Spain, ‘Franco had his good points’: storm over Valencia mayor’s comments

Bilbao (Spain), 20 Nov. (LaPresse) – In Spain, statements made by the mayor of Valencia, María José Catala, of the Popular Party, regarding Francoism have sparked controversy. In an interview with Onda Cero radio station on the 50th anniversary of Franco’s death, the mayor argued that Francoism ‘is a phase of history that has its positive and negative sides’. Catala was then asked if she would have preferred that the Franco regime had never existed, and the mayor said she ‘respects all phases of history’ in Spain. ‘I believe that the entire history of our country must be understood with calm and serenity, and the truth is that I do not like either resentment or the claim that the past was better,’ she said. ‘It is outrageous that the mayor of Valencia does not clearly and strongly condemn the dictatorship,’ commented Giuseppe Grezzi, an Italian city councillor in Valencia from the Compromís party, on social media. Later, at a book presentation, the mayor corrected herself by stating that Francoism ‘was a dark period’ for Spain that ‘deserves to be overcome,’ reports El País. The Valencia region was one of the Spanish territories bombed by fascist Italy during the Civil War as part of its support for Francisco Franco.