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War
- Thread starter Creeperpark
- Start date
Montuno
...como el Son...
US interventions “did not bring democracy” to Latin America
US interventions, direct or covert, marked the history of the 20th century in Latin America. Are they definitely in the past?
On December 20, 1989, Guillermo Castro Herrera woke up, like many other Panamanians, "to the sound of explosions from the bombing in the El Chorrillo neighborhood." The philologist and analyst recalls that for "three days disorders of all kinds. There was a huge wave of looting that terrified the population even more… When the troops finally came in, they were welcomed as saviors.”
That was the last major direct military intervention of the United States in Latin America, at the end of the cold war. The invasion of Granada, in 1983, had still had a motive framed in the east-west confrontation, with a government accused of aligning itself with the Soviet Union, although the Spanish historian José Antonio Sánchez Román considers it rather a prestige operation on the part of the of the Ronald Reagan administration.
But "in the case of Panama there are already new issues, which are not those of the cold war," says the professor of Contemporary History at the Complutense University of Madrid. He mentions drug trafficking, border control, and others, which are not specific to the fight against communism.
But, although the intervention in Panama was carried out "in the name of the war on drugs", the United States "took advantage of that opportunity to regain control of the Panama Canal, which was always geopolitically one of its main interests in the region,” says Wolf Grabendorff, visiting professor at the Simón Bolívar Andean University in Quito.
covert operations
The motives for US interventions, direct or covert, have been geostrategic, political or economic, depending on the case, and have varied throughout history. "The intervention in Cuba, in the war against Spain at the end of the 19th century, is not the same as the interventions during the Cold War. They are different geopolitical and economic contexts," notes Sánchez Román. He points out that military interventions, with landings of marines, had been common especially in the first half of the 20th century, and he cites Haiti and Nicaragua as examples.
In the second half of the last century, however, covert interventions prevailed, through intelligence agencies, supporting opposition groups. The Complutense professor recalls "the famous attempt at the Bay of Pigs, which failed and is one of the most significant", and also highlights the overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile, in 1973. "They did not want to do it directly, but they were US intelligence conspiring to bring about the coup d'état,” he says.
In support of the elites
And he notes that "the cold war made conservative elites in many Latin American countries end up accepting that the United States intervene in the face of that greater evil for them, which could be revolution and communism."
A common thread of the interventions is, precisely, that they have not been carried out against the elites. On the contrary: "Many times the elites have counted on the support of the United States to stop some revolution or some changes, such as agrarian reforms, mainly in the countries of the Caribbean basin," Wolf Grabendorff emphasizes. "I think that, in general, , the ideological aspects are not as important as it is said. They are always the strong ties that exist between the traditional elites of those countries and their counterparts in the US. Sometimes they are more ideological lines of ties, but many times they are more like lines of ties that have to do with economic interests, ”he explains. he.
Attack on La Moneda, in Santiago de Chile, 1973.No more democracy, no stability
The clearest effect of the interventions (with the exception of the failed attempts in Cuba and Nicaragua) has been to strengthen sectors close to the United States. But the general impact has been negative, according to José Antonio Sánchez Román, who summarizes: "The war against Spain in Cuba, the occupation of Cuba and Puerto Rico, did not bring more democracy; neither did the overthrow of Allende in Chile, nor more freedoms. In Nicaragua, in Haiti, there was no more democracy or more stability, nor does it seem that they brought greater economic development." In his opinion, the "military interventions or covert interventions many times what they have generated, apart from the immediate violence , it has been more political polarization”.
Today there seems to be a broad consensus in rejecting direct military interventions, although other ways to exert influence in the region are maintained. "It's a very long story, and we're not going to see a change in that American thinking," says Grabendorff, referring to the doctrine that justified operations when stability on the continent was considered threatened. "The new argument is: 'we need guarantee our backyard in the fight against China'. Today there are elites, also democratic, in Latin America who see China as a more important trade and financial partner than the United States, and this is seen by Washington as instability”.
(pc)
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COUPS AND DICTATORSHIPS OF THE RIGHT AND LEFT IN LATIN AMERICA
Argentina, from 1930 to 1983: fourteen dictators
In Argentina, six coups d'état took place in the 20th century: in 1930, 1943, 1955, 1962, 1966 and 1976. The last one imposed State terrorism, with human rights violations and 30,000 disappearances. In the 53 years that have elapsed since the first coup was carried out, until the end of the last civic-military dictatorship in 1983, there have been 14 dictators calling themselves "presidents".
https://www.dw.com/es/las-intervenci...ica/a-54846774
Invasions, bribes and coups: history of US interventions in Latin America
- Between the Rio Grande and Cape Horn there are 10,000 kilometers and 33 countries, and almost all of them have seen their neighbor to the north meddling in their affairs
- Carlos Hernandez-Echevarria
February 9, 2019 8:58 p.m.
FOLLOW THE AUTHOR
When in 1823 the American president James Monroe said "America for the Americans" , in Latin America there were already many who understood the first to refer to "America for the Americans". The following 200 years have proved them right. Between the Rio Grande and Cape Horn there are 10,000 kilometers and 33 countries, and almost all of them have seen their neighbor to the north meddling in their affairs. Let's try a little summary. - beastly invasions
We are used to the United States getting away with setting up dictators or applying economic pressure, but it should be remembered that on many occasions it has been much more direct. When Washington has not found subtle ways to protect its interests, it has opted for the savage option: invasion.
This forceful method was almost the first that the US used in its relations with Latin America. In 1846 President James Polk decided that his country's “manifest destiny” was to expand and Mexico was unlucky enough to be on the other side of the border. In two years of war, the southern neighbor lost a third of its territory at the hands of the Americans, who took over almost all of what is now California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
In 1898 President McKinley had another fit of greed and invaded the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. The US Army occupied Puerto Rico and remains there to this day. It also invaded Cuba for the first time, an operation the Americans would repeat several times over the next 30 years and again in 1961, when the CIA sponsored the Bay of Pigs anti-Castro coup . It also occupied Haiti for almost 20 years, and for as many others it was in Nicaragua to prevent any other power from controlling a hypothetical new canal to join the Atlantic and the Pacific.
The most recent examples of US military interventions in Latin America are the invasion of the island of Grenada, a mini-war to end its Marxist government in 1983, and that of Panama in 1989. There, US troops overthrew the dictator Manuel Noriega , who curiously had come to power thanks to the support of the CIA. Another two-way story is that of the dictator Trujillo in the Dominican Republic: he was trained by the Americans during their occupation of the country between 1916 and 1924, but it was also the CIA that supplied his rivals with the weapons to assassinate him in 1961. Four years later, US troops will return to the country once again to topple a supposed "communist government."
The US has been particularly zealous in defending its economic interests on 'its' continent. Almost everyone knows that the expression "banana republic" has been used to define a series of Central American countries where the United Fruit Company of the United States made and unmade with total freedom. The term was used for the first time by the writer TS Eliot to talk about Honduras, a country that was invaded 7 times by the US at the beginning of the 20th century to abort various strikes and revolutions that put the fruit business at risk.
In neighboring Guatemala, United Fruit came to control the country's main port and railway network, in addition to owning 42% of the land. Its impunity was such that not only did it not pay taxes, but during the Jorge Ubico dictatorship the company could legally execute its workers. When President Jacobo Árbenz came to power and attempted land reform , a CIA coup took him out of the way and ushered in three decades of civil war. It is only part of the tragic legacy of the US banana industry in Latin America, since, for example, the company heir to United Fruit has also acknowledged having paid for death squads in Colombia,
Outsourced Dictators
US governments were used to making direct military interventions and sponsoring coups in Central America and the Caribbean, but achieving the same influence in the large, much more stable and distant South American countries was a difficult challenge. With the start of the Cold War and the hardening of 'either with me or against me', Washington decided that the most practical way to control South America was to strengthen its ties with the Armed Forces of those countries as much as possible. There was no need to send his soldiers if other soldiers were already there.
More than 60,000 soldiers from twenty countries passed through the exchange and training programs of the sinister 'School of the Americas', including prestigious torturers such as Noriega and Torrijos from Panama, Hugo Banzer from Bolivia or Leopoldo Galtieri from Argentina. When the 1976 coup took place in this country, the White House not only knew from the CIA what would happen, but one of the coup leaders had meetings at the US embassy in Buenos Aires to explain exactly the procedure and agree on the explanations that should be given to the American press.
Washington not only consented to the arrival of the Argentine Military Junta, but was also perfectly aware of the 'dirty war' and the forced disappearances. But even so, his involvement was much less than in the case of Chile, where Pinochet had come to power three years earlier. The United States tried first in a thousand ways that the socialist Salvador Allende did not reach the presidency, then that he did not take office and from the day he did he worked to overthrow him. We are not only talking about economic pressures, but about arms deliveries, assassination planning and other barbaric acts confirmed by declassified documents from US espionage itself.
Thanks to these papers, we also know that the US was aware of Operation Condor , a mechanism by which dictatorships shared information to exterminate opponents. In addition to Chile and Argentina, they also sat at that table, Brazil (where the US promoted the coup that overthrew the socialist government), Bolivia (where US military aid was key for the army to decide to take power), and Paraguay. and Uruguay. All received verbal warnings from the US but private support.
In short, the US has invaded several Latin American countries, has contributed to killing democracy in a few more and has meddled in the internal affairs of almost all of them. At times they have backfired on gambling with undesirable partners, but by far the most destructive legacy of those policies is that all these nations now have every reason to suspect their intentions every time. That mistrust probably takes centuries to dissipate. - https://www.eldiario.es/internaciona...1_1709730.html
Three Berries
Active member
The CI A was behind all the crack cocaine during the 80's. Still is probably. But the Taliban put the hurts to the opium production the US used for 20 years to fund covert operations. Probably move to Myanmar and set up shop there. That's what happened last time the Taliban was in control.
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Montuno
...como el Son...
Not as much as several of the world's bloodiest and most criminal dictatorships would appreciate your own commentary.
Like the coup d'etat and assassination of the democratically elected Chilean president, the Marxist Salvador Allende, organized/sponsored by the USA, to replace him with a monster like Pinochet. (And here you have another example of a Marxist government that democratically reaches power, and is expelled from it by means of a coup d'état and assassination of its leaders, in this case organized by another government also democratic but capitalist: that for some of you how soon fill your mouths with Fidel Castro, and prevents them from filling it with the blood and shit of "their own", whether dictatorships or democracies)...
Then we can go on to the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina... and see the criminal dictatorships (many of them neo-fascist) that the USA has given to the world, and how many (hundreds of thousands? millions?) of victims they have caused with this.
St. Phatty
Active member
The Conscience of Americans - well that's definitely a contradiction - is a Puppet.
It's only a War Crime if the CIA/Jew controlled media says it's a War Crime.
Though the US has murdered 40+ Million Arab Civilians during the last 20 years.
While Israel has engaged in a Slow Motion Holocaust of the Palestinians since 1935 - 87 years.
You would think the Manufactured Outrage over terrible goings on in Ukraine would help Americans realize how Pavlovian they have become.
Russia is 100% wise to expel American influences from Ukraine.
As far as the "implementation of the policy" - very un-pretty, AND it's hard to know who's telling the truth.
Petrochemical
Active member
Sounds me very familiar... This could have been the first Spanish invasions of Caribbean territories ...
But between the arrival of the Spaniards in the Caribbean in 1492, and the beginning of the 20th century of US domination... there is an interval of 400 years of human ethical and moral development...
I mean, that, for example, between the half millennium (500 years now) that separates the Conquest of Tenochtitlan...
...with the criminal (war crime ) tortures and
and murders in the 21st century by USA army...
...I don't know... I don't know... And even more taking into account that the practices of the 15th and 16th century were forbidden by the Crown, and both Columbus and Cortes were judged for it at the time. Which seems just the opposite of the other case, some 500 years (half a millennium) later, where the tortures were authorized and suggested.
But come on, apart from everything, I say that in half a millennium, 500 years, there is time to learn from past crimes and to evolve morally and ethically...
And I leave you with a nice pictures for those of you who did not expect the Spanish Inquisition. Go on without expecting it, because between the Inquisition and the photo, enough centuries have passed for a galleon (now they call them spaceships and satellites) from the USA to be leaving the Solar System.
So if someone wants to expose war crimes and/or shameful actions of the Spanish Government and/or Army, I advise him to investigate "a bit more contemporary" things, such as the use of gas/chemical weapons in certain episodes of the war against the independence fighters of the Riff province (part of today's Morocco), the betrayal of King Juan Carlos I in leaving the province of Western Sahara in the hands of the regime of the Moroccan king and Mauritany, or the brutal beating that a corporal of the Guardia Civile (police force) and a liutenant, a corporal and two soldiers of the Legion (an elite force of the Army) gave to some Iraqi prisoner:
Five Spanish soldiers prosecuted for torturing prisoners in Iraq
The military judge accuses a CNI captain, three civil guards and a legionnaire
Footage of soldiers beating detainees in Diwaniya in 2004.
(ser on original Page)
In YouTube:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kvtrbhn-qkE
In an unprecedented order, five Spanish soldiers have been accused of violating the laws and customs of war . The head of the Territorial Military Court number 12 has prosecuted five members or former members of the Legion for a crime of torture - which the Military Penal Code punishes with 10 to 25 years in prison - committed in 2004 against two prisoners in the detention center of Spain Base, in Iraq. The defendants are a captain, now assigned to the National Intelligence Center (CNI), two corporals (one assigned to the Legion and the other to the Civil Guard) and two civil guards (legionnaires at that time).
According to the indictment, the events took place "on an undetermined date", but between January 22 and February 18, 2004, when a group of soldiers, five of whom have been identified, taking advantage of the rest shift of the night guard, they went to the cell where two Iraqis were detained, "in order to humiliate them" in revenge for the continuous tension derived from the attacks and bombings suffered by the Spanish contingent in Iraq.
The judicial procedure began as a result of the dissemination by EL PAÍS, on March 17, 2013, of a video that showed how several Spanish soldiers viciously beat two detainees. After a year and a half of investigation, and although the faces appeared pixelated in the recording, the judge has been able to determine, thanks to the statements of several witnesses, that the aggressors belonged to the First Section of the Company of the Tercio Alejandro Farnesio de la Legión, based in Ronda (Malaga) .
MORE INFORMATION
The military judge sends a legionnaire to prison for torture in Iraq
Four more legionnaires arrested for torturing prisoners in Iraq
Spain in Iraq: from error to horror
"I acted as jailer in Iraq"
Defense investigates images of mistreatment of detainees in Iraq
The order describes in detail the sequence of the attack, which lasts a total of 25 seconds: after exhorting one of the two detainees to get up, a corporal slaps them; then one of the legionnaires gives them at least 15 successive kicks; after making a move to walk away, he comes back to kick them two more times and comes back one last time to unload another. A second legionnaire gives them a minimum of five kicks; and a third, at least nine. In total, 32 kicks, at least.
"Shows of affliction are heard from the Iraqi detainees, who repeatedly emit deep sounds, exponents of the suffering they are suffering," the order continues. And he adds: “None of those present acted, being able to do so, to prevent the aggressions that they saw that the previous three were carrying out. As neither did any of them show disagreement or resort to a superior, on the contrary, they participated in the humiliation with their supportive presence and their laughter.
If the aggression was recorded, adds the judge, it was not by the will to come to light, "much less to deliver it to the judicial authority, but it would be a video for internal consumption or a memory of mission". Their goal was to "increase the humiliation and objectification of Iraqis." It was that video that, a decade later, ended up making EL PAÍS public .
The judge processes the captain now stationed in the secret service —at the time of the events, a lieutenant in the Legion— because, although he did not participate in the attack, he was the commander of the guard and, as such, responsible for the custody of the prisoners. "His approval was necessary to carry out such a serious performance," he argues, "all the more so since the group [...] seems to act without any fear of being discovered."
On the contrary, he exculpates the legionnaire who recorded the scene, arguing that he received the order to go to the cell without knowing what he was going to do, unlike his companions. In addition, he has shown signs of repentance and has collaborated with justice. He could be accused of not reporting the events on his day, but the judge recalls that several of those involved threatened whoever spoke and that this crime (failure to report) would already have prescribed.
Pact of Silence in the Legion
If it has taken so long to find out what happened in Iraq, it has been because a pact of silence, a kind of omertà, has worked within the Legion. "Everyone in Ronda knew about what happened in Iraq in 2004", but an agreement was reached so that "the video and the people involved would not come to light", one of the legionnaires, who He acknowledged that "a great stir was made in the Ronda Legion" when EL PAÍS released the recording.
The order alludes to "supposed actions by commanders [of the Tercio stationed in that town in Malaga] aimed at pressuring the legionnaire gentleman [who recorded the video] so that he would not testify before the judicial authority", which could entail a crime of obstruction of the Justice. It also echoes a telephone conversation between said legionnaire and his captain in which the former, after giving a statement before the judge, "is perceived to be ashamed and afraid because he considers that he has committed treason by breaking that pact of silence" .
But the most surprising episode occurred on June 28, immediately after the legionnaire who recorded the video had given a statement and before he entered preventive detention for a week.
The secretary of the court recorded "the surprising and unmotivated presentation of a captain of the Legion", alleging that a superior of his had sent him to demand the telephone number of the court-appointed lawyer who assisted the legionnaire who had given a statement. The captain added that "he could not be put in prison [the legionnaire] because more than ten years had passed." Ten years of what? The proceedings were declared secret and no one had said until then that the aggressors in the video were legionnaires.
ABOUT THE SIGNATURE
Miguel Gonzalez
Responsible for information on diplomacy and defense policy, Casa del Rey and Vox in EL PAÍS. He graduated in Journalism from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) in 1982. He also worked for El Noticiero Universal, La Vanguardia and El Periódico de Cataluña. Expert in learning.
https://elpais.com/politica/2014/09/...outputType=amp
I've been waterboarded I know the sheer terror
Petrochemical
Active member
Montuno
...como el Son...
They find a torture chamber in the basement of a hospital in Bucha
[FONT=pt_sansregular]THE INDEPENDENT [/FONT]
[FONT=pt_sansregular]04/05/22 -[/FONT]
[FONT=pt_sansregular]
Corpses piled up in Bucha (Ukraine). [FONT=pt_sansregular]EFE[/FONT][/FONT]
At least five dead have been found in the basement of a children's hospital with apparent signs of torture in the city of Bucha , where the lifeless bodies of more than 300 people have been recovered after the Russian withdrawal, as reported on the night of this Monday the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine.
"Prosecutors together with the Kiev Police found a torture chamber in the city of Bucha . In the basement of one of the children's hospitals, police found the bodies of five men with their hands tied. The Russian military tortured unarmed civilians and then killed them," as published by the agency on its official website, reports Europa Press.
In this sense, in the statement, the Attorney General's Office has assured that "measures are being taken to establish the circumstances of each war crime and those involved in the Russian aggression to bring them to justice."
As reported on Monday by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, Russian forces have committed more than 7,000 war crimes since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, as reported by the Ukrinform news agency.
Zelensky's accusations
The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has accused Russia of "distorting the facts" in the context of the Bucha massacre and has assured that "they will not be able to deceive the whole world", since there is "ample evidence" that the troops Russians destroy cities and kidnap, torture and kill civilians.
"The time will come when all Russians will learn the whole truth about which of their fellow citizens they killed. Who gave orders. Who turned a blind eye to the murders », he highlighted in his usual evening speech, according to the official page of the Ukrainian Presidency.
Zelensky recalled that there are more than 300 people "murdered and tortured" in the city of Bucha, a number that, according to the Ukrainian president, "could be larger" when the entire city is thoroughly reviewed. "And this is just one city," he added.
[FONT=pt_sansregular]
[/FONT]
Evacuation of wounded from Mariupol aboard a train: “Get them out of here. They need to survive"
In this regard, he said that Moscow "is already launching a false campaign to hide its guilt in the mass murders of civilians in Mariupol ", so "they will try to hide the traces of their crimes", something they have not done when they have withdrawn from Bucha.
"They will do dozens of interviews on stage, re-edit recordings and kill people specifically to make it look like they were killed by someone else," he said, adding that "every effort is being made to identify the Russian military involved in these crimes." .
“Today people are not executed anymore. But all front-line loudmouths (and) liars and their bosses in Moscow must remember: the end of their lives will be behind bars. Maybe », he underlined, recalling the execution of Julius Streicher, one of the ideologues of Nazism.
In addition, Zelenski has directed a reproach at the international community and its partners and allies for doubting the previous crimes. “Why are we now hearing from all world leaders statements that should have been made a long time ago when everything was already completely clear?” he has criticized.
Speech in the Congress of Deputies
The Ukrainian president has reported that the cleaning of the mines that are in the streets of the Ukrainian cities has begun and has assured that, "in the near future", the supply of water and electricity will be restored.
Zelenski has also recalled his speech in the Romanian Parliament and has made a reference to the speech he will deliver this Tuesday in the Congress of Deputies, as well as in the UN Security Council.
His speech, broadcast electronically, will be one of the first after learning of the Bucha massacre, where hundreds of bodies have been found after the departure of Russian troops. At the request of kyiv, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, will also speak briefly.
MORE:
INTERNATIONAL
Putin Resorts to Soviet-Era Disinformation Tactics in Ukraine War
[FONT=pt_sansregular]The Kremlin is giving a master class in disinformation (deziformatsiya) in the war in Ukraine. The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, who is said to have never ceased to be a […][/FONT]
https://www.elindependiente.com/int...tortura-en-el-sotano-de-un-hospital-de-bucha/
[FONT=pt_sansregular]THE INDEPENDENT [/FONT]
[FONT=pt_sansregular]04/05/22 -[/FONT]
[FONT=pt_sansregular]
At least five dead have been found in the basement of a children's hospital with apparent signs of torture in the city of Bucha , where the lifeless bodies of more than 300 people have been recovered after the Russian withdrawal, as reported on the night of this Monday the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine.
"Prosecutors together with the Kiev Police found a torture chamber in the city of Bucha . In the basement of one of the children's hospitals, police found the bodies of five men with their hands tied. The Russian military tortured unarmed civilians and then killed them," as published by the agency on its official website, reports Europa Press.
In this sense, in the statement, the Attorney General's Office has assured that "measures are being taken to establish the circumstances of each war crime and those involved in the Russian aggression to bring them to justice."
As reported on Monday by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, Russian forces have committed more than 7,000 war crimes since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, as reported by the Ukrinform news agency.
Zelensky's accusations
The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has accused Russia of "distorting the facts" in the context of the Bucha massacre and has assured that "they will not be able to deceive the whole world", since there is "ample evidence" that the troops Russians destroy cities and kidnap, torture and kill civilians.
"The time will come when all Russians will learn the whole truth about which of their fellow citizens they killed. Who gave orders. Who turned a blind eye to the murders », he highlighted in his usual evening speech, according to the official page of the Ukrainian Presidency.
Zelensky recalled that there are more than 300 people "murdered and tortured" in the city of Bucha, a number that, according to the Ukrainian president, "could be larger" when the entire city is thoroughly reviewed. "And this is just one city," he added.
[FONT=pt_sansregular]
[/FONT]Evacuation of wounded from Mariupol aboard a train: “Get them out of here. They need to survive"
In this regard, he said that Moscow "is already launching a false campaign to hide its guilt in the mass murders of civilians in Mariupol ", so "they will try to hide the traces of their crimes", something they have not done when they have withdrawn from Bucha.
"They will do dozens of interviews on stage, re-edit recordings and kill people specifically to make it look like they were killed by someone else," he said, adding that "every effort is being made to identify the Russian military involved in these crimes." .
“Today people are not executed anymore. But all front-line loudmouths (and) liars and their bosses in Moscow must remember: the end of their lives will be behind bars. Maybe », he underlined, recalling the execution of Julius Streicher, one of the ideologues of Nazism.
In addition, Zelenski has directed a reproach at the international community and its partners and allies for doubting the previous crimes. “Why are we now hearing from all world leaders statements that should have been made a long time ago when everything was already completely clear?” he has criticized.
Speech in the Congress of Deputies
The Ukrainian president has reported that the cleaning of the mines that are in the streets of the Ukrainian cities has begun and has assured that, "in the near future", the supply of water and electricity will be restored.
Zelenski has also recalled his speech in the Romanian Parliament and has made a reference to the speech he will deliver this Tuesday in the Congress of Deputies, as well as in the UN Security Council.
His speech, broadcast electronically, will be one of the first after learning of the Bucha massacre, where hundreds of bodies have been found after the departure of Russian troops. At the request of kyiv, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, will also speak briefly.
MORE:
INTERNATIONAL
Putin Resorts to Soviet-Era Disinformation Tactics in Ukraine War
[FONT=pt_sansregular]The Kremlin is giving a master class in disinformation (deziformatsiya) in the war in Ukraine. The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, who is said to have never ceased to be a […][/FONT]
https://www.elindependiente.com/int...tortura-en-el-sotano-de-un-hospital-de-bucha/
Anytime we’re bluffed with nuclear war, we should just bend over and kiss our freedom loving asses goodbye?
Nuclear arms in retaliation are not needed to call the bluff. If one truly believes Putin’s madman persona, then even more reason to face him head on. He either isn’t or he is and you subdue yourself to a life of meaninglessness or you resist the false flag argument of world destruction. Fuck putin.
Nuclear arms in retaliation are not needed to call the bluff. If one truly believes Putin’s madman persona, then even more reason to face him head on. He either isn’t or he is and you subdue yourself to a life of meaninglessness or you resist the false flag argument of world destruction. Fuck putin.
Three Berries
Active member
Israel is a Rothschild established state. ISIS is Israeli Secret Intelligence Service. Their goal is a Zionist Greater Israel encompassing most of he MidEast.
Not to be mislabeled anti sematic though, you can label me anti Zionist anytime.
They are Saving Israel for Last for a reason.
not physically possible. hell, he can't even get rid of American influences in RUSSIA! television, the internet, radio, you name it. the desire for blue jeans like kids the world over took root like dandelions after the wall fell. you can't put the genie back in the bottle...the tighter the grip, the more leaks between the fingers. then, one day you open your hand, and there is nothing in there.
Three Berries
Active member
How is the US being threatened?
Possibly but that won't stop the subs armed with nuclear warheads on permanent classified patrol from launching a retaliatory strike. So yeah, there are no winners in a nuclear war and which is why it's very stupid that Putin is stating there are situations he would be willing to launch a first strike.
I bet you sit there jerking off in your Mother's basement fantasizing about the day your fever dreams of punishing Democrats will come true.
No, I've not heard those phrases at least not coming from anyone I would give even a hint of belief to. You seem quite drunk on the kool... I mean sold on the story so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
What's the logic in waiting to being down the house in November if you can do it now? Unless of course you actually can't bring down the house so your best hope is to wait until you can sow enough doubt and suspicion to maybe tip the election in your favor. Like I said already though, the only voters likely to believe any of that crap aren't going to vote Democrat anyway. I mean it's not like Biden, Obama or Hillary will be up for election in November 2022. You're basically hoping that if you can make a popular Democrat or two look bad enough all people likely to vote Democrat will suddenly decide to vote Republican which is thinking so infantile to call it naïve would be a compliment.
Montuno
...como el Son...
Of course, amigo mío, the Spanish Conquest of America (with all its invasions, wars and crimes) is undoubtedly a fascinating subject, if you want to talk about it: there are great massacres in it, such as those committed by Spaniards, Tlaxcalans and Totonacs in Cholula, or in the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, against the Triple Alliance of the Mexica Empire (Aztecs, you call it). Without a doubt, apart from the crimes, cultural/religious persecution, and the catastrophe of "old world" diseases, it meant a cultural apocalypse for the indigenous people...
And even so, I invite you to compare it with the (300 years of human evolution later) Conquest of the Western USA: It is curious that not only the allies, but also the enemy tribes of Spain will forget their conflicts and protect their families in the Spanish forts, to face first the British and then the gringos... Or that Indian tribes and black slaves escaped from further north (fleeing from British crimes first, and gringos later), they will seek refuge in Spanish Florida, and even enlist in the local Spanish army, to contain the British first, and gringos later. In fact, they became the majority group of the population in Spanish Florida and in its army: thanks to them, neither Great Britain nor the USA dared the final invasion, until the gringo economic pressures and offers; From this miscegenation of Native Americans from the center and south of the current USA East Coast, black slaves who escaped from both, and the small local Spanish population (which was white, free black, and mixed-race in equal parts) the Seminole culture and people arose. ..When Spain abandoned Florida to the US (accepted underselling it, given the threats of military invasion as a second option), this Seminole population, people and/or culture awaited a harsh, cruel and full of crimes, treatment by the new masters of the USA: those with the most black blood were directly exterminated; those who seemed more Amerindian or "non-black" Spaniards, only persecution and exile.
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Montuno
...como el Son...
Read the full speech of Volodimir Zelensky before Congress
"You can help us, you can help restore peace. Give us the weapons we need," says the president of Ukraine in his speech:
"We are in April of the year 2022, but it seems that we are in April of 1937 in Spain, when the whole world knew the name of a Spanish city, Guernica..."
Volodimir Zelenski, applauded after his intervention by videoconference in Congress. EFE
Dear Madam President of the Congress of Deputies;
Dear Mr. President of the Government
Dear Representatives and Senators;
Dear members of the Government;
Dear people of Spain:
First of all I want to apologize for this delay. I have just spoken before the UN Security Council. I hope you don't understand it as a lack of respect, it was a delay due to technical reasons.
I write to YOU with the assurance that you understand the depth of our pain in the face of war and our hope for peace. Because at the moment in Ukraine absolutely everything is under threat, everything that is also for you the basis of a community life.
We are one of the largest countries in Europe and one of the most diverse. But democracy and respect for everyone, for each community, unites us.
I want to give just one example about our country, about our life: we have created the Council of Churches and Religious Communities of Ukraine. Different confessions, different points of view on social life are represented in this Council. Relations between the State and the Church have always developed peacefully, within mutual respect within the Council.
This is just one example that shows that we Ukrainians want peace, we do not want conflicts on such sensitive issues, which in other societies are sometimes resolved through conflicts and disputes.
Russia came with war to our land, and not yesterday, nor the day before yesterday, but a long time ago. We have been defending our country from cruel and unjustified aggression since 2014. First, with the occupation of our Crimea. Then the war began in the Ukrainian Donbas.
And now, for 41 days we have suffered from the full-scale invasion of Russia.
It is the most atrocious war in Europe since the times of the Second World War.
But why has Russia invaded Ukraine? What do the Russians intend to destroy with their weapons?
They intend to destroy not only our people, not only the foundation of peaceful life, but also the possibility of living without a dictatorship, the possibility of living without state violence, the possibility of being a strong and transparent democracy, the possibility that different communities religious can live together in peace.
The Russian regime does not contemplate all this, something that for Ukraine is usual. Russia wants Ukraine to be dominated by a single regime, a regime of tyranny. To destroy all diversity, to make it impossible to reach agreements between different communities. And this is exactly what is happening now in Russia. The same thing they want to establish in the Ukraine, and then in all of Eastern Europe and Central Europe.
And what will happen next?
I know that for your country, for Spain, it is important that the democratic system be safe. So that peace is guaranteed on the European continent.
But will this still be possible in the future?
Russia is using all its resources to extend the war and the destruction of all foundations of normal life.
Just imagine that today Ukrainian mothers write on the backs of their babies with a pen the name of the child, and the contact phone numbers of relatives... For what?
Well, so that in the event that the occupants kill their parents, they have at least a small hope of saving their children.
Imagine, that today, European citizens had to live entire weeks in basements to save their lives from bombing, from missiles.
We are in April of the year 2022, but it seems that we are in April of 1937 in Spain, when the whole world knew the name of a Spanish city, Guernica.
Imagine that the civilian population in the cities had to live in inhumane conditions, deprived of water, food, or medicine.
Russian troops have been besieging Mariupol for more than three weeks. They are destroying this city, there is practically nothing left but ruins. More than 90% of the buildings have been destroyed! The murdered people are buried directly in the patios of the houses, next to the collapsed buildings, where they lived...
The Russian aircraft has consciously bombed in Mariupol even the buildings where the people, the children, were sheltering... knowing that they were there.
Ukranie insists on this every day, every day of this invasion.
But the war continues. Russia is not looking for peace.
And the most horrible thing is that we do NOT know how long the war will last, until the world does everything necessary to achieve peace.
Strong sanctions are needed. How can Russian banks be allowed to continue generating profits, while in Ukrainian cities the Russian military tortures civilians to death?
How can European companies do business with a country that is knowingly destroying the entire Ukrainian people?
I know that many of your companies have already stopped financing the Russian military machine through the taxes they generate.
And I thank you very much. I thank your country, your society, your firmness regarding sanctions.
However, at the same time, I am addressing companies such as Maxam, Porcelanosa, Sercobe and others, so that they stop having commercial relations with Russia.
What has happened in our city of Bucha, in our city Borodianka and in others, are war crimes. They are crimes against humanity, which do not prescribe.
This is a compelling reason for the Russian military leaders to be condemned by the International Criminal Court.
How is it possible that under these conditions the countries of the world can freely continue to buy Russian oil and allow Russian ships to enter their ports?
Ladies and Gentlemen,
people of Spain:
At the moment, not only the fate of our country, but the fate of the entire European community is being decided on the territory of Ukraine. The destiny of the values that unite us. The democracy that unites us all, the human rights that have become a fundamental value for all of us.
I am grateful to your country for supporting joint decisions for peace.
But all of us, my country, Europe, and the whole world, must do more so that Russia begins to seek peace, so that Russia begins to respect international law.
What does it take for that?
Europeans must stop being afraid, stop being weak.
They must respect the values and democracy above the threats that Russia is spreading.
I am sure that you are not afraid, but I beg you to do everything possible so that other European countries lose their fear.
You can help us, you can help restore peace.
Give us the weapons we need.
We greatly appreciate the help you have already given us. Continue to support the sanctions, which are so necessary, and let's end the fear of Russia, everywhere.
Because democracy is not afraid.
Freedom must be defended.
Human rights are the most important.
The right to peace.
The right to life.
The right to happiness and to grow free.
The right to security in the family.
The right for our children to have a future.
The right to a dignified old age for our parents.
The right to respect all communities.
The right to be part of the European family.
Glory to Ukraine!
"You can help us, you can help restore peace. Give us the weapons we need," says the president of Ukraine in his speech:
"We are in April of the year 2022, but it seems that we are in April of 1937 in Spain, when the whole world knew the name of a Spanish city, Guernica..."
- Ukraine - Russia war, breaking news
- Zelensky appeals to the memory of the bombing of Guernica to urge Spain's support against Putin
- THE WORLD | MADRID
Dear Madam President of the Congress of Deputies;
Dear Mr. President of the Government
Dear Representatives and Senators;
Dear members of the Government;
Dear people of Spain:
First of all I want to apologize for this delay. I have just spoken before the UN Security Council. I hope you don't understand it as a lack of respect, it was a delay due to technical reasons.
I write to YOU with the assurance that you understand the depth of our pain in the face of war and our hope for peace. Because at the moment in Ukraine absolutely everything is under threat, everything that is also for you the basis of a community life.
We are one of the largest countries in Europe and one of the most diverse. But democracy and respect for everyone, for each community, unites us.
I want to give just one example about our country, about our life: we have created the Council of Churches and Religious Communities of Ukraine. Different confessions, different points of view on social life are represented in this Council. Relations between the State and the Church have always developed peacefully, within mutual respect within the Council.
This is just one example that shows that we Ukrainians want peace, we do not want conflicts on such sensitive issues, which in other societies are sometimes resolved through conflicts and disputes.
Russia came with war to our land, and not yesterday, nor the day before yesterday, but a long time ago. We have been defending our country from cruel and unjustified aggression since 2014. First, with the occupation of our Crimea. Then the war began in the Ukrainian Donbas.
And now, for 41 days we have suffered from the full-scale invasion of Russia.
It is the most atrocious war in Europe since the times of the Second World War.
But why has Russia invaded Ukraine? What do the Russians intend to destroy with their weapons?
They intend to destroy not only our people, not only the foundation of peaceful life, but also the possibility of living without a dictatorship, the possibility of living without state violence, the possibility of being a strong and transparent democracy, the possibility that different communities religious can live together in peace.
The Russian regime does not contemplate all this, something that for Ukraine is usual. Russia wants Ukraine to be dominated by a single regime, a regime of tyranny. To destroy all diversity, to make it impossible to reach agreements between different communities. And this is exactly what is happening now in Russia. The same thing they want to establish in the Ukraine, and then in all of Eastern Europe and Central Europe.
And what will happen next?
I know that for your country, for Spain, it is important that the democratic system be safe. So that peace is guaranteed on the European continent.
But will this still be possible in the future?
Russia is using all its resources to extend the war and the destruction of all foundations of normal life.
Just imagine that today Ukrainian mothers write on the backs of their babies with a pen the name of the child, and the contact phone numbers of relatives... For what?
Well, so that in the event that the occupants kill their parents, they have at least a small hope of saving their children.
Imagine, that today, European citizens had to live entire weeks in basements to save their lives from bombing, from missiles.
We are in April of the year 2022, but it seems that we are in April of 1937 in Spain, when the whole world knew the name of a Spanish city, Guernica.
Imagine that the civilian population in the cities had to live in inhumane conditions, deprived of water, food, or medicine.
Russian troops have been besieging Mariupol for more than three weeks. They are destroying this city, there is practically nothing left but ruins. More than 90% of the buildings have been destroyed! The murdered people are buried directly in the patios of the houses, next to the collapsed buildings, where they lived...
The Russian aircraft has consciously bombed in Mariupol even the buildings where the people, the children, were sheltering... knowing that they were there.
Ukranie insists on this every day, every day of this invasion.
But the war continues. Russia is not looking for peace.
And the most horrible thing is that we do NOT know how long the war will last, until the world does everything necessary to achieve peace.
Strong sanctions are needed. How can Russian banks be allowed to continue generating profits, while in Ukrainian cities the Russian military tortures civilians to death?
How can European companies do business with a country that is knowingly destroying the entire Ukrainian people?
I know that many of your companies have already stopped financing the Russian military machine through the taxes they generate.
And I thank you very much. I thank your country, your society, your firmness regarding sanctions.
However, at the same time, I am addressing companies such as Maxam, Porcelanosa, Sercobe and others, so that they stop having commercial relations with Russia.
What has happened in our city of Bucha, in our city Borodianka and in others, are war crimes. They are crimes against humanity, which do not prescribe.
This is a compelling reason for the Russian military leaders to be condemned by the International Criminal Court.
How is it possible that under these conditions the countries of the world can freely continue to buy Russian oil and allow Russian ships to enter their ports?
Ladies and Gentlemen,
people of Spain:
At the moment, not only the fate of our country, but the fate of the entire European community is being decided on the territory of Ukraine. The destiny of the values that unite us. The democracy that unites us all, the human rights that have become a fundamental value for all of us.
I am grateful to your country for supporting joint decisions for peace.
But all of us, my country, Europe, and the whole world, must do more so that Russia begins to seek peace, so that Russia begins to respect international law.
What does it take for that?
Europeans must stop being afraid, stop being weak.
They must respect the values and democracy above the threats that Russia is spreading.
I am sure that you are not afraid, but I beg you to do everything possible so that other European countries lose their fear.
You can help us, you can help restore peace.
Give us the weapons we need.
We greatly appreciate the help you have already given us. Continue to support the sanctions, which are so necessary, and let's end the fear of Russia, everywhere.
Because democracy is not afraid.
Freedom must be defended.
Human rights are the most important.
The right to peace.
The right to life.
The right to happiness and to grow free.
The right to security in the family.
The right for our children to have a future.
The right to a dignified old age for our parents.
The right to respect all communities.
The right to be part of the European family.
Glory to Ukraine!
Montuno
...como el Son...
GUERNICA 1937
the bombing of guernica in 1937, the massacre that inspired picasso
Discover some of the images that inspired the painter from Malaga to create one of his most famous works
1 / 18
Devastation in Guernica
Buildings in the old Basque town of Guernica were razed to the ground after an air raid by the German Luftwaffe on April 26, 1937.
2 / 18
a devastated village
The urban center of the town, less than 1 square kilometer, was completely destroyed. According to the report of the National Service for Devastated Regions - an organism of the dictatorship destined to evaluate the material damage caused during the war, as well as the subsequent reconstruction work - 85.22% of the buildings, a total of 271, were totally destroyed and the rest partially affected.
3 / 18
Heinkel He 111
In the image we can see a Heinkel He 111 bomber, abandoned by the Luftwaffe in the retreat after the battle of El Alamein. It is one of the planes used by the Condor Legion in the bombing of Guernica.
4 / 18
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Bf 109 of the Condor Legion were some of the fighters that escorted the German bombers during the bombing of Guernica. This photograph was taken during the Spanish Civil War.
5 / 18
Firepower
During the bombardment, a minimum of 31 tons of bombs were dropped on Guernica.
6 / 18
the city on fire
The incendiary bombs caused the fire in the town, which could not be put out for several days and was responsible for giving the town the final blow after the bombardment.
7 / 18
Luftwaffe incendiary bomb, 1936
This unexploded firebomb, dated 1936, has been defused and its fill has been removed. It was one of the incendiary bombs used in the bombing of Guernica.
8 / 18
Trajectory of bombing and ground attack aircraft over Guernica
9 / 18
Deathly victims
Although the registry of the census population disappeared after the entry of the rebel troops in the town of Guernica, it is estimated that approximately a third of the 5,000 inhabitants of the village died in the attacks. However, based on the documents available today, including the Basque Government report entitled List of victims caused by factious aviation in its incursions in April 1937, the statement by Jesus M. Leiazola (Radio Euskadi) of May 4, 1937, 50 direct testimonies recorded in various original documents from 1937 and other later testimonies, a total of 1,654 dead and 889 wounded were computed.
10 / 18
Map of Guernica - 1939
The devastated regions report stated that 271 buildings were totally destroyed, which means that the bombardment completely destroyed 85.22% of the total houses.
11 / 18
rubble of a city
This photograph shows the destruction caused by the bombing at street level. The total number of fatalities is difficult to know because the more than 60,000 cubic meters of rubble resulting from the military action would not be removed from the center of the town until the end of 1941.
12 / 18
Guernica in ruins
The tasks of the first phase of clearing rubble from the city did not begin until February of the year 39. Still in 1941, they had not even proceeded with the clearing of the old part of the town.
13 / 18
Aerial view of Guernica after the bombing
Although it is presumed that the objective of the operation was to blow up the bridge that connected the city with the highway that went to Bilbao, the real fact is that both the bridge and the arms factories located on the outskirts remained intact after the bombing.
14 / 18
media war
Clipping from the newspaper Azul, organ of the Spanish Falange de las JONS in which the authorship of the destruction of the town is awarded to the Republican side.
"The fire occurred yesterday and Aguirre (president of the Republic of Euzkadi -sic-) has launched the lie -infamous- because he is a common criminal, of attributing that crime to the heroic and noble aviation of our National Army. prove at all times that the national aviation did not fly because of the fog [...] the Spain reconquered by Franco, serene, calm, free, happy, together with the National Army that defeats the enemy and rebuilds its homeland [...] ] the red hordes murder, martyr, burn, destroy, bring chaos everywhere"
15 / 18
International Press
First image released by the international press about the bombing of Gernika, published in the Daily Worker.
16 / 18
Who did it?
Clipping from the Daily Herald of April 29, 1937 in which the authorship of the bombing of German aviation is attributed.
17 / 18
Let's do it
Picasso painting Guernica in his studio on Rue des Grands Augustins.
18 / 18
States of execution of Guernica
Picasso's Guernica during its previous stages .
Since the bombing of Guernica in Vizcaya on April 26, 1937 , it has become a world symbol of the horrors of war. This is how Pablo Picasso expressed it in one of his best-known works, which takes its name from the Basque town.
Known as Operation Rügen , this military maneuver was carried out during the course of the Spanish Civil War by the German Condor Legion and the Italian Legionary Aviation, which fought on the side of the Rebellious side against the government of the Second Spanish Republic (Republican side) .
TO KNOW MORE
Picasso's Guernica step by step
read article
WHY GUERNICA?
There are multiple theories that try to explain the reasons why the bombing of Guernica took place. The town was a key communications center for the republican troops and in the town there were 3 arms factories in possession of its army . In the same way, its bombardment would make it possible to hinder the withdrawal of the Republican army -which at that time was inevitably ceding territory- towards Bilbao , preventing it from falling back on the capital.
However, we must go a little further. Despite the number and incendiary load of the bombs dropped on Guernica, those who were the main targets of the bombardment, the bridge that would allow the Republican troops to withdraw to Bilbao for their defense, as well as the arms factories, remained intact. Therefore, it is worth delving a little deeper into the reasons for the attack. Xabier Irujo , director of the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada , who has investigated the bombing for more than 10 years, explains in April 26, 1937, Gernika, that the attack was fundamentally two things: a terror bombing and a war experiment .
Guernica was just the right size: large enough to be a major military objective, and small enough to be completely devastated. It was an ideal location to study the effect of Luftwaffe incendiary bombs as well as the effects after the bombing. In fact, there is evidence of subsequent reconnaissance flights that were intended to study the operation. In addition, Guernica was a short distance from the front, so it could easily be occupied days after the bombing.
Another aspect that seems to be key was that on the day of the bombing in Guernica a market was held , which made the town a unique target since in no other place nearby would between 10,000 and 12,000 people gather in an area of less than one kilometer. square. Guernica was also endowed with a deep cultural meaning, in which the Basque people sink their roots and whose oak is an early symbol of regional freedoms.
For all these reasons, the bombing of Guernica shows a certain method of warfare repeated by the German armies on several occasions and that responds to two clear goals: to end the war as soon as possible, and to attack the morale of the combatants. Later, in World War II, the method used in Guernica would be applied; Several European cities would give an account of the German modus operandi put to the test in the Basque town.
THE DIMENSIONS OF THE ATTACK
The attack occurred in several waves and lasted 3 hours and 20 minutes. At 16:20 the first of the attacks took place. A Heinkel HE51 light bomber would drop a series of 6 bombs. After these, shortly after they would appear by another 3 devices, which, starting from Burgos , dropped their load of explosives on the town in several waves and lasted until 5:00 p.m. The relief was taken by a squadron of lighter planes that had orders to machine-gun the population and whose action lasted half an hour. After this, a fourth phase was based on the heavy bombardment by several Junkers Ju52 for half an hour, and that would end with the coup de grace of another light bombardment combined with shrapnel fire.
The town, which, at that time with a population of about 5,000 inhabitants, was reduced to ashes . According to various sources, more than 85% of its buildings were destroyed due to the bombing and the fire caused by it, which could not be extinguished until several days later. Under the Devastated Regions report, 271 buildings were 100% destroyed; the rest affected between 75% and 15%. This data coincides with the data provided by the British consul Ralph Stevenson , who concluded that 9 out of 10 buildings in the town were completely destroyed. In total, 85.22% of the town was completely destroyed, and 99% affected.
As for the victims, the government of the Basque Country recorded that 1,654 people lost their lives in Guernica; it is estimated that about a third of the village's 5,000 inhabitants were killed in the attacks.
From the documents available today, among them, the Basque Government report entitled " List of victims caused by factious aviation in their incursions in April 1937"; the communication of Jesus M. Leiazola (Radio Euskadi) of May 4, 1937; 50 direct testimonies recorded in various original documents from 1937, and other later testimonies, the most reliable data today indicate that in Guernica there were a total of 1,654 dead and 889 wounded. 38 eyewitnesses, including international reporters who went to Guernica after the Rügen operation, supported these figures. However, research work continues regarding the computation and identification of the victims among the experts.
TO KNOW MORE
How much do you know about Hitler?
read article
Three days after the bombing, a military contingent from the rebel troops entered Guernica, taking control of it, destroying the censuses drawn up by the Basque authorities and making it impossible to make a final count of the dead. The discussion about the figures of the bombing, from the number of planes that intervened, the number of bombs that were dropped and, or the victims that were produced, generate, even today, a great controversy due also in part to the fact that the historical fact was used for propaganda purposes by both sides , which mutually accused each other of the authorship of what happened there.
Early in the morning of April 27, Lehendakari Aguirre denounced the events on the radio, attributing responsibility to the rebels. In the same way, from the side of the rebels, a reciprocal accusation was launched that denied Aguirre's statements and denounced that Guernica was reduced to ashes by the reds - like other cities - before their withdrawal.
The denial of the bombings of Guernica, in addition to those of other cities , by the Condor Legion was maintained during the 40 years that the Franco dictatorship lasted. Likewise, it was the official truth maintained by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy until 1945. During the dictatorship, what happened in Guernica was also a taboo subject among its inhabitants. Talking that there was a bombing there could be punished with jail according to the testimony collected by Maria Jesus Cava Mesa in the collective memory of the bombing of Guernica. Other testimonies affirm that in the same way it was even dangerous to have a reproduction of Picasso's painting.
TO KNOW MORE
Pablo Picasso and the genesis of "Guernica"
read article
WHAT DID GUERNICA MEAN?
The bombing caught the attention of the international press very early on. As an example, the New York Times alone published 63 articles about the bombing in the two and a half months that followed. The reasons: Guernica revealed the tragedy that was hanging over Europe , evidencing the nature of the regimes that had participated in the bombing, and warning of the German military air effectiveness, as well as hinting at their intentions. Also that in the next wars the civilian population would suffer the consequences of the arms race that began in 1918.
From that moment, a new way of bombing cities would be born in which both the explosives and their proportion, as well as the formations of the planes that would launch them, were calculated to the millimeter. The destruction would be total, and subsequently, cities like Warsaw would suffer during World War II because of the modus operandi of which Guernica served as a testing ground.
From 1937 terror bombing would become the most destructive way to act in a war, constituting the prelude to a new era of bombing that would not end until 1945 with the launch of the first atomic bomb.
TO KNOW MORE
How much do you know about World War II?
read article
https://historia.nationalgeographic....-picasso_12702
the bombing of guernica in 1937, the massacre that inspired picasso
Discover some of the images that inspired the painter from Malaga to create one of his most famous works
1 / 18
Devastation in Guernica
Buildings in the old Basque town of Guernica were razed to the ground after an air raid by the German Luftwaffe on April 26, 1937.
2 / 18
a devastated village
The urban center of the town, less than 1 square kilometer, was completely destroyed. According to the report of the National Service for Devastated Regions - an organism of the dictatorship destined to evaluate the material damage caused during the war, as well as the subsequent reconstruction work - 85.22% of the buildings, a total of 271, were totally destroyed and the rest partially affected.
3 / 18
Heinkel He 111
In the image we can see a Heinkel He 111 bomber, abandoned by the Luftwaffe in the retreat after the battle of El Alamein. It is one of the planes used by the Condor Legion in the bombing of Guernica.
4 / 18
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Bf 109 of the Condor Legion were some of the fighters that escorted the German bombers during the bombing of Guernica. This photograph was taken during the Spanish Civil War.
5 / 18
Firepower
During the bombardment, a minimum of 31 tons of bombs were dropped on Guernica.
6 / 18
the city on fire
The incendiary bombs caused the fire in the town, which could not be put out for several days and was responsible for giving the town the final blow after the bombardment.
7 / 18
Luftwaffe incendiary bomb, 1936
This unexploded firebomb, dated 1936, has been defused and its fill has been removed. It was one of the incendiary bombs used in the bombing of Guernica.
8 / 18
Trajectory of bombing and ground attack aircraft over Guernica
9 / 18
Deathly victims
Although the registry of the census population disappeared after the entry of the rebel troops in the town of Guernica, it is estimated that approximately a third of the 5,000 inhabitants of the village died in the attacks. However, based on the documents available today, including the Basque Government report entitled List of victims caused by factious aviation in its incursions in April 1937, the statement by Jesus M. Leiazola (Radio Euskadi) of May 4, 1937, 50 direct testimonies recorded in various original documents from 1937 and other later testimonies, a total of 1,654 dead and 889 wounded were computed.
10 / 18
Map of Guernica - 1939
The devastated regions report stated that 271 buildings were totally destroyed, which means that the bombardment completely destroyed 85.22% of the total houses.
11 / 18
rubble of a city
This photograph shows the destruction caused by the bombing at street level. The total number of fatalities is difficult to know because the more than 60,000 cubic meters of rubble resulting from the military action would not be removed from the center of the town until the end of 1941.
12 / 18
Guernica in ruins
The tasks of the first phase of clearing rubble from the city did not begin until February of the year 39. Still in 1941, they had not even proceeded with the clearing of the old part of the town.
13 / 18
Aerial view of Guernica after the bombing
Although it is presumed that the objective of the operation was to blow up the bridge that connected the city with the highway that went to Bilbao, the real fact is that both the bridge and the arms factories located on the outskirts remained intact after the bombing.
14 / 18
media war
Clipping from the newspaper Azul, organ of the Spanish Falange de las JONS in which the authorship of the destruction of the town is awarded to the Republican side.
"The fire occurred yesterday and Aguirre (president of the Republic of Euzkadi -sic-) has launched the lie -infamous- because he is a common criminal, of attributing that crime to the heroic and noble aviation of our National Army. prove at all times that the national aviation did not fly because of the fog [...] the Spain reconquered by Franco, serene, calm, free, happy, together with the National Army that defeats the enemy and rebuilds its homeland [...] ] the red hordes murder, martyr, burn, destroy, bring chaos everywhere"
15 / 18
International Press
First image released by the international press about the bombing of Gernika, published in the Daily Worker.
16 / 18
Who did it?
Clipping from the Daily Herald of April 29, 1937 in which the authorship of the bombing of German aviation is attributed.
17 / 18
Let's do it
Picasso painting Guernica in his studio on Rue des Grands Augustins.
18 / 18
States of execution of Guernica
Picasso's Guernica during its previous stages .
Since the bombing of Guernica in Vizcaya on April 26, 1937 , it has become a world symbol of the horrors of war. This is how Pablo Picasso expressed it in one of his best-known works, which takes its name from the Basque town.
Known as Operation Rügen , this military maneuver was carried out during the course of the Spanish Civil War by the German Condor Legion and the Italian Legionary Aviation, which fought on the side of the Rebellious side against the government of the Second Spanish Republic (Republican side) .
TO KNOW MORE
Picasso's Guernica step by step
read article
WHY GUERNICA?
There are multiple theories that try to explain the reasons why the bombing of Guernica took place. The town was a key communications center for the republican troops and in the town there were 3 arms factories in possession of its army . In the same way, its bombardment would make it possible to hinder the withdrawal of the Republican army -which at that time was inevitably ceding territory- towards Bilbao , preventing it from falling back on the capital.
However, we must go a little further. Despite the number and incendiary load of the bombs dropped on Guernica, those who were the main targets of the bombardment, the bridge that would allow the Republican troops to withdraw to Bilbao for their defense, as well as the arms factories, remained intact. Therefore, it is worth delving a little deeper into the reasons for the attack. Xabier Irujo , director of the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada , who has investigated the bombing for more than 10 years, explains in April 26, 1937, Gernika, that the attack was fundamentally two things: a terror bombing and a war experiment .
The attack was fundamentally two things: a terror bombing and an experiment in warfare.
Guernica was just the right size: large enough to be a major military objective, and small enough to be completely devastated. It was an ideal location to study the effect of Luftwaffe incendiary bombs as well as the effects after the bombing. In fact, there is evidence of subsequent reconnaissance flights that were intended to study the operation. In addition, Guernica was a short distance from the front, so it could easily be occupied days after the bombing.
Another aspect that seems to be key was that on the day of the bombing in Guernica a market was held , which made the town a unique target since in no other place nearby would between 10,000 and 12,000 people gather in an area of less than one kilometer. square. Guernica was also endowed with a deep cultural meaning, in which the Basque people sink their roots and whose oak is an early symbol of regional freedoms.
For all these reasons, the bombing of Guernica shows a certain method of warfare repeated by the German armies on several occasions and that responds to two clear goals: to end the war as soon as possible, and to attack the morale of the combatants. Later, in World War II, the method used in Guernica would be applied; Several European cities would give an account of the German modus operandi put to the test in the Basque town.
THE DIMENSIONS OF THE ATTACK
The attack occurred in several waves and lasted 3 hours and 20 minutes. At 16:20 the first of the attacks took place. A Heinkel HE51 light bomber would drop a series of 6 bombs. After these, shortly after they would appear by another 3 devices, which, starting from Burgos , dropped their load of explosives on the town in several waves and lasted until 5:00 p.m. The relief was taken by a squadron of lighter planes that had orders to machine-gun the population and whose action lasted half an hour. After this, a fourth phase was based on the heavy bombardment by several Junkers Ju52 for half an hour, and that would end with the coup de grace of another light bombardment combined with shrapnel fire.
In total, 85.22% of the town was completely destroyed, and 99% affected.
The town, which, at that time with a population of about 5,000 inhabitants, was reduced to ashes . According to various sources, more than 85% of its buildings were destroyed due to the bombing and the fire caused by it, which could not be extinguished until several days later. Under the Devastated Regions report, 271 buildings were 100% destroyed; the rest affected between 75% and 15%. This data coincides with the data provided by the British consul Ralph Stevenson , who concluded that 9 out of 10 buildings in the town were completely destroyed. In total, 85.22% of the town was completely destroyed, and 99% affected.
As for the victims, the government of the Basque Country recorded that 1,654 people lost their lives in Guernica; it is estimated that about a third of the village's 5,000 inhabitants were killed in the attacks.
From the documents available today, among them, the Basque Government report entitled " List of victims caused by factious aviation in their incursions in April 1937"; the communication of Jesus M. Leiazola (Radio Euskadi) of May 4, 1937; 50 direct testimonies recorded in various original documents from 1937, and other later testimonies, the most reliable data today indicate that in Guernica there were a total of 1,654 dead and 889 wounded. 38 eyewitnesses, including international reporters who went to Guernica after the Rügen operation, supported these figures. However, research work continues regarding the computation and identification of the victims among the experts.
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Three days after the bombing, a military contingent from the rebel troops entered Guernica, taking control of it, destroying the censuses drawn up by the Basque authorities and making it impossible to make a final count of the dead. The discussion about the figures of the bombing, from the number of planes that intervened, the number of bombs that were dropped and, or the victims that were produced, generate, even today, a great controversy due also in part to the fact that the historical fact was used for propaganda purposes by both sides , which mutually accused each other of the authorship of what happened there.
Early in the morning of April 27, Lehendakari Aguirre denounced the events on the radio, attributing responsibility to the rebels. In the same way, from the side of the rebels, a reciprocal accusation was launched that denied Aguirre's statements and denounced that Guernica was reduced to ashes by the reds - like other cities - before their withdrawal.
The denial of the bombings of Guernica, in addition to those of other cities , by the Condor Legion was maintained during the 40 years that the Franco dictatorship lasted. Likewise, it was the official truth maintained by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy until 1945. During the dictatorship, what happened in Guernica was also a taboo subject among its inhabitants. Talking that there was a bombing there could be punished with jail according to the testimony collected by Maria Jesus Cava Mesa in the collective memory of the bombing of Guernica. Other testimonies affirm that in the same way it was even dangerous to have a reproduction of Picasso's painting.
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WHAT DID GUERNICA MEAN?
The bombing caught the attention of the international press very early on. As an example, the New York Times alone published 63 articles about the bombing in the two and a half months that followed. The reasons: Guernica revealed the tragedy that was hanging over Europe , evidencing the nature of the regimes that had participated in the bombing, and warning of the German military air effectiveness, as well as hinting at their intentions. Also that in the next wars the civilian population would suffer the consequences of the arms race that began in 1918.
From that moment, a new way of bombing cities would be born in which both the explosives and their proportion, as well as the formations of the planes that would launch them, were calculated to the millimeter. The destruction would be total, and subsequently, cities like Warsaw would suffer during World War II because of the modus operandi of which Guernica served as a testing ground.
From 1937 terror bombing would become the most destructive way to act in a war, constituting the prelude to a new era of bombing that would not end until 1945 with the launch of the first atomic bomb.
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https://historia.nationalgeographic....-picasso_12702
