Followers of Franco hold rally on anniversary of his death - The Herald

Hundreds of right-wing demonstrators made stiff-armed fascist salutes and shouted insults against gays, Muslims and immigrants at a rally marking the thirtieth anniversary of the death of General Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator. Waving flags with the insignia of the Franco regime's Falange party, the crowd gathered at the Plaza de Oriente, where he would give addresses. Franco died on November 20, 1975, aged 82, after nearly 40 years in power. Representatives of far-right parties from Germany, Italy and France also attended. A police officer estimated the crowd at a thousand. At several points, the crowd used foul language to shout insults about Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's socialist premier. Franco supporters are a small minority in Spain and there is no significant far-right party. Mainstream politicians made no public comment on the anniversary. Socialists tend to let the pro-Franco rallies speak for themselves and the conservative Popular party – founded by Manuel Fraga, a Franco-era information minister – is wary of being associated with that period of Spain's past.