As Aranzadi has discovered, the mausoleum built by the rebels during the Franco regime is home to at least 17 militias that fought against Franco’s forces. The city council removes the plaque praising the winning side.
The Aranzadi Science Society, after an investigation commissioned by the San Sebastián City Council, has discovered that the “mausoleum of the martyrs” of the Polloe cemetery, built in memory of those who fell on the side of the rebels, houses at least 17 militiamen who died fighting the fascist forces
Another 14 bodies buried in the mausoleum built in 1940 “in memory of those killed in defense of their ideals, of God and Spain”, according to the plaque on the grave, are under investigation and may also belong to members of the popular militias, communists and anarchists.
The find was presented by the mayor, Eneko Goia the councilor for equality and civil rights, Ane Oyabideand the representative of the Aranzadi Society, Javier Buces
The mausoleum, which is municipally owned, raises doubts about compliance with the historical memory lawfor which the Consistory de Aranzadi Society requested an investigation that concluded with the “surprise” that it contained the bodies of militiamen who had fought against Franco’s troops in July 1936, Goia explained.
The plate is removedbecause it violates the law, and will be analyzed later with the representatives of the groups, in the Human Rights Commission, whether a statement should be placed in the place that puts the funeral in context or what decision should be made, according to the mayor .
The Aranzadi Society found in the municipal archives a document calling on the Francoist consistory in February 1939 to the relatives of those who had fallen on that side to transfer the remains to the mausoleum to be built at Polloe, whose construction costs were borne by the council would be carried out.
There is documentation from 1958-1963 showing that the opportunity to bury the fallen from the fascist side was opened in the Valley of the Fallen, something only four families eventually accepted.
When this order comes from the City Council of San Sebastián, it asks the administrator of the cemetery for the documentation related to the people buried in niches or in a community, as is the case of the “Mausoleum of the Martyrs” in Pollo.
The official identified 121 names, of which the Aranzadi Society, after examining historical and military records, has verified that at least 17 belong to militiamen fighting for the defense of San Sebastián, some from San Sebastian and others from Bilbao, Arrasate, Eibar ( Gipuzkoa) or Altsasu (Navarra), most of them communists and anarchists.
The documentation records that these people were buried on July 25 and 27, 1936 and transferred to the mausoleum in July 1940, stating that “some of them may have the status of dead to God and to the country.”
As Buces has pointed out, this could be due to practicality or ignorance.
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Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
