General Franco move from Spain: Associations defending ideologies of that era to be banned

The bill, which was passed by the Spanish Parliament and sent to the Senate, envisions banning all non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as associations and foundations, that defend the Franco regime.

The bill, introduced by the Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), the senior partner in the coalition government, received support from all other political parties, including the main opposition People's Party (PP), with the exception of the far-right Vox party.

If the bill is accepted in the Senate and becomes law, all NGOs that defend the ideologies of the Franco regime, primarily the Francisco Franco Foundation—which was established in 1976 after the dictator's death and remains actively operational—will be banned.

Political steps had previously been taken in Spain to erase the traces of the Franco era through the "Historical Memory" law adopted in 2007 and the expanded "Democratic Memory" law in 2022.

As part of efforts to erase the traces of the Civil War and the Franco dictatorship, support victims, and confront the past, the dictatorship era was declared illegal, and Franco's remains were exhumed from a monument and moved to a family cemetery.

The Democratic Memory law also included a provision regarding the "dissolution of associations that praise the leaders of the Franco dictatorship by belittling and humiliating the dignity of its victims."

News Source: 12punto