Wednesday 10 July 2019
The murder in Alicante of Miquel Grau - the last Francoist victim before the transition to democracy
I must have walked past this memorial dozens of time while out and about in the city or catching the tram from Lucheros station. The final victim of the Francoists during the transition to democracy in Alicante in 1977. Miquel Grau I Gómez. Murdered at Lucheros in October that year while putting up posters to celebrate the Valencian Day that had been outlawed under the years of the dictatorship. He was killed by a brick thrown from a balcony by a fascist supporter. His funeral was attended by nearly 20,000 people and the armed Guardia Civil broke up the procession from the church to the cemetery and seized the coffin. His killer was initially sentenced to a lenient 12 years in prison and even that was later reduced to 6 years on appeal. I am grateful to the Historical Memory group in Alicante for ensuring that Miquel is not forgotten and his story shows just how recent the days before democracy in Spain really are.
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A new book has just been published explaining the story of Miquel Grau from the point of view of a friend who was with him when he was murdered. She gives context to the story by explaining the social political change that was happening in Spain at the time. The book is called Miquel Grau 53/1977 by Llum Quiñonero published by Pruna Llibres Editorial 2019 very interesting. For many Alicantinos this tragedy marked an important moment in Alicante's history and in their young lives.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying your blog by the way.