Spain: More military threats against Zapatero government

[IndianaGreen]

Possible rightwing coup in the making...

Spain: More military threats against Zapatero government

By Paul Stuart
28 January 2006

Further military threats have been made against the Socialist Party (PSOE) government in Spain. Following Spanish General Mena’s threat to deploy the military to oppose the passing of a statute granting greater autonomy to Catalonia, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has attempted to downplay the incident as the actions of a maverick. But the British Financial Times reported that Captain González of the notorious Legionnaires has now published a letter attacking Zapatero and describing widespread hostility in the military to the Catalan Statute which he says threatens the unity of the Spanish “fatherland.”

González threatened to march his troops to Madrid and deliver the letter in person. The last time Legionnaires marched to Madrid was during the July 1936 military/fascist insurrection led by General Francisco Franco. This was greeted by a major uprising in the working class that halted the fascist advance, which was sabotaged by the Popular Front government dominated by the PSOE and the Spanish Communist Party (PCE).

González’s statement was the second in a matter of weeks by a senior military figure. On January 7, retiring Lieutenant-General Jose Mena Aguado, commander of Spain’s 50,000 ground troops, threatened military intervention should the PSOE government legalise the Catalan statute giving the Catalan autonomous government control over its own revenue and status as a “nation.”

PSOE’s Defence Minister Jose Bono dismissed Mena’s statement as a matter of military “indiscipline.” In a radio interview he praised the military: “No institution has adapted itself so completely to democracy as the armed forces.”

Josep Bargalló, a leader of the separatist Catalan Republican Left in coalition with the majority Catalan PSOE, echoed the position of Bono. After stating that the ghosts of Franco still remained, he declared, “This is twenty-first century Europe. We do not have military uprisings.”

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jan2006/spai-j28.shtml

[BayCityProgressive]

1. Scary

hopefully the military doesnt revolt against the Left.

[Justitia]

2. Fascism is breaking out all over, it seems, & N Korea threatens nuclear

war this morning too. :scared:

Spain has made such incredible, progressive strides recently, I really wish them all the best.

[cliss]

10. Same here.

I have the highest hopes for the New Spain with Zapatista. I wish them the best.

I wonder if there's a little "rebellion" brewing with a disgruntled Mr. Aznar (the Pro-bush dude who was ousted in the last election).

[Lexingtonian]

3. time to purge the old officer corps

Since when the fuck does the Spanish military brass have a say in decisions of that kind?

The Empire has to be purged and expelled from all the institutions if it won't do so voluntarily.

[Zomby Woof]

4. As the fascists shrink in power...

...they grow noisier and more obnoxious in protest. I do not see anything remotely like 1936 happening. The pathetic little rally they had to commemmorate 30 years since Franco's passing last November was sad and laughable; the fact that 90% of the Spaniards opposed the Iraq war, the fact that gays now have equal rights, that Zapatero was voted in in defiance of fear - all of these factors make any threats by Aguado very impotent.

Maybe his next step is to dress up like Franco and head off to the Canary Islands to plot a coup - but he will be sorely mistaken if he thinks he can instigate 1936 redux.

[IndianaGreen]

5. Unfortunately, the powerful Spanish Catholic Church opposes Zapatero

because he cut off subsidies to the Church and he recognized same sex marriage. This is the same Catholic Church that supported Hitler and Franco, and gave birth to Opus Dei.

[Zomby Woof]

7. Yes but...

The Spanish Catholics are MUCH weaker than they were in Franco's time. All things being relative, they will fall short with any power grab. Juan Carlos stopped a coup in 1982 - one of his few real powers is his supremacy over the military - and he would do so again if it means keeping Spain at peace and intact.

I don't fully disagree with you - but I am not overly concerned that the worst will happen, and I am a cynic.

[many a good man]

8. As long as the Socialists don't start massacring priests and nuns

and burning down churches, they should be OK this time!

[IndianaGreen]

9. Stalin didn't have a Religious Right problem in his country

I think Stalin was right when it came to dealing with religious fundamentalists.

[xchrom]

6. sigh -- fascism can rear it's ugly head

at any time.

''spanish fatherland''. oh well.