Ex-military officers criticize government and praise Franco
Earlierthismonth, MADRID—
271 former members of Spain’s armed forces used the anniversary of the country’s Constitution to issue a manifesto criticizing the leftwing coalition government and warning that Spain’s unity was under threat.
The manifesto was published shortly after chats were leaked to the Spanish news media inwhich retired air force officers described Gen. Francisco Franco, Spain’s former dictator, as “the irreplaceable one” and gave a thumbs-up to the suggestion that left-wing Spaniards be shot. Some of the retired officers also sent letters to King Felipe VI attacking the government led by the Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez.
Although the defense minister and the chief of the armed forces said the statements did not represent the views of the active military, the bold foray into politics by former officers prompted the government to take legal action andworriedanalysts in a country that was led by a military dictatorship until 1975.
This past week, the left-wing Spanish newspaper Público published screenshots from a leaked WhatsApp group chat in which active members of an artillery unit shared fascist salutes and threatening comments.
Spain’s defense minister, Margarita Robles, sent the contents of the chat to public prosecutors to determinewhethertherehadbeen criminal violations of the Constitution.
The growing influence of the far-right within the military has alsobecomeanissue in other countries, notably Germany, andcoincides with a push by governments to restrict individual rights, like freedom ofmovement, because of the pandemic.
José Ignacio Domínguez, a former air force officer who refused to sign the letter that his cohorts had prepared for Felipe, said that it was an attempt “to get our king to intervene and help overthrowthe government.”
Even if the letter was signed by retirees, he said the political leanings of the current armed forces were increasingly those of Spain’s far-right party, Vox. Last year Vox becamethe third-largest party in Parliament, winning 15% of the vote and performing above its national average in provinces with large military bases.
After Franco’s death in 1975, Spain’s transition to democracy “left the army completely untouched,” Domínguez noted, “so it’s not surprising that Spain’s newfar-right party has found strong supportersamongthe many officerswho continue to consider that they form a Pretorian guard and don’t seem to understand that they should obey whatever government has been democratically elected.”