Thousands rally in support of Judge Baltasar Garzón

Thousands rally in support of Judge Baltasar Garzón
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By h.b. - Apr 25, 2010 - 10:26 AM
The demonstrations became rallies on honour of the victims

The demonstration in support of Garzón in Barcelona - EFE

The ongoing processes in the Spanish Supreme Court against National Court judge Baltasar Garzón, resulted in a series of demonstrations in 21 Spanish and seven foreign cities on Saturday.

Dozens of thousands took to the streets in what became events in honour of the victims of Franco. A march went from Cibeles to Sol in the capital, with many of the demonstrators carrying photos of relatives who vanished under the Franco repression.

‘We want to know what happened’, was one of the cries, with ‘Amnesty Law? – for who?’. They argue that crimes against humanity cannot be considered to be part of the 1977 Amnesty Law which saw Spain’s transition into democracy.

In Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, film director, Pedro Almodóvar, read a manifesto in support of the judge. The demonstrators consider that the case against Judge Garzón ‘dirties the memory’ of the victims.

Baltasar Garzón’s mother was at the demonstration held in Sevilla where some 4,500 gathered, according to the Local Police.

There were calls for the resignation of the PP Regional President in Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, after she had called those supporting Garzón ‘old fogeys’.

Partido Popular leader, Mariano Rajoy, described the demonstrations as ‘A brutal and undemocratic campaign’.
For the Government, Minister for Regional Policy, Manuel Chaves, commented that the Supreme Court has to understand how the case has caused alarm, and Leire Pajín, Organisation Secretary of PSOE, said that they were with those who wanted to bury their families with dignity.

The Falange held their own counter demonstration of just some 100 people in Madrid on Saturday. ‘You don’t mess with our fallen’ was their chant.

Meanwhile regarding the case itself, Garzón has called on the Supreme Court Instruction Judge, Luciano Varela, to recuse himself, as it has emerged he had advised both the Fascist Falange party and the Manos Limpias organisation as to the contents of their written accusations against Garzón. The Falange failed to edit theirs, but Manos Limpias followed Varela’s instructions and hence the case proceeds.

It has also emerged that Manos Limpias copied whole sections and adjectives describing Garzón from one of Varela’s own previous rulings.

Judicial associations and prosecutors, as well as human rights organisations, have also come out in defence of the investigation into the Franco years which Garzón’s instigated. One quote – ‘Are Franco’s victims worth less than Pinochet’s?’.

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