Episode #1: The Re-Enactors

(Pincha aqui para version en Castellano)

Among the first people I met when I started my research for  this project was a small group of Civil War re-enactors.   Because this war is a sensitive subject in Spain, the existence of such a group seemed truly remarkable at the time.  In fact, less than a half hour had transpired since a pair of executives at an local production company had told me with knowing chuckles that there wasn’t and would never be re-enactors in Spain.  It was simply too radical an idea.  Well, the world changes, whether or not we choose to recognize this, and this situation illustrates exactly what this series is about.  

In the years since, Civil War re-enacting has become one of the most visible aspects of the breakdown of Spain’s Pact of Oblivion.  At a time when affronts to this social contract to forget the war and the ensuing dictatorship are typically confrontational or at least highly political, these re-enactors struggle to practice their hobby in a spirit of reconciliation.  But is it even possible to play at war for the goal of peace?

Note:  There is a high-quality version of this film available through the button on the lower right.  It takes a little while to download, but it’s worth it.

Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives Opens New Exhibit

Scenes of Bravery and Determination: Walter Rosenblum’s Homage to the Spanish Republicans

Exhibition Opening and Reception   Thursday, January 22, 2009 Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm Place: King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center, 53 Washington Square South Free of Charge RSVP here  In the fall of 1946, the New York photographer Walter Rosenblum–a student and friend of Paul Strand and Lewis Hine–traveled to Toulouse, France, to record the relief work undertaken by the Unitarian Service Committee for the thousands of Spanish refugees living there since the end of the Civil War, seven years earlier. He came back with a series of haunting portraits, 25 of which will be part of an exhibit at the King Juan Carlos Center.  “I had expected to find dejected and tired people,” Rosenblum later wrote, “but instead discovered bravery and determination.” Sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, NYU Tamiment Library, and the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center. With special thanks to the Rosenblum family.   Click Here for more information

New Biography of Franco Reveals Perspectives from His Only Daughter

A new biography of Franco by Stanley Payne and Jesus Palacios promises to reveal heretofore unseen aspects of Francisco Franco’s personality and life.

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/11/28/espana/1227863904.html

The Economist Comments on Garzon’s Moves

There is not much that hasn’t already been said by someone else in this recent Economist article, but it’s worth a quick read.  One of the highlights is this brief and simple response to some of the questions I raise in an earlier post: “The judge has produced a fresh interpretation of [The 1977 Amnesty] laws. Where a victim’s body has never been found, he asserts, a crime of kidnapping continues to this day. So it is not covered by the amnesty. To those who argue that international laws on crimes against humanity did not exist when the civil war ended in 1939, he points to the precedent of the Nuremberg trials of top Nazis. ”

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12470581

And for those of you who want to delve into source materials, I found a copy of the opinion here:

http://estaticos.elmundo.es/documentos/2008/10/16/auto_memoria_historica.pdf

Judge Garzon Moves to Prosecute Franco War Crimes

Hi Everyone,

In my introduction to this site I ask “what justice can there be for crimes committed seventy years ago?”  There are nearly as many opinions on this question as there are individuals in Spain, but as a general rule they remain as opinions.  Official responses have traditionally been dampened by the Amensty Law of 1977 and the general ethos established by the Pact of Silence.  Until now. Those of you that have looked past the front page of the U.S. newspapers lately or have checked the foreign press will know what I’m referring to.  No?  Then have a look here  or here and come back when you are done.

Yes, Judge Baltasar Garzon has once again broken with convention and is gnawing at one of the hands that feeds him.  I’ve heard the occasional comment on the apparent hypocrisy of Judge Garzon being willing to prosecute foreigners on questions of crimes against humanity, but not his own countrymen.  At least as regards the Franco administration.  It was clearly not a question of concern for his safety as he gave that up long ago in his war against both ETA and the GAL dirty war, alienating both sides of that violent conflict.  He managed to stay alive and keep his job though that.  So, it looks like those comments may have been misguided and that, as has been suggested to me, he was merely biding his time and establishing appropriate precedent.

Regrettably, I’m painfully ignorant when it comes to Spanish law.  Still, I have to give some credit to Javier Zaragoza, the fiscal jefe who has questioned Garzon’s writ on at least three compelling principles.  The first is that the alleged crimes are protected under the 1977 Amnesty Law.  Second, that the legal code  of the Republic had no provision for crimes against humanity; and third, that the Audiencia Nacional is not competent to judge the crime of rebellion as this fell under the jurisdiction of the military at the time. 

Amnesty International and several other human rights organizations and Historical Memory associations agree with this stance and contend that Crimes Against Humanity laws can and should be applied retroactively.  So think many Spaniards.  While it is unclear what the outcome of this case will be, or even if it will proceed beyond the legal question of whether Garzon’s court is competent to pursue this matter, one thing is certain and that is that outstanding questions about the Civil War and the Franco era are not going away any time soon.

http://www.france24.com/20081016-judge-garzon-probe-franco-era-deaths-spain

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7679457.stm

Judge Orders Urgent Exhumations

Judge Baltasar Garzon, “el Superjuez” as some call him, recently ordered the urgent exhumation of 19 mass graves.  One of these is expected to contain the remains of famed poet Federico Garcia Lorca.  Much has been made during the buildup to this ruling over the question of what to do with the grave site of Federico Garcia Lorca.  Long an icon of the tragedies of the SCW and in particular of Francoist oppression, his resting site is really no different than that of many others.  Indeed, an estimated 114,000 by Garzon’s recent estimation remain “disappeared.”  Determining the whereabouts of these missing people implies the exhumation and identification of all known remains, and the hope of locating more gravesites along the way.  The decision to undertake such a process carries many assumptions. 

The first is that of a willingness, or at least acquiescence, on the part of relatives to have these remains exhumed.  For some, however, this is tantamount to profanity.  Such is the case for relatives such as Laura Garcia Lorca, niece of Federico.  In a reversal from her earlier decision to allow the exhumation, she was recently quoted as saying “we believe that there is no reason that justifies the perturbation of a cemetery or a place which holds the body not only of Federico Garcia Lorca but of lots of other dead people.”

And while this quest for the truth assumes that stepping on a few toes is okay, there is also a question of value.  At a time when the global economy is in straits and public funds will be strapped even for programs that assist those still living, does it make sense to spend what will no doubt be a vast sum on those long dead?  To be sure, this process will bring closure to some.  There is value in that.  But it is certain that the majority of those 114,000 missing souls will never be found, which raises the question of what proportion of discovery is the right proportion to justify this process.  ½?  ¼?  1/16?  Will identifying 7000 corpses and returning them to their relatives, few of whom will have ever know the deceased, justify the conflict, pain, and expense that this process entails?  I guess we’ll find out.

Some links to ponder:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/world/europe/17spain.html?ref=world

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5014625.ece