The painful past of Spanish Civil War refugees in France, 80 years on

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The painful past of Spanish Civil War refugees in France, 80 years on
Date created : 09/02/2019 - 14:59Latest update : 09/02/2019 - 16:19
Text by: Stéphanie TROUILLARD

Nearly half a million Spaniards crossed the border into France after Barcelona fell to General Francisco Franco 80 years ago. Many were detained in makeshift internment camps during a dark chapter of French history that has been all but forgotten.

On January 26, 1939, Franco seized control of the Catalan capital of Barcelona, forcing thousands of Republican sympathisers to flee north. Although France’s official position during the Spanish Civil War was one of non-intervention, the country had turned a blind eye to weapons funneled across its border to Republican forces. It now decided to open its doors: France’s government granted entry to Spanish civilians on January 28 and extended this courtesy to Republican soldiers fleeing Franco’s army on February 5.

In a matter of weeks, around 475,000 refugees had crossed the French-Spanish border. The exodus came to be known later as La Retirada (The Retreat). To mark its 80th anniversary, FRANCE 24 spoke to Geneviève Dreyfus-Armand, historian and author of “The Exile of Spanish Republicans in France: From the Civil War to Franco’s Death”, who explained this forgotten chapter in history.

What caused this massive influx of Spanish refugees?

Geneviève Dreyfus-Armand: The immediate cause was the fall of Catalonia. Since the start of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Franco’s forces (known as Nationalists) brutally repressed Republican sympathisers whenever they seized new territory. They executed unionists, teachers, intellectuals, artists, even workers. When Catalonia fell, there were a lot of people already there who had fled from other regions. They were scared that the repression would be even worse this time around. They chose to leave for France. It was the only escape route possible.

Read more at: https://www.france24.com/en/20190209-france-spanish-civil-war-republican-refugees-la-retirada-80th-anniversary?ref=tw_i