Wind of change in Spain

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34044, 7 January 1976, Page 11

Wind of change in Spain

(By

HENRY GINIGER.

of the New York Times News Service, through N.Z.P.A.)

MADRID. Jan. 6

The Barcelona police announced today that two men implicated in extreme Right-wing terrorist activity had been arrested. It was one of the rare times when someone not connected with the Left had been detained by police for their politically-inspired acts.

The announcement followed several more examples of leniency and tolerance by the police towards Leftist Opposition groups, and appears to be part of a deliberate policy at Government level in preparation for a more open and free political system. Extreme Right-wing

groups of a Fascist nature have been active for years in Spain, and have been widely suspected of maintaining close contact with, and obtaining support from, members of the police. When General Franco became ill last October, and it became clear that the country was heading towards new and more liberal leade r s h i p , the Rightist markedly increased their activity, engaging in physical attacks on people and places identified with Liberal and Leftist causes, and threatening a large number of people with death. This activity, which caused hundreds of Leftist activists to stay away from their homes, appeared to reflect a fear among Rightists that they were losing power.

Barcelona, the centre of Catalonian opposition to the

Franco regime, has had particularly active Rightist groups, some of them using the Nazi swastika as their symbol.

The impression was created that these groups were acting with impunity because they identified their cause with that of the regime and its political and moral values.

Today’s announcement makes particular reference to recent attacks on the headquarters of local associations, usually Left-leaning, and on bookshops. In contrast, it is reported that four people arrested yesterday morning when putting up wall-posters on behalf of the illegal Marxist Union organisation were released without bail, although they may be fined later. A Barcelona newspaper says that “during the almost 18

hours that they were held, they were correctly treated.” In La Coruna, in the north, four people charged with membership of the outlawed urban guerrilla movement were released on bail. A few weeks ago, seven others were also freed in La Coruna after arrests on the same charge. Previous practice had been to hold such people indefinitely. In San Sebastian, a stronghold of Basque sentiment, 2000 people marched through the streets on Sunday in support of political amnesty. Instead of being dispersed, clubbed, and arrested, as they might have been earlier, they were channelled by the police, who were concerned only with keeping the traffic moving. Part of the crowd had gathered in the cathedral the previous night, and, the police had made no effort to dislodge them.