Spain recalls without excessive passion attempted coup in 1981 against the then fledgling democracy that took place with the arrival in Congress of a group of armed policemen who detained eighteen hours a Government and deputies.
On the afternoon of February 23, 1981 held in Congress was sworn in as Prime Minister Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo to replace Adolfo Suarez, who had resigned in late January and left for history an enigmatic phrase: “I do not want that democracy is a parenthesis in the history of Spain”.
Only three and a half years before had held the first democratic elections, aimed at opening a constituent process to end four decades of dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975).
In those years was often called “saber rattling”, the alleged conspiracies of military servants under Franco against the democratic opening.
A 18.23 hours on 23 February 1981, Lieutenant Colonel of the Civil Guard Antonio Tejero entered Congress in front of two hundred agents and showed that these conspiracies were not only alleged.
The vote was not televised live, although relayed by radio, so as not to see what was happening increased the drama when, after the cry of Tejero of “down all world, “began to be heard gunshots and fear spread to a massacre.
As later learned, the assault on Congress was the factor that would trigger a military movement in Spain, but only caught on in the region of Valencia (east), where the commander in chief Jaime Milans del Bosch, declared a state of emergency and took out the tanks in the streets.
In these times of tension that gesture was not supported, although in military units of the country there was much crossing of calls and, shortly after one o’clock, King Juan Carlos he delivered a speech, in military dress, which is sided with the Constitution and democratic normality.
In kidnapped government, the government of emergency was built during those hours for second and third echelons of the administration.
On the morning of the 24th, after a night “transistor” in reference to the massive use made by the Spaniards radios, Tejero gave the order to his subordinates to leave Congress, after finding that the attempt had failed, but not evacuated until noon Congress.
Tejero and Milans del Bosch was sentenced to thirty years in prison for a crime of military rebellion and General Alfonso Armada (man very close to Juan Carlos I) to twenty-four.
Thirty soldiers were sentenced, while civil plot was never investigated.
Some of the protagonists of those days are dead, as Suarez, Calvo-Sotelo (who was elected president a few days later), Milans del Bosch and Armada, though still alive Antonio Tejero .
The media these days remember those events, but the emphasis of the past, not least because a part of the Spanish population was not born then and 23-F does not mean much thing.
A new feature this year is a work of musical theater that features a false Antonio Tejero which, like vaudeville, recreates the assault between songs.
As a silent reminder left on the roof of the Congress some holes caused by bullets of the assailants.
Even those remains have escaped the controversy, because a work in the summer of 2013 wiped out some of those holes by hand masons little conscious about the most delicate moment the history of Spanish democracy.
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