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11/04/2004:

"Call to cleanse Spain of Franco"

by Giles Tremlett
Spain's parliament yesterday petitioned the Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to remove the remaining symbols of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship from public buildings.

A motion urged the government to "proceed with the removal, in the shortest possible time during this legislature, of the symbols of the Francoist dictatorship ... that still survive on publicly owned buildings."

The call is supported by all parties except the main opposition group, the conservative People's party.

It was unclear exactly how the removal of the hundreds, if not thousands, of symbols of Francoism that still dot Spanish cities, towns and villages might be carried out.

Statues of the dictator can be found in Madrid and in the northern port city of Santander.

There are dozens of squares and streets dedicated to Franco, some of them using the names by which he was known to a generation of Spaniards: caudillo or generalisimo .

"Too many municipalities are host to fiestas, images or names that are counter to the spirit of our constitution," a socialist deputy, Carlos González, said yesterday.

"Schools, parks and squares should not be allowed to bear the names of those who oppressed and violated human rights," he said

Full Article: guardian.co.uk