Femen activists interrupt pro-Franco rally in Madrid

Feminist activists on Sunday interrupted a Madrid rally held to commemorate the anniversary of Franco¡¯s death. Three members of the international collective Femen ran through the crowd half-naked, with the slogan ¡°legal fascism, national shame¡± written across their breasts.

On their backs, the women had written ¡°Stop 20N,¡± a reference to November 20, the date when Franco nostalgics gather annually to observe the late Spanish dictator¡¯s death in 1975.

The police quickly moved in to pull the activists away from the angry demonstrators, some of whom had begun to push them around to cries of ¡°whores.¡± One of these individuals was Manuel Andrino, the head of the far-right party Falange.

The march took place between Callao and Plaza de Oriente, a symbolic spot that was once the site of pro-government demonstrations during the Franco regime. Demonstrators stood or sat on folding chairs across from the Teatro Real, bearing signs with the slogans ¡°Movement for Spain¡± and ¡°S¨¢nchez stop squatting and leave Franco in peace.¡±

The rally had been organized by the Association to Revoke the Historical Memory Law, a piece of legislation introduced in 2007 to recognize victims of the Civil War and condemn the Franco regime.

This law is now being invoked by Prime Minister Pedro S¨¢nchez, of the Socialist Party (PSOE), to try to take Franco¡¯s body out of its current resting place in the Valley of the Fallen, a controversial monument northwest of Madrid. The decision has triggered a dispute with the dictator¡¯s family, who is threatening to take the remains to La Almudena cathedral, which is also located next to Plaza de Oriente.

English version by Susana Urra.