For many years it has been an anomaly, a collective disgrace, that foundations dedicated to glorifying the Francoist dictatorship still exist in Spain, and that they even enjoy tax incentives or public subsidies, like the one it received from the Aznar government. That a democracy keeps alive an institution that glorifies a regime that denied it is an intolerable contradiction. The initiative by Pedro Sánchez's government to outlaw the Francisco Franco Foundation is late, very late, but it seems that it may finally arrive. This in itself is good news.
But the paradox is that, while in Madrid a step forward is being taken to cleanse the public sphere of fascist glorification, here in the Balearic Islands, the PP government, with the support of Vox, has taken two steps back. Initiating the process to repeal the Democratic Memory Law, as has been done, is not just an ideological gesture. It's a declaration of intent: to bury another chunk of the truth under the pretext of 'concord' or 'turning the page.' As if historical memory were an obstacle, a nuisance to those who want to rewrite the past according to their interests.
In Spain, and also in Europe, the right has become accustomed to coexisting, without much discomfort, with the far right. And in this coexistence, the narrative of the victors of eighty years ago finds every crack to infiltrate. Mass graves are denied, plaques commemorating the victims are removed, and executioners and those repressed are equated.
In the Balearic Islands, where there are still hundreds of families waiting to identify their loved ones, the repeal of this law is a hard blow. It's not about symbolism or plaques; it's about recognizing that there were victims of a dictatorial and criminal regime and that silence cannot be its democratic response. What they want to do now is return to that silence. And silence, when it comes to memory, is always complicit.
We live in a time when the far right is growing again without any qualms. In France, in Italy, in Germany, in Argentina, and here too, of course. It has established itself with rhetoric of fear, resentment, and false certainties. And, above all, with the will to erase the past, the one that makes them so uncomfortable. And no matter how often it's repeated, it's still true: history, when it isn't told, repeats itself. And this, which should be a warning, seems like a temptation today.
That's why it's so important for young people to know the truth. That they know where we come from, who lost their freedom, who died defending it. We're not going down that path, quite the opposite. If historical memory is dismantled, then democratic consciousness is also dismantled. And a people without memory is a tremendously vulnerable people, and very easy to manipulate.
Banning a foundation that glorifies a dictator is a necessary step. But erasing the memory of his victims is, quite simply, an outrage.
