James BryceEXCLUSIVE By Wendy Williams
A BRITISH expat – whose great grandmother’s grave was controversially dug up in July – is demanding answers from Spain’s Conservative leader.
Yash Paul Gosain has written to PP boss Mariano Rajoy to ask why his local Tory mayor in Poyales del Hoyo, near Avila was allowed to ‘desecrate’ the grave of his ancester, who was raped and murdered by fascists during the Spanish Civil War.
He is furious that heartless town hall vandals have ‘smashed to buggery’ the grave that was only finally dug a decade ago.
“My great-grandmother, Pilar Espinosa, was raped and killed along with two other women, Virtudes and Valeriana in 1936,” he told the Olive Press.
“They were then buried in a ditch where they remained ignored under fear of death for 66 years.
“We were finally able to recover their bodies and give them a decent burial in 2002.
“Then without warning to the other family members, on July 30 this year the mayor took it upon himself to have the memorial tomb destroyed, and dump the bodies in a common grave,” added Gosain.
According to Antonio Cerro, the recently elected PP mayor in Poyales del Hoyo, the tomb was dug up as a family member wished to move one of the remains to a family niche.
Then when the tomb was opened they discovered it full of water and therefore had to move the bodies to a new spot.
The incident has attracted local and national media coverage and sparked a protest that ended in chaos after a group of 40 demonstrators clashed with villagers, in a war of words and vicious threats.
“It was absolutely shocking,” explained Gosain. “I became the focal point for all the villagers anger but I’m not going anywhere till the legal dust of all this settles properly. I owe it to my great-grandmother.”
He hopes his letter to Conservative leader Rajoy will spur the PP party into demanding answers and ‘putting things right’.
Spain never had its “Vergangenheitsbewältigung” or coming to terms with the past !
Writing to Don Mariano may not be the best addressee for his letter, after all the PP was founded by Manuel Farga Iribarne a minister in franco’s Fascist Regime ……
Very hard to start a future without having a “clear cut” past – great part of Spain’s problems today !
Its citizens have no clear concept of what democracy stands for because they never accused and tried the perpetrator of the fascist regime but rather gave them power to continue their disgusting ways ………
Shocking story……Maybe it is the correct place, the Partido Popular hate publicity over this subject, in fact it does not get mentioned much in the rest of Europe. You are correct about the rest though, Spain is a hotbed for nasty rightwing following, they are proud of their fascist roots, they think they are right and the rest of the world has got it wrong…….it goes a long way to explaining why the country lags behind the rest in many ways! When will they wake up?
I think it’s amazing that the authorities thought something like this would be acceptable. Very much behind you Yash in standing up for your grandmother and what’s right
Franco alive and well living in a village near you.
When will they wake up?
Loren, I believe there was light at the end of this very long tunnel ……..(15M ……)
now with a global 1st world self imposed economic recession
(goat/banker become gardener/ruler)
looming, thus no extra funds to send to their lazy number forging brothers in the south disposable, this country might go back to living within its glorious 17th century a**
– A mysterious place where neither reason nor sun shines a lot. But rather where feudal Tio’s share what falls to the ground …..
– A place where at first we will see a lot of fingers pointing north, never south.
– A place where hopefully they understand that in order to sell tomatoes and beaches one has to take care of the same. And not believe one is lider mundial in alta ?????
– A place where hopefully socio-cultural (r)evolution will slowly have room to take place.
I am afraid incomprehensible and sad stories as the one above don’t help in proving me wrong.
Both people in the Spanish civil war back then were fighting and killing for the freedom they believed in. In their own ideals they killed but for the same purpose. That is why this piece of history is so hard to face. I think.
Hey anon, took the liberty to change your post in two words ! how about:
Both people in the II world war back then were fighting and killing for the freedom they believed in. In their own ideals they killed but for the same purpose. That is why this piece of history is so hard to face. I think ????
Don’t know for you – for me when fascist are involved things become pretty black & white.
leave sleeping dogs lay. It is best not to bring up stories
of the civil war which was backed up by all political parties in the 1982 constitution.There were killings done on both sides so let´s forget and forgive.
aussie ……. what you propose has been proven 100% impossible over and over again. The Mid East is probably the best and most known conflict that proves No winner/loser No Peace NEVER and certainly no base to build a free Nation on ……. The 1982 constitution was trying to please everyone – No sleeping dog will leave you alone, ever, only a dead dog will