"It is those who pray before Mola and Sanjurjo who have come to us"
- The Monument to the Fallen of Pamplona and the monthly masses dedicated to the Francoist generals in their crypt continue to generate debate. On this occasion, the authors of the documentary on “A sus muertos”, Clemente Bernard and Carolina Martínez, want to enter prison in 2017 in relation to some of the images used in the audiovisual field. The trial will begin on 14 November in the Criminal Court No. 3 of Navarra. We have talked to Bernard about the case.
Why do you do the documentary “To His Dead”?
For many years we have worked on the Memorial to the Fallen and in January 2017 what will we do with the Memorial to the Fallen? We have organised a few days under the name of Zer de Iruñea. The aim was to open the debate and to make pedagogy. We, as we work in the audiovisual world, create a documentary on the subject. We wanted to explain how it affects the city, combining footage from the archive with interviews with citizens. The documentary was projected at the opening of the days and the complaint was received in June.
The prosecutor asks for you two and a half years in jail.
Yes, it was filtered into the press by a Spanish newspaper. We are accused of having placed cameras in the crypt where the corpses of the Francoist Mola and Sanjurjo were located and of having recorded images without their consent. On the basis of Article 197.1, in the alleged lack of intimacy and the publication of secrets, the prosecutor asks for us two years in prison and a fine of EUR 12,000 and the private indictment two and a half years in prison.
The particular accusation is the controversial group “The Brotherhood of Knights Volunteers of the Cross”.
Requeté is a group of former soldiers. It was founded in 1939 by the bishop of Pamplona, Marcelino Olaetxea. In their statutes they clearly indicate the objective of the group: to keep alive the spirit that led Navarre to the crusade by Spain and God, doing what is necessary. We can say that, from 1939 onwards, the pretorian guard of the Memorial to the Fallen has been arrested. They promoted the construction of the monument and subsequently took care of its conservation. There they had their residence and there they celebrate their masses. Before the City Hall took over the Central Building in 1998, the masses were held on the main altar, since then they were held in the crypt of the monument. Emilio Mola’s opening of the coup took place in Navarre on 19 July, so the requetés are 19 days long and those of the brotherhood hold Mass every month on 19 July. And of course, on July 19, they put all their forces to make more people go. These people have denounced us.
In Pamplona, all groups and thousands of people have denounced this link with Franco.
Public institutions have also said so, right?
In 2015, the Parliament of Navarre urged the Government of Navarre to try to prevent this brotherhood from doing its misses in the crypt.
But they have continued to do masses in favour of these Francoist generals.
Yes, in your thinking they are stubborn and radical. Imagine. Although the mortal remains of Mola and Sanjurjo have been removed from the crypt, the masses remain in the place of the facts. The point is that it is the responsibility of the Archbishop. Crypto and its management are their responsibility. The Brotherhood that has denounced us is canonical, they are part of the Catholic Church, dependent on the Archbishop of Pamplona. But, of course, the Archbishop acts ambiguously; in these masses it is said that they pray. And yes, they pray, but for some dead on a certain side, in front of the Francoist graves of Mola and Sanjurjo. The Archbishop has a great deal to say on this issue. The Brotherhood was founded by a Bishop and an Archbishop could put an end to it, if there was a will for it, of course.
How is your case going to be channelled?
They have created a manifesto for us and that is moving these days. And from there, we're focused on working judgment well. Further information and opinions will be made available after the trial, but work is currently under way on the proper defence of the accused.
It's not the first time you're in the midst of a conflict related to freedom of speech.
Yes, it was a fat case in 2007 on the occasion of a photo exhibition of mine installed at the Guggenheim museum. On the occasion of some photos related to the kale borroka, the AVT and the PP wanted to make noise so that my photos were removed from the museum. It came to Parliament, but fortunately I got all my support from the museum and stayed where the exhibition was. At pp, the main driver was Santiago Abascal, who is now the leader of VOX. But the case now has gone further, as they have brought us to court.
Tafallan, nekazal giroko etxe batean sortu zen 1951. urtean. “Neolitikoan bezala bizi ginen, animaliez eta soroez inguratuta”. Nerabe zelarik, 'Luzuriaga’ lantegian hasi zen lanean. Bertan, hogei urtez aritu zen. Lantegian ekintzaile sindikala izan zen;... [+]
Eraispenaren aldeko elkarteek manifestazioa antolatu dute larunbatean Iruñean. Irrintzi Plazan manifestazioaren deitzailea den Koldo Amatriarekin hitz egin dugu.
