Around a thousand people gathered at a memorial near Madrid on Sunday to protest against plans to exhume Spanish dictator Francisco Franco and relocate his remains.
Demonstrators raised their arms to give fascist salutes and sang the anthem of the far-right Falange Party outside the Valle de los Caídos (“Valley of the Fallen”), which is dedicated to the 500,000 victims of the Spanish Civil War.
Some demonstrators were carrying flags that were in use during Franco’s time in power. These were confiscated by police under a law that bans the promotion of the civil war at the site.
The burial of Franco at the site — he is the only person there not to be a civil war victim — has been a contentious issue since the Spanish Parliament voted to move his remains in May, 2017.
