Controversial Franco Statue in Barcelona pulled down

A headless statue of former Spanish dictator General Franco that was on exhibition outside of the Born Cultural center in Spain's Barcelona was pulled over as well as being daubed with paint and garlanded with Catalan pro-independence flags in the early hours of Friday morning.

The statue, which formed part of an exhibition: "Franco, Victory, Republic, Impunity and Urban Space," had caused controversy from the moment it had been placed in the square at the start of the week.

The image of the man responsible for prohibiting the use of the Catalan language and carrying out repression in the region from the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) until his death in 1975 angered many locals, especially as the Born is seen as the heart of the Catalan nationalist movement.

Others, however, preferred to view the presence of the statue as an opportunity to reflect on that difficult time in Spanish history, which many prefer not to talk about and which still provoke divisions in Spanish society.

Even though headless, the statue had been a target for protestors, who had pelted it with eggs and also hung Catalan flags from it. Thursday morning arrived with a pig's head placed on top of the neck.

Finally a group of youngsters wearing masks to cover their faces were able to pull the statue over on Friday morning. Endit