Congress approves Historical Memory Bill

The main novelty introduced prior to this morning's vote was an amendment agreed between the PSOE and the Ciu and supported by the PNV and CC whereby Francoist symbols will not necessarily have to be removed from churches in cases where legally-protected religious artistry is deemed to be under threat.

Despite opposing the main bill, the PP voted in favour of seven precepts included in the legislation referring to the "de-politicisation" of the Valle de los Caídos and financial subsidies for the victims of the Spanish Civil War itself and Franco's subsequent forty-year fascist regime.

The photo shows communist poet, Marcos Ana, who spent 23 years in jail during Franco's regime during which time he was sentenced to death twice for his political beliefs. Concerning possible compensation payments, the details of which are still under negotiation and which have not been made public, Mr Ana told an EFE journalist earlier this month that: "I'd prefer there to be no Historical Memory Law than to be only given a pittance."

Socialists reach Historical Memory Bill pacts
By: thinkSPAIN
Tuesday, October 9, 2007

After more than a year of negotiations since the bill was first approved by president Zapatero's cabinet in July 2006, the socialists have agreed pacts with the IU-ICV, CiU, PNV, BNG and almost all of the minority parties represented by the Mixed Group, concerning the proposed Historical Memory Law, which proposes to recognise and compensate Spanish Civil War victims from both sides as well as victims of the victorious General Franco's subsequent forty-year fascist regime.

The right-wing Partido Popular party opposes the bill on the grounds that it risks reviving memories that it was agreed by both sides to leave untouched during the Transition To Democracy process following Franco's eventual death more than thirty years ago.

PP spokesman, Angel Acebes accused the government yesterday of being "obsessed with the past" for reviving a law that "forgets the Transition and stirs up memories of the Civil War." Mariano Rajoy's number two went on to say that the new law was a "huge mistake" because it "revives memories of the worst chapter in Spanish history while forgetting about the best, which was the Transition, conciliation and the great consensuses achieved."

For their part, the radical left-wing Catalan nationalist Republican party (ERC) opposes the bill for not overturning verdicts reached by judges in political trials conducted during the dictatorship, although the new legislation would declare these trials illegitimate.