Last night, I watched this movie while tuned into Al Jazeera.
This was very informative. I had heard some things about the Franco regime in Spain, which lasted the better part of forty years. It was an outright fascist regime, with supporters giving the Generalissimo the fascist straight-arm salute as a sign of respect and reverence. Mind you, this lasted until the mid-1970's, three decades after Hitler and Mussolini - the guys who most famously championed fascism, and who helped install Franco in Spain in the first place - had been defeated and discredited.
After Franco died, there could be no justice, because an amnesty law was passed. Basically, it was a law that stated that while there was no denial of wrongdoing, of crimes against humanity, during the Franco years, any discussion or investigations would open up old wounds and tear the country apart. So, this logic suggested, it is best simply to forget and move on, and make sure that it never happens again. In fact, some of the Spaniards who sought justice went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they also had battles with the crimes of a former dictatorship. There, they managed to gain some traction for investigating these crimes, although even then, the Spanish government managed to limit it.
Of course, some might suggest that the best way to make sure that it does not happen again is to understand how it happened in the first place.
But I digress. This was a truly fascinating and illuminating look at the Franco years in Spain, and how the country dealt with it - or rather, how it seemed to go out of it's way not to deal with it - in the years and decades that followed.
Fascinating documentary. Well worth watching!
Facing Franco’s Crimes: The Silence of Others The epic struggle of the victims of Spain’s 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, as they seek justice to this day.Read more Published On 25 Jun 2021 25 Jun 2021
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/witness/2021/6/25/facing-francos-crimes-the-silence-of-others
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