Times Online - Spain confronts its fascist demons

FOR those who turned out yesterday in the pale autumn sunshine that lit up the Guadarrama mountains, northwest of Madrid, it was the most sacred day in the calendar. Thousands of mourners, many wearing sunglasses and blue shirts reminiscent of the fascist uniform, travelled to the last resting place of General Francisco Franco for a mass marking the 29th anniversary of the Spanish dictator’s death. Joined by Franco’s daughter, Carmen Franco Polo, the crowd watched as the shadow of a 500ft-high cross above his tomb lengthened across the sierra. Then they moved inside the cavernous basilica which Franco had carved for himself out of the sheer rock by political prisoners. This annual reminder of its fascist past came at an uncomfortable moment for Spain, which found itself under scrutiny last week after a football friendly with England was marred by racist chants directed at the visiting black players.