Spanish army chief arrested after threatening uprising

[emad]

· Military could intervene in Catalonia, says general
· Speech says charter seen as threat to national unity

Giles Tremlett in Madrid
Monday January 9, 2006
The Guardian


A Spanish army general was under house arrest yesterday and awaiting dismissal after saying that the military might step in to halt plans for greater autonomy for the wealthy eastern region of Catalonia.

Lieutenant General José Mena, the head of Spain's 50,000-strong ground forces, told officers under his command that the country's constitution gave them the right to act if the "unity of Spain" was in danger. His comments, made in a public speech, copies of which were distributed to journalists, saw him called in by the defence minister, José Bono, and placed under house arrest until he can be formally dismissed at a cabinet meeting on Friday.

Although Gen Mena did not specify how the armed forces might intervene, his comments triggered memories of military uprisings and coups in Spain's past.

General Francisco Franco rebelled against Spain's democratic republican government in 1936, triggering the Spanish civil war, and went on to rule as dictator until his death in 1975.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,2763,1682239,00.html

[htuttle]

1. Psst...somebody let him know...

...Generalissimo Francisco Franco is STILL dead.

[emad]

3. DO NOT MENTION ZE VOR....

Ze von we are not even talking about...

[ugarte]

2. No pasarán...nt

[mantrid]

4. Let him be buried with all the other dinosaurs

His outburst has probably only helped those who want more autonomy for Catalonia by provoking bad memories of their relationship with Madrid under Franco; although in turn it sounds like this will make Zapatero's life harder, sadly.

[itcfish]

5. More and More

The Partido Popular (ultra right party) are getting their ideas and moves from the Bushistas.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Nominated for the Top 10 Conservative idiots. -nt

EDited for DOuble CAps.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. What a douchebag

Cashier him immediately.

[Bridget Burke]

8. The King stopped an earlier coup ....

Under the new, 1978 Constitution, adopted by the Cortes, confirmed in a referendum and promulgated by Juan Carlos, that he relinquished absolute power and became a reigning but non-ruling monarch. His reforms had gained considerable animosity from the armed forces, which ultimately culminated in an attempted military coup on February 23, 1981, in which the Cortes was seized by members of the Guardia Civil in the parliamentary chamber (see 23-F). The coup ended up being thwarted by the unprecedented public television broadcast by the King, calling for unambiguous support for the legitimate democratic government. In the hours before his speech he had personally called many senior military figures to tell them that he was opposed to the coup, and that they must defend the democratic government.

When Juan Carlos became king, Communist leader Santiago Carrillo nicknamed him Juan Carlos the Brief, predicting that the monarchy would be swept away with the other remnants of the Franco era. After the collapse of the coup, in an emotional statement, Carrillo told television viewers "God save the King." If public support for the monarchy among democrats and left wingers prior to 1981 was conditional, following the King's handling of the coup it became unconditional, with a former senior leader of the Second Republic saying "we are all monarchists now".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_I_of_Spain

Yes, it's Wikipedia. But this is pretty straightforward stuff.