MEPs call for the EU’s support to end Francoism impunity in Spain

Strasbourg (CNA).- Catalan MEPs from ERC-NeCAT, liberal party CDC, left-wing ICV and christian democrat UDC, together with MEPs from Basque nationalist PNB and Bildu and alternative left-wing Spanish parties Compromís and Podemos, urged the EU to support them in their fight against Francoismimpunity in Spain. “Justice doesn’t expire. We don’t aim for vengeance but reparation”stated Catalan left-wing ERC-NeCAT MEP Ernest Maragall at a joint press conference in Strasbourg. In the written declaration that the eight MEPs handed over on Tuesday they state that “the principle of universal justice makes impossible the impunity of the crimes”committed during Francoism and “forces the State to judge those who were responsible”. The MEPs also call on Spain to “accept the extradition petitions”for two alleged torturers of Franco’s dictatorship made by the Argentinean Judiciary and urged Brussels to “pay more attention to the recuperation of historic memory”.

Influence of Franco’s dictatorship on today’s politics

“Franco ruled for 40 years and he died 40 years ago. It hardly seems so”lamented ERC-NeCAT MEP Josep Maria Terricabras. “The People’s Party believes that Franco was probably not a good president, but they didn’t question his legitimacy”and added that “this is the cause of all the evils”which Spain and Catalonia suffer from. “Politically, not having memory is not having any shame”, he stated.

His partner in the coalition, Ernest Maragall, spoke in the same vein, stating that “some crimes never expire”.“Justice doesn’t expire. We don’t aim for vengeance but reparation” he assured and added that if the memory of the dead can’t be honoured “what is slowly, but certainly, dying is democracy and coexistence”. Maragall warned that “without a second and real transition, the Spanish State has no cure”. 

“Francoism’s main heritage is the clearly anti-democratic culture they have nowadays”assured liberal party CDC MEP Ramon Tremosa. He lamented “the silence”surrounding Franco’s figure showed by parties such as the PP and anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans, which “still refuses to openly condemn Franco’s dictatorship” 

The need for the EU to take a stance

“It is unacceptable that we are the second country in the world, in the world, not in Europe, with the highest number of missing people, only after Cambodia”stated Spanish alternative left PodemosMEP Miguel Urbán. He asked the European Parliament “to take a stance and urge the Spanish parliament to judge or allow that Francoism’s crimes be judged”. “This is not about opening wounds, but to close them”.

Esquerra Unida MEP Marina Albiol announced that the MEPs who signed the declaration will from now on point out to Brussels and Strasbourg “that the recuperation of historic memory is one of EU’s responsibilities”and even more so if it involves human rights.