Today is Día de la Hispanidad, our national day.

We have had a parade like every year. The last three years a small group of US marines were invited to participate in the parade as a conmemoration of 11-S and because USA is a NATO ally.

Last year our current president (who was the main opposition leader) stay sit when US flag was passing by the authorities, as a complain for Iraq's War. Although he says that the country is not to blame for its government's decissions, he intentionally offended US ambassador.

This year our "intelligent" government decided that inviting US troops was not a good idea, and they have invited instead french troops of Leclerk's Division to conmemorate Paris freeing from the nazis.

3,000 spaniards (some of those exiled from Franco's regime) participated in the liberation of Paris. Leclerk's Division generals ordered them to enter Paris to receive the shots of the snipers, thus, the amount of killed in that battle among our countrymen was very high.

Now our government invite frenchs to the parade of our national festivity. Those frenchs who intentionally send our troops to die at nazis' hands, those frenchs who supported Morocco when El Perejil island was invaded a couple of years ago. And they kick out the US troops who were the main contributors to the liberation of France, and the troops of a country that was key for the peaceful resolution of El Perejil conflict.

And our Defense Minister says that the reason is that under Aznar's government we were subordinated and at kness to USA...

May someone explain me all this non-sense?

Fernando

I didn't realise that this Dia de la Hispanidad was an annual event. Oddly, I'd heard a report that 'Spanish Fascists' were taking part i.e. Francoist troops who fought in WW2.

Not exactly. In the homage to the fallen, there were two veterans: one who fought on the republican side of the Spanish Civil War, and one who fought in the Blue Division (francoist who fought against Stalin's troops on the german side in WWII).

It is something new introduced by this government, and I think it is not out of place. In fact, I believe it is appropiate to have veterans of the wars in which Spain took part in the homage to the fallen.

Fernando

It's just that the BBC reported the Brigada Azul soldiers as being 'Spanish Fascists' something I found quite shocking. They also said it had raised quite a bit of controversy...I assume that these soldiers were pro-Nazi?

here's the link explaining the situation as per BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3738684.stm

One must know who he reads

Let me explain under my personal point of view.

That is obviously an exageration. Llamazares is the leader of Izquierda Unida (United Leftists) which is composed by communist parties.

The Blue Division was formed after Franco won the Spanish Civil War by volunteer "falangistas" (extreme rightists supporters of Franco) who wanted to fight Rusia's communism (because of their opposite ideology and due to Rusia's support to the republican side in the Spanish Civil War). They fought as supporters of germans only on the russian (Leningrad) theater and only against russians. They were integrated in the Wermacht (german army).

I guess Llamazares is somewhat nostalgic of Stalin to compare the Blue Division with nazis... They were extreme-rightists and sympathized with Hitler, but they didn't committed a genocide (in fact, thousands of jews saved their lives comming to Spain and Franco tolerated it). But they were the winners of the Civil War, and forced into exile the political opposition (those who remained were imprisoned, and a minority were executed).

Some historians argue that the Blue Division was a smart move of Franco. At the same time he send out of Spain the most extremist of his supporters, and lowered the pressure Hitler was putting on Spain to enter the War (WWII).

I think that the presence of a republican veteran who fought against Hitler's nazis to liberate Paris and the presence of a Blue Division veteran who fought against Stalin's communists should be equally honored. Death spaniards are death spaniards after all, no matter their political alleigance.

I guess that "Catalan Left Party" is ERC, which is the most extremist of catalonian nationalists. They are a extreme-left party that seeks independence of Catalonia, so it is no surprise that she said that stupidity... as if one country couldn't celebrate a National Day. Can you imagine a political party of your own countries saying that celebrating a national day is a lack of tolerance to plurality???

Fernando

Fernando,

I posted the link because Bricamb seemed a at a bit of a loss as to what the article was saying ... today was my work day from h**l and I didn't have tiem to even begin to explain - but I new you would go into more detail That should probably read I knew you would suppliment with 'a more informative explanation' than the article offered

There's a lot of sides to the question - and being at heart a passifist and bloody strong liberal, one side of me says make-up and go on - but there is also the part of me that cries at the 'unfairness' of history in the case of the Civil War ....

Thanks for leaping in and expounding on the link for everone ....

W

Thanks to you Wendy for droping and giving us the link

You always appear to point out something smart

In this issue, as in many others, there are different points of view. But we must be objective. I've no special loving for one side or the other of the Civil War. One of my grandfathers was imprisoned in a Franco's concentration camp for years, while the other was pursued by republicans to kill him. Fortunately both survived the Civil War, born my parents who born me

Fernando

I wonder if the French division that entered Paris, to "free the city," would have ever been there had it not been for the thousands of American & British soldiers who died to get the Allies to Paris in the first place. Face it! The Nazis were on the run, and abandoning the city. It was more show than go, and the Spanish soldiers became the "shock troops" who would pay the price with their lives. As usual, the French lived up to their billing as cowards, by letting someone else do all the dirty work.

Apparently your top man don't know his history too well... or has "conveniently" rewritten it like most revisionists do.

Actually, we weren't slighted, the people of Spain were the ones who were insulted by his rediculous actions. It was Spaniards that were sacrificed in Paris, not Americans. Here in the US, we could care less. He honored the very people that sent Spaniards in to be butchered. A real genius he is.

Wolf

Thank you for your interpretation of the story Fernando. I suppose perspectives on the Second World War differ, but what struck me about the Blue Division was that they volunteered to fight with Nazi Germany and so must have believed in the ideals Hitler was preaching....it just seems odd that one of their lot should be taking part in military parade a modern democratic European country.