Spain is fast becoming a rogue state, a country acting against the most basic values of the international community. Proof of this is the way in which her leaders approach the memory of the Second World War. This could, however, see some in Russian prisons, if they persist in publicly praising Hitler and Nazism. While the civilized war remembers the men and women who defeated the Third Reich, and makes sure their deeds are not forgotten, so that evil does not rise again, Spanish politicians award medals to Nazi units, while they keep thousands of monuments and street names praising Fascism.
The memory of the Second World War has always been a sensitive issue. Veterans and their families have often gone to great lengths to preserve the memory of the great struggle against Nazism, and now that not that many old warriors are left, there is a growing sense that we have to keep working to make sure that our children never forget. In looking at those years, we cannot but recognize the enormous sacrifices of the many countries making up the coalition that defeated Berlin and Tokyo. Among them, the peoples of the former Soviet Union, who born a heavy price, in terms of life and material destruction. Without them, it is difficult to imagine the complete defeat of Hitler’s Germany. This does not imply that we approve of their political system of the times. The contribution of the Armed Forces and the civilians of the Soviet Union is, however, something no historian disputes.
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A Spanish Government official delivering an official
diploma to a member of the Wermacht
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Unfortunately, recent years have been witness to a certain tendency by some people and organizations to cast a doubt on this, in an attempt to tarnish the memory of the millions of Soviet soldiers, sailors, airmen, and civilians, who gave their all in the long, harsh road to Berlin. This is one of the factors behind the draft legislation currently being considered by Russian lawmakers. What comes as an even greater shock is to see a government of a EU country join such dark forces and publicly defend the actions of the Wermacht, paying homage to one of its divisions.
Which country may that be? Sorry, no prizes, the answer is too easy: the pariah of Europe, Spain. At a public ceremony in May this year, the Spanish Government delegate in Catalonia granted a diploma to the “Blue Division”, that is to the Wermacht’s 250 Division. This is the unit that Franco sent to the Eastern Front, but let us make no mistake: it was fully integrated into the German Army, as a look at their uniforms, for example, makes clear. Furthermore, each and every member of the division made a public oath of allegiance to Hitler, although Spanish censorship hid this little detail at the time.
When news of this pro-Nazi event came out, the Spanish Government not only refused to fire Maria de los Llanos de Luna, the Spanish Government's delegate in Catalonia, but instead publicly backed her. Among others, Spain’s interior minister spoke out in her support. This proves once more that, while other countries recognize the sacrifices in the life and death struggle against Nazism, Madrid takes a completely different view. Spanish leaders wish Hitler had won. For them, it is not the veterans who marched to Berlin who deserve respect and recognition, it is not the civilians who endured years of deprivation to rid the world of Hitler. Instead, it is those who fought for him, those who swore loyalty to him, and those who brought destruction and mayhem, who deserve praise. They are the ones getting a diploma from the government.
Spain has no diplomas to offer to Allied servicemen, Spain has no diplomas to offer to the veterans of the Battle of the Atlantic, for the civilians who suffered the Blitz, or for the valiant sailors in the Arctic convoys. It is no coincidence that, when a monument to Churchill was unveiled in Barcelona on 15 December 2012, no representative of the Spanish Government attended. Had it been a monument to the Fuhrer, they would not have missed it. Where was Ms Maria de los Llanos de Luna that day? How dare she not pay homage to Churchill?
Fortunately, Catalonia has made it clear that she will not support any
such views. As the main victims of Franco’s dictatorship, following
three long years of war in which he enjoyed the support of the German
dictator, Catalonia will not join in any homage to the Wermacht and on
anything tainting the honour of those who valiantly defeated it. In
order to make this clear, and to tell Maria de los Llanos de Luna that
there is no place for Nazi propaganda in today’s world, the Catalan
Parliament has voted to call her to appear before the chamber and
explain why he payed homage to the Wermacht.
However, while welcome, this move is not enough. This is why it is interesting to ask ourselves the questions whether the draft legislation currently being discussed in Russia will be applicable to foreign officials. Press reports on the matter seem to point out that it will. Furthermore, while the final text is not yet known, the draft bill from the Federation Council offers some instances of "rehabilitation of Nazism and glorification of Nazi criminals and their accomplices". This comprises, among others, "the restoration of the rights, the issuance of state or public awards and the provision of other state and public incentives for Nazi criminals and their accomplices, the public justification of the Nazi ideology and practices, and the public promotion of the Nazi ideology or any other public actions glorifying Nazi criminals." The underlined action is precisely what the Spanish Government delegate to Catalonia did, she issued an award to Nazi soldiers. So, should this bill finally be enacted into law, and should Maria de los Llanos de Luna award another diploma to the Wermacht’s 250 Division, she would be committing a crime under Russian law. The applicable punishment could include not just fines, but also up to two years of correctional labour, up to five years of compulsory labour, and from two to five years in prison.
Our advice for the Spanish Government's delegate to Catalonia is therefore: don't spend your holidays in Russia. You could be in for a nasty surprise.
This deplorable incident is a reminder of yet another
reason why most Catalans want to leave Spain. It is very simple, just to be
able to look at an Allied veteran in the eyes and say “thank you”. In other
words, in order to belong to a normal nation. A nation where Churchill, not the
Nazis, are praised and paid homage to.
Alex Calvo is a Professor
of International Relations and International Law, Head of the IR
Department, and Postgraduate Research Director, European University (Barcelona
Campus). An expert on Asian security and defence issues, he got his LLB from
the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, University of London) and is
currently doing an MA in Second World War Studies at the University of
Birmingham. He is a former teaching and research fellow at the OSCE Academy in
Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).
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