> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Minister Honours Francoism Victims at Fossar de la Pedrera - URL: https://barna.news/minister-honours-francoism-victims-at/ - Published: 2026-10-04T09:04:57.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-04T09:30:09.000Z - Description: Ramon Espadaler leads tribute to victims of Francoist repression in Barcelona on National Day of Remembrance. - Author: Barna.News - Tags: politics ## Commemoration for Repression Victims The Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality of the Generalitat, Ramon Espadaler, has reaffirmed the importance of remembering victims of Francoism as a commitment to democracy's future. Speaking at Fossar de la Pedrera in Montjuïc Cemetery, Barcelona, Espadaler joined other authorities in a ceremony marking the National Day in Memory of the Victims of the Civil War and Repression under the Francoist Dictatorship. The event was organised by Memorial Democràtic, part of the Department of Justice, and Cementiris de Barcelona, with support from Associació Pro-Memòria als Immolats per la Llibertat a Catalunya, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. ## Institutional Tributes and Concert Parliament President Josep Rull, Barcelona City Council Deputy Mayor Raquel Gil, and representatives of memorial organisations also attended. Espadaler praised the pioneering role of the Pro-Memòria association and stressed that democratic memory is a collective responsibility requiring concrete public policies. "Democracy was not given to us, it is not perennial," Espadaler stated, underscoring the need to preserve annual commemorations as spaces of remembrance. > Democracy was not given to us, it is not perennial. Authorities laid floral tributes at the monument to the executed and at the tomb of former Catalan president Lluís Companys, who was executed by the Franco regime in 1940. --- ### Cultural Tribute Recalls 1937 Concert A tribute concert followed, performed by musicians trained at the Catalonia College of Music (ESMUC), prepared and conducted by Joaquim Rabaseda. The programme revived a historic concert held on 17 January 1937 at Palau de la Música Catalana in aid of victims of fascism, which opened with Beethoven's Serenade in D major, Op. 8\. The performance served as a cultural act of resistance, drawing on classical music to denounce authoritarianism. ### Fossar de la Pedrera: A Site of Memory Fossar de la Pedrera contains the remains of up to 1,717 people executed between 1939 and 1952 in Barcelona, most of them shot at Camp de la Bota for political or ideological reasons. It is one of Spain’s largest mass graves and a symbol of democratic memory. The site was dignified in 1985 through the initiative of the Pro-Memòria association, with the involvement of the Generalitat and Barcelona City Council. Designed by architect Beth Galí, it became a memorial space to preserve victims’ memory and expose Francoist repression. Since 2009, it has been part of the Network of Memory Spaces of the Memorial Democràtic. Signage allows visitors to explore its history through an interpretive route across the site. Visitors can access [information about visiting hours and guided tours via Audiala](https://www.audiala.com/it/spagna/barcellona/fossar-de-la-pedrera?ref=barna.news), which confirms the site is open daily from 09:00 to 18:00 with free admission. --- *Primary sources:* [*memoria.gencat.cat*](https://memoria.gencat.cat/ca/actualitat/butlleti-00001/butlleti-de-memoria.-75/index.html?ref=barna.news)*. Reported by elperiodico.com, Joan Antoni Guerrero Vall, audiala.com, palaumusica.cat, thenewbarcelonapost.com, El Periódico Barcelona.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [Illa to Address Housing Crisis in Parliament Speech](https://barna.news/illa-to-address-housing-crisis-in/) - [Colau sets condition for possible 2027 Congress bid](https://barna.news/colau-sets-condition-for-possible-2027-congress-bid/) - [Barcelona sets legacy test for major events](https://barna.news/barcelona-sets-legacy-test-for-major/)