TODAY’S COLUMN
NOTES
1—FRANCO ANNIVERSARY AGAIN: so yesterday was another anniversary of Franco’s death and every year there are some interesting images. This year’s best video is a young bloke hanging out of car window in front of police as he comes out of the Valley of the Fallen, doing multiple nazi salutes to anti-fascist protestors across the road. "Up with Spain, motherfuckers!", "I shit on your fucking mothers!", "Go and suck dick!".
2—GOVERMENT TO PROSECUTE GLORIFICATION OF FASCISM: La Vanguardia reported the PM’s office was ready to go to court after seeing those images yesterday, with the new Democratic Memory Act at the ready. The PM’s office has apparently sent out a note to central government offices around the country to collect other videos of note. Fines could be up to €150,000.
3—INTERESTING HISTORICAL POINT (I): In 1945, after Hitler lost World War Two, Franco told Spaniards that the fascist salute they had been doing since he ordered them to in 1937 wasn't really a fascist salute. Other countries were misinterpreting it, he said. It was an ancient Spanish gesture that really signified peace and friendship among peoples. Here is that order:
4—INTERESTING HISTORICAL POINT (II): And if we dig deep enough into the archives, we can find the 1937 order too. Franco established the raised-arm salute on the nationalist side nine months into the Civil War. The order says it was adopted after being used by the Falange. Falange was the Spanish fascist party, so the salute was fascist. Franco incorporated Falange and the salute as the new national greeting on the nationalist side. Here it is:
5—SÁNCHEZ DEMANDS PUTIN GIVE UP: “Exijo, una vez más, a Vladímir Putin que ponga fin a la guerra y retire las tropas rusas de Ucrania”, tweeted the Prime Minister, with a video of himself speaking to the NATO assembly in Madrid. Spain doesn’t have any nuclear weapons herself, so “demand” is perhaps a bit excessive in this case.
6—PROSECUTOR TO OPPOSE JAIL REVISIONS: after last week’s outcry over the revision of jail sentences for convicted rapists and sex offenders, Spain’s chief prosecutor has issued an order for his office to oppose any more revisions if the current jail sentences fit within the new sentencing guidelines. Beyond the headline, it’s not clear this is a huge change compared to last week, where the problems were because of the new minimum limits, not the middle bits. One version of the story in El Mundo suggests the change is to not reduce the existing sentence if it fits at all in the new sentencing guidlines, which would be contrary to the legal principles lawyers were explaining last week.
7—WOLFPACK LAWYER TO TRY HIS LUCK: the lawyer for four of the five men convicted in the infamous Wolf Pack gang rape case in Pamplona that started the push for the “only yes is yes” law has said he will seek a lower sentnce for one of them, who was sentenced to 15 years in jail. The lawyer wants it reduced to 13 years and 9 months. He will not for now seek a revision for his other three rapist clients.
8—OPPOSITION USING THE AMMUNITION: Sánchez has not sacked his Equality Minister for the shambles, at least not yet, so opposition parties are making the most of it. The Popular Party today published a new campaign with a lotter ticket and the “Only yes is yes” slogan: “Sex offenders have won the lotter with this government”.
9—IGLESIAS TRIES TO CROWDFUND MEDIA PROJECT: Former Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, who rose to Deputy Prime Minister in the coalition goverment, now wants people to give him €100,000 to boost a new media project. The description of the “Internet TV” channel, called Canal Red, says they will seek private financing but first want readers to chip in all that money.
10—PP POLL RISE STALLS: a latest look at the polling averages on Electocracia shows the Popular Party’s rise since they suddenly swapped out Casado for Feijóo in March has stalled. The PP is drifting back down just above 30%. Vox, which clearly lost voters to Feijóo during the spring and summer, is not rising again, though, and indeed has fallen just below 15%.
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