Spain exhumes fascist leader Primo de Rivera as it confronts far-right past
NBCNov 25, 2022
Spain Exhumes Remains of Fascist Leader Primo de Rivera
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Image copyright: Creative Commons [via Al Jazeera]
The Facts
On Monday, the Spanish government dug up and reburied the remains of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, who founded the fascist Falange movement that supported Gen. Francisco Franco's dictatorship.
The move, coming 120 years after his birth, removed the body from a lavish basilica where the remains of Franco once rested, and transferred it to San Isidro cemetery in Madrid — where he will be laid alongside other family members.
The Spin
Left narrative
This was the right move for the victims of Franco's dictatorship, modern-day Spanish society, and the Primo de Rivera family, who had requested his body be exhumed and transferred to the family cemetery. Spain is still grappling with its horrific fascist past, and it's the government's responsibility to help the country heal from its sins and protect its democratic future.
Right narrative
If society truly wants to pursue a better future, memorials of historically evil leaders should not be torn down or removed. If people are to learn and understand the events of the past, memorials of those events and figures should be publicly displayed to ensure ignorance doesn't lead to repeating the past. Most modern-day "supporters" of these figures don't wish to revive their ideologies but rather contemplate their legacy and transgressions.
