip Neri’ one of the squares in the Catalan capital which best reflects the consequences of the civil war’s battles, since there are still marks of artillery shelling in different spots on the square.

The Catalan Minister emphasised that the events to commemorate the 80^th anniversary Spanish Civil War don’t have any specific budget, since the Government had to extend last year’s bill after radical left pro-independence CUP vetoed the proposal. However, Romeva assured that the commemoration can count on the support of the Generalitat and that of different organisations which work to safeguard historic memory. In this vein, Romeva also celebrated that for the first time in many years, these entities will receive the subsidies “they deserve”.

“80 years have passed, but the war is still alive today as a concept, beyond our frontiers”, stated Romeva and named Syria as an example of “all the work left to do” in order to achieve peace all over the world. “Historic memory policies contribute to a peace which has to be global and without an expiry date”, he added. 

The Catalan Minister explained some of the events, although others will be added soon. The first one will be a concert that will take place at Barcelona’s ‘Palau de la Música’ on the 18^th of July, the day of the Nationalist troop’s rebellion. The so-called ‘baby bottle conscription', due to the young age of the combatants, will be commemorated on the 25^th of July in the area were the ‘Battle of Ebro’ took place.

In December the 1,700 anti-Francoists executed by firing squad at Barcelona’s ‘Camp de la Bota’ between 1939 and 1952, will be remembered at this same location. 

On the 5^th of February next year, Argeles beach, in France, will be the place to pay tribute to the thousands of refugees which had to leave Spain and went initially to France.