Monument to Soviet soldiers in Spain desecrated

31.08.2017, Spain.

In Madrid, unknown vandals desecrated a monument to the Soviet anti-fascists who died for the freedom of Spain during the Civil War of 1936-1939, Izvestia, a Russian daily newspaper, reports on August 31.

The monument to Soviet anti-fascists, as well as the monument to the fighters of the International brigades at the Madrid municipal cemetery were tagged with offensive inscriptions. Apparently, members of the far-right were involved in the act of vandalism. Much of the graffiti contains Nazi symbols and calls the fallen “Jewish mercenaries”.

The Russian Embassy in Madrid has condemned the act of vandalism. “We condemn the desecration of monuments honoring Soviet volunteers, international brigades and other fighters of the Spanish Civil War, with neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic slogans“, the Embassy stated.

The first battle against fascism took place in Spain, in 1930s, long before the outbreak of World War II. Thousands of volunteers from all over the world, including the USSR, fought on the side of the anti-fascist forces in Spain during the Civil War. In 1936-1939, 127 Soviet soldiers were killed in Spain, 32 went missing during the war. 59 soldiers and officers who fought in Spain were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union”.

Editorial comment

Franco’s fascist regime was established in Spain after the Civil War of 1936-1939. The fascist regime lasted 36 years, until 1975. However, even after “democratization”, many state institutions in the country remain direct descendants of the dictatorial regime.

According to Consuelo García del Cid, a human rights activist and writer, key officials within the “child protection system” are still Francoists, who were involved in child abduction from “unreliable” citizens until 1975.

Furthermore, very powerful “civic organizations” remain, which directly succeed and promote the fascist ideology, including descendants of the death squad members from the SS “Blue Division”, who besieged the blockaded Leningrad from 8th September 1941 to 27th January 1944. Of note, in February 2015, Juan Antonio Martínez-Cattáneo, the Consul General of Spain, personally took part in laying flowers at the burial place of the SS men from the “Blue Division” in Krasny Bor, southeast of St. Petersburg.

Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency

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