Monument to Anti-Fascist Fighters Torn Down
08.31.07 - 11:00am
A monument to the British who died in one of the bloodiest battles of the Spanish Civil War fighting against fascism has been torn down by right wing extremists.
The plaque, naming the 90 Britons killed while fighting for the International Brigades at the Battle of Ebro, was removed from the site and the area covered with graffiti proclaiming that the right wing Falange Part was “still fighting”.
The Falange once provided the political support to Franco’s fascist-backed forces but is now fractured into several parties that play no significant role in Spanish politics.
Campaigners have already vowed to replace the monument.
Over 2,000 British volunteers joined the International Brigades after the civil war broke out in 1936. More than 500 were killed and many more injured during the failed attempt to stop the forces led by General Franco, with help from Hitler and Mussolini, from imposing a military dictatorship.
Following the almost 40 years of dictatorship and the re-establishment of democracy, former members of the International Brigades have been welcomed back to Spain, and given the right to take on Spanish nationality.
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